Jenna Matlin discusses the Tarosophy Tarot Professional Development Program (PDP) with a recent graduate, Gloria Bardell.
Jenna: Tell us a little bit about your business, your reading style and your experience being a professional reader.
Gloria: My business name is Pink Dove Tarot. Before doing the Professional development course it had no name, and didn’t actually exist, even though I had been contemplating starting it for years. I was one of those people that read for friends and family and read professionally when the occasion presented itself. I never actually pursued it actively or started it more seriously.
I was always telling people I was going to, and simply never got around to it. These days I read at Mind Body Spirit (MBS) Fairs and am building up a face to face clientèle.
Since I was confined to being at home after surgery and not being able to drive I started to do telephone readings, and this has given me the confidence to begin doing Skype, Hangout and YouTube readings.
My preferred style of reading is to engage and involve the client. I view it as an organic creative process that generally most people prefer during a face to face reading. My least favourite kind of client is the arms folded, tell my fortune type. Fortunately I don’t attract too many of them !
Now that I’m back to being fully fit I am looking forward to devoting even more time growing my business, by doing more reading at private and corporate events and am considering teaching small groups face to face.
Jenna: What place where you in before you started the tarot Professional Development Program, and where are you now?
Gloria: Where I was a year ago before starting the Tarot PDP reminds of driving on the Motorway (Highway!) for the very first time. You see the car sitting there on the drive. You know how to drive, you’ve done all the learning and passed the test. You have the keys in your hand. You know where the ignition is. You’ve driven the country lanes and know the minor roads like the back of your hand. You know the route, and yet nerves and lack of confidence holds you back from getting in the car and taking the Motorway. Should you keep taking it slow, bumping along the country lanes for the rest of your life or take the leap of faith ?
I was still taking the country lane route when I saw the class advertised on the Tarot Association website, and knew that this was my chance to stop procrastinating and to finally get onto the Motorway and truly haven’t looked back.
Despite having 3-day hospitalisation for surgery during that time, I now have my own business registered and my client base is growing by the week.
I still receive constant encouragement and on going advice from Jenna as to how to grow, explore and be creative about the business
Jenna: Can you tell me three most helpful things that you learned from the course?
Gloria: Three things!
1) I’ve learnt that it is absolutely crucial to have a plan of not just what you would like to achieve for the business. It’s also essential to have a financial structure of how you are going to organise cash flow. Plus the legalities that a novice may not be aware of are also covered in detail during the course. These nitty-gritty things that can be so daunting and tempting to overlook and yet are so crucial in building a business are covered as deeply as the fun creative aspects.
2) Having the confidence to actually build my own website, has been immensely rewarding. I had always imagined that it would be necessary to have one professionally built at enormous cost. Again with Jenna’s ‘gentle’ cajoling and continual mentoring I eventually got down to it, and even gave myself a pat on the back at what I achieved.
3) I’ve learnt that if a course has the right structure, content and is run by people whose motivation is truly well intended and whose aims are to use all available means to get the message across it is possible to learn as much if not more than from a classroom based course.
Jenna: Anything else you care to share?
Gloria: I’ve not just gained the motivation to get off my butt and to actually start my own business I’ve made some true friends, and although it may sound cliché it’s like I belong to my own mini-tribe of fellow students. We continue to support each other in all sorts of ways, and although I’ve only met one face to face feel as though I know the others really well, and look forward to meeting everybody else one day.
Discover Pink Dove Tarot for a reading from Gloria today, and the Tarot Professional Development Program here.