MILLENNY Woman Of The Month · Apr 24, 2019

MILLENNY WOMAN OF THE MONTH – Tata Tickaradze

“Hey, whatever you do, don’t be another brick in the wall”

Today we want to introduce you to an amazing woman, digital brand specialist, and a master connector, who created Barter & Be to help other women expand their networks of creative female entrepreneurs and to facilitate the growth of their businesses without the hefty price tag.

Tell us a little bit about yourself?
Hi! My name is Tata Tickaradze, I was born in Tbilisi, Georgia, at the age of 6 my family and I moved to Atlanta, Georgia in chase of the American Dream. I’m still after that dream today, however, I know that dreams don’t work unless you do! I’m always putting family and friends first but my entrepreneur skills activated when I was just 5 years old selling my parents home goods at the corner of our street. I sold a $35,000 vase for 5 lari (Georgian currency), which is equivalent to $1.86 dollars.

Don’t worry, I sold it to one of our neighbors so we were able to get it back, lol. I’ve always had that entrepreneur mentality even at such a young age and I think this is why I love working for myself so much now. I’ve had over 40 different jobs in various different industries that was something I used to kind of be ashamed of until I realized the amount of knowledge and experience I possessed. I’m able to use this knowledge and experience every day with my digital agency, To The Moon Social. Before I launched the digital agency or Barter + Be the road was bumpy, however, I knew that each challenge would lead to an opportunity of growth. In 2014 I decide to move to California to chase even bigger dreams and launched my first business, To The Moon Social in 2015 and Barter + Be in 2018. I live my life for the highest of moments, the stuff in between is nice too but those magical moments are the ones that drive me. It could be reading a happy barter story, spending the day at Disney, getting a thank you note from a friend or having a yummy dinner with friends. I live life absolutely to the fullest and try my best to never let fear be the driver. In fact, I welcome fear, it’s in that space where I learn the most. I haven’t even scratched the surface yet of what I hope to accomplish. I’m after that American dream! Let’s do this!

What’s your business and what inspired you to start it?I’m the founder and owner of Barter + Be, a curated female community of entrepreneurs exchanging essential goods/services without utilizing capital. I also own a digital agency called To The Moon Social. I started the agency so that I could leverage my social media skill set to barter and build Barter + Be. I created Barter + Be to help female entrepreneurs like myself get the things they need for their businesses to succeed without tapping into their wallet. I knew if I could build Barter + Be completely by bartering, that others could too!

What has been the biggest challenge along the way and how have you overcome it?
I’ve had many challenges along the way I’ve had to overcome but for me, the challenges have always been growth and learning opportunities. I had no idea what running a business looked like and what it took until I dove right in. You will run into so many roadblocks along the way you may even want to give up altogether. What pushes me forward in those moments is that this is no longer about my dream, it’s about helping my members grow their dreams. The realization of that is what pushes me forward every time I run up against a challenge. I don’t have one in particular to give because there’s been so many but just know that it’s the process and real growth happens in those moments of discouragement and uncertainty.

What does it take to be a successful entrepreneur?
I think to be a successful entrepreneur you have to be willing to accept the fact that you might have to learn everything about your business while at the same time being honest with yourself so that you’re able to let go of tasks that you might not be great at. BE HONEST with YOURSELF. Empowering a team and being a leader is so much easier said than done and I feel like that’s what truly makes a successful entrepreneur. Also, you have to be pretty good at juggling, both in business and real juggling lol.

What has been your proudest moment to date?I think my proudest moment to date is hearing our happy barter stories. Every time I hear one it pushes me further it fuels me to work harder, to help connect more people so their businesses can thrive, so they can make long-lasting relationships that go beyond the first barter. Oh, also having your parents say: “I’m proud of you” never gets old!

What’s the most interesting thing you’ve read or seen this week?
I wish I had more time to read books; currently, I’m reading “100 years of solitude” by Gabriel Garcia Marquez – which I think will take me 100 years to finish. However, I read this quote yesterday and loved it.“Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just ONE more time” – Thomas A. Edison.

What do you wish you had more time for?
Traveling, spending more time with family/friends and actually living life instead of working all the time trying to plan it. “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans” – John Lennon

Who’s the most interesting person you follow in social media?
Wow, what a great and hard question. Oprah, Ellen De Generes, Marie Forleo, Martin Scorsese_, U2, Richard Branson, Will Smith…. clearly I can’t pick one. LOL

What skills would you like to learn?
I speak two languages but I’d love to speak 5, I’d love to learn how to code, I’d love to learn to fly a plane, glass blowing, become a pro mountain climber…I mean really anything and everything.

What’s in your MIllenny bag?
OMG, I’m OBSESSED with my MILLENNY bag and I’d have to say my life! I always have my laptop with me, three shades of lip gloss for all kinds of meetings at any time of the day, my stylist pen, glossier chapstick, hairbrush, my lucky half dollar, phone charger, my tiny wallet and I always have a glass bottle of water with me.