Hi! I am Tanja Annabelle Deisler.
Now, most of you know me under one of these names, Tanja, or Tani, for the ones before I started my corporate career, and Annabelle for the ones who met me via Facebook or Instagram. I chose to use Annabelle for all my socials, because I didn’t want my clients or colleagues seeing me e.g. walking around Düsseldorf in a T-Rex costume. It was hilarious, btw. (If u have fomo here is the link).
I know the tea is served hot, I just didn’t want to be the subject of that kiki. You get the point.
Let’s clear up the confusion though. Let’s just stick to Tanja.
So hi again, I am Tanja: I am 34 years old, and I currently live in Switzerland, Zürich. I work in Sales for Salesforce. Who would have known, that I (pause for dramatic effect) would end up in Sales.
Let me start at the beginning. I studied International Logistics (well the bachelors degree with the supply chain focus, I have no idea how it is called now). I graduated in 2010, with a bunch of crazy people, with huge plans. We all set out to work really hard, build side hustles, pivot, close the side hustles, still stay in corporate, turn 30, and realise that we still love to party.
You must know what I am talking about.
So that is exactly what I did:
After I graduated, I went to Hult International Business School, to do my Masters in International Business. Appealing about this program was a) it was in Shanghai, and b) I did not have to write a thesis. I was never really good at that, I was always better at telling stories. (As you may have noticed *wink*).
After China, I started in Management Consulting, for Accenture, where I only wanted to stay 2 years. I was 25 after 2 years, and still so green behind the ears, I knew I had to stay a little longer to learn more. Which I did, I stayed 6 years. During those 6 years, I did 2 things:
1, I was sick of the office fashion, and how the men always looked so fabulous and I didn’t, so I started my own fashion brand, to cater to that niche. It was called: Corner Office, young, dynamic, fun and fitted. I was doing great with my made-to-measure blouses, however if you know porters 5 forces, there is just so much substitution. A woman can wear a million different things to work, they will always look professional. Turtleneck, Jumper, Smart Tshirt, Silk Shirt etc. Most of my clients, and shout out to all of you who supported, bought 1 blouse, the one you would wear for the salary negotiation meeting, or the interview. It was time to pivot. Next I said: we also need great bags to travel with for work. They were fun and practical and cheap! This was going to be it: Corner Office was going to do bags, UNTIL covid came, and no one commuted to work anymore. Everything was on hold, and then the Ukraine war came, so our supplier was well, M.I.A. So, for now, Corner Office is on hold. But the next pivot is coming. Read until the end to find out.
The second thing I did, I started writing. As you can see, I am a sassy talker, and a sassy writer. I started writing down all my stories and lessons learned from my days in consulting. At the beginning it was like therapy, and the stories were terrible. My blog #thegirlconsultant nevertheless grew into something that was quite substancial and fun. I kept writing stories, and I kept re-writing the stories I had already written, to make them better and sassier. At the end of my 6 years, I had so many stories together, I decided to write a book. And now, 3 years later, I am reaaaally close to finishing it. I would give it a couple more months, and I am DONE! I am looking for Beta readers, so if you would like to read the finished draft and give me your own sassy opinion, hook me up!
And obviously if you would like to be the first to read the book also hook me up.
Apart from all my extra curricular activities, that I turned into side hustles, I am a millennial after all, I worked for Amazon Logistics as a last mile planner for Germany, Austria and the Netherlands for a year (cannot recommend it). They really wanted me, and during corona, it was a good deal. But then I left the nitty gritty nerdy numbers world, to go into the fabulous world of Sales. Which also has its dark sides, though.
In the end, I really want to use all my experiences to found my own Consulting Company some time in the future. You will probably hear from me, when I’m there.
Until then! Tah tah!
Follow me on Instagram @annabelles_adventures for life updates.
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