Silver Lining (n): Finding hope in an otherwise negative situation.
Welcome to The Silver Lining: A series highlighting businesses and industry leaders across the nation who have persevered to remain on top during COVID-19.
I sat down with Tarryn Warn to talk everything tarot and business during COVID-19.
I’m excited to hear about your business. Tell me a little bit about it!
Tarryn Warn: Hello, yes! Well, I would say that this is an unconventional business, but I knew I had to listen and trust my gut with starting this new venture of providing tarot readings to people. I currently offer one-hour long tarot readings via FaceTime to anyone that is interested, curious about tarot in general, or for anyone seeking some type of clarity.
Before each session, I ask that each client come with some intentions, specific questions, or concerns that can be discussed during the reading. I use two different decks when I read for my clients: the traditional Rider-Waite deck as well as Postcards from the Liminal Space by Bakara Wintner. My approach with tarot comes from a soul-centered lens view that attempts to dismantle the lack of inclusivity that traditional tarot rhetoric implies and instead focus on how tarot is specific to the client. By using these two decks together, they truly mirror one another and offer the client multiple perspectives that relate to their circumstances.
Why did you decide on this type of business?
TW: A little back story—I have been reading tarot since 2014 when I got my first deck as a Christmas gift from my mom. My interest in tarot has been something I was always fascinated by ever since I was a little girl. Some of my early memories of tarot are when I received my first ever reading at the Renaissance Faire, and my mom’s friends coming over to give tarot readings to each other while growing up. Since then, I have been practicing tarot consistently—it truly became an anchor and a tool that I have been able to utilize to help guide me throughout my life—tarot has been a saving grace if you will. Before starting this business, I only read for intimate friends and family members because I was too timid to share my practice with anyone else. But then, I had multiple people, back-to-back, encourage me to start a tarot business. I would be flattered by the urge to do so, but then brush it off, or doubt my ability to be successful. Finally, after a phone conversation with my mom, she pushed me to just go for it. I sat with my journal later that night and made a plan to create a tarot reading business. All of that to say, I wanted to offer a service to others that could provide that same clarity and guidance that it has always given me. This business has been an inner knowing waiting to happen for a very long time—I had to follow my heart and do something I know I am naturally good at.
Was this something you always wanted to accomplish before the pandemic?
TW: I have always had this vision in my mind where I have a “normal,” conventional, Monday through Friday, nine-to-five job that is my main income, and then have a side gig where I read tarot as a hobby and a way to make extra money. I never really imagined that my tarot business would manifest itself in this way, but despite these difficult circumstances the pandemic has presented all of us, I am grateful for its irony because I don’t know if I would have ever actually started my business. I think I always knew it was something I wanted, but before this pandemic, I could list a million reasons why I couldn’t start my tarot business. Here I am, unemployed, and I had to get creative with my income.
Share with me one positive feeling/attitude you have with your COVID-19 experience as a business.
TW: The best feeling in the world is connecting with my clients and leaving each session feeling so invigorated. There’s such a magical feeling I get after I have read tarot for a client and the validation they feel with their personal experiences. I always get so nervous before a session, but as soon as we begin, it all just intuitively flows out of me. I am humbled by the amount of support I have received—even from people I didn’t know who have reached out, and asked for a reading or just want to root me on from afar. I feel grateful for each client that I am able to read tarot for and the ability to create a safe, sacred space with them to share this practice.
What would you tell others who wanted to start a new business/hobby but are afraid of failure due to these uncertain times?
TW: Literally, just do it. Go for it. Stop second-guessing yourself!! We can be our own worst enemies and makeup excuses as to why we can’t do something we are being called to do—the only person standing in the way of doing that thing you’ve always dreamed of, is you! One of the things I had to prepare for is failure. Sounds scary—but, the only way you’ll ever know is if you try—and even if you do fail, keep going. Something I learned recently is that some weeks are going to be great, and other weeks might be slower. Don’t let that discourage you. Set realistic expectations and stick to it!
It’s good to keep looking forward to the future. Five years from now, do you think you’ll still be doing what you’re doing? Or is this a temporary pandemic hobby?
TW: Reading tarot will always be apart of my agenda. Whether that’s a full-time business or a side hustle, it is a business I see myself growing as the years progress. Who knows what that exactly looks like, but tarot is so special to me—I don’t see it going anywhere for a long time.
Whether you’re just launching a new business or you’ve had your business for 10 years, to continue its success you must shift your way of thinking. What is one way you’ve shifted your way of thinking to make your business better during the pandemic?
TW: Perspective is everything—looking at your business from all angles is crucial. At first, I thought I was only going to offer it through my Instagram stories. However, as the weeks went on, I realized that my business needed to be organized more efficiently. So, I am working on an official website (coming soon!!!) where clients can book and pay directly on my site. Another aspect of starting a business is looking at how you market yourself—how you appeal to your audience is very important to consider! I have a whole notebook full of notes from when my business idea blossomed, and continue to add, tweak, or change things in there accordingly. Lastly, as I mentioned in the previous statement, reminding myself to just keep going—even if some weeks are slower than others—making sure I commit to my tarot business no matter what.
Times are tough as we ride out this pandemic. What is one thing you have had to do differently for your business to remain profitable? (ex. More of an online presence? Heavier social media presence?) What’s your business structure pre Pandemic to now?
TW: Honestly, social media has played an influential role in maintaining my business—it’s how I got started! I take advantage of the fact that we have social media available as a tool to help grow my business. Once my website is complete, I will have a link in my bio where people can find more information. For now, utilizing Instagram stories to promote my tarot business has helped a great deal.
Change is good. If there’s one thing you could change about your business since the pandemic, what would it be?
TW: I hope to read for people one-on-one in person soon! I know with the pandemic everything feels uncertain right now, so it’s hard to say when that will happen. But I can’t wait for the day when I can read tarot in person!
Lastly, can you share with us a common stigma about Tarot Card reading? Or maybe something that may come as a surprise to whoever’s reading this?
TW: I love this question because there are SO many stigmas around tarot. You name it, I’ve probably heard it before. It’s perceived as like, woo-woo, or that tarot is some kind of fortune-telling. Even my partner was a little wary of it at first—he’s more science and facts, but he’s come around to it and has opened himself up to tarot since I have started my business.
Here’s the thing that I tell every single one of my clients—tarot will always give you the message that you need—whether that’s something you already know or something that you need to hear. Tarot is a tool that is always an invitation of some kind, a nudge in a certain direction, or sometimes tarot will tell you exactly how it is even if it’s difficult to hear. I like to look at tarot as a medicine—sometimes it’s yucky and gross and we don’t like it, but we need it. Tarot is a profound way to connect with the deeper-rooted things happening under the surface that need to be brought to light.
To learn more about Tarot with Tarryn you can find her on Instagram @tarrynwarn
Be First to Comment