After 20 years in the corporate world working with entrepreneurial-minded technology consulting companies, Tonya decided to enter the brave new world of entrepreneurship. In 2014, she launched a business consulting company called Write 4 the Win, which focused on sales strategy, proposal development and capture management for small businesses who wanted to learn about providing solutions to government clients. Little did she know that this would lead her to an even bigger entrepreneurial adventure!
Through a networking connection at Launch Fishers, Tonya was introduced to Matt Molter, the founder of Agency360, a public safety software company. Matt is a former police officer who also happened to hold a computer science degree. He built a successful web-hosted software solution that supports the onboarding of new employees in public safety, and was looking to expand his sales reach with these government-based agencies. Tonya began providing consulting services, and after several months was presented with the opportunity to join Matt in a business partnership as COO of Agency360. It was a major pivot from the plans she had made, but it was worth the leap. Their skill sets result in a powerful combination that enables the company to provide an excellent customer experience every time they interact with Agency360. You can learn more about Agency360 here: www.agency360.com.
During the time all of this was happening, Tonya met Kristen Cooper in the bathroom (what a surprise!) at Launch Fishers. She immediately engaged in the Startup Ladies, and has found the camaraderie and the ability to have candid conversations about entrepreneurship with others through the meetups and the Startup Study Halls to be invaluable. When asked how the Startup Ladies has made a difference for her, Tonya shared “Whenever I feel like I’m getting stuck, I know I will find someone at a Startup Ladies event that has felt the same way, and can share their story on how they worked through it. I recommend every female founder get involved and experience the collective wisdom and energy of the women in this group.”. She’s passionate about encouraging women to do the work needed to launch their business.
Tonya is also the past President for Women & Hi Tech (www.womenandhitech.org), a non-profit organization that serves to engage, educate and energize women who are interested in technology through networking, role modeling, education and professional development. Through her involvement, she is able to reach even more women to encourage them to pursue entrepreneurship and working in a field that has historically been underserved by women, and is excited to see that the tide is turning.
Her best piece of entrepreneurial advice? “Know that you can do this, and while you must have a plan, you don’t have to have all of the answers. What you need is to know who to turn to in your community to help you get unstuck and move forward, and the Startup Ladies is a great resource for that!”
