Tiffany Williams
Appearances
Leap Academy with Ilana Golan
Steph Curry Enterprise: From Receptionist to Driving Business Success for a Sports Icon | Tiffany Williams
I come from a long line of very strong women who are not going to take no for an answer. When I'm told no, I'm just going to figure out a different way to do it.
Leap Academy with Ilana Golan
Steph Curry Enterprise: From Receptionist to Driving Business Success for a Sports Icon | Tiffany Williams
Well, thank you for having me. As a child, I was quiet, still am probably for the most part, but grew up in the Bay Area with my parents and my sister and just always had a love of sports. Basketball was something that me and my dad shared and he used to take me to Warriors games growing up.
Leap Academy with Ilana Golan
Steph Curry Enterprise: From Receptionist to Driving Business Success for a Sports Icon | Tiffany Williams
I think that really throughout my career, there's been people that have given me that seat at the table. And even if I wasn't in a speaking role or leading, I had a seat at the table to just get the information. I'm one who sits back and kind of observes and really wants to learn as much as I can.
Leap Academy with Ilana Golan
Steph Curry Enterprise: From Receptionist to Driving Business Success for a Sports Icon | Tiffany Williams
And so from earlier in my career at the Warriors, being able to just walk in certain executive offices and ask questions and them allowing me to join their meetings, my boss included, to
Leap Academy with Ilana Golan
Steph Curry Enterprise: From Receptionist to Driving Business Success for a Sports Icon | Tiffany Williams
You know, working with Stefan and accompanying him even in those early days and most of his meetings and, you know, just having that seat at the table to learn is something that has really helped and informed and helped guide me as I am in this role today.
Leap Academy with Ilana Golan
Steph Curry Enterprise: From Receptionist to Driving Business Success for a Sports Icon | Tiffany Williams
I will say I definitely had mentors, but it was more in the sense of being able to just call people and ask questions. Community leaders that I met working in Oakland, you know, for the Warriors that I would work with on different initiatives to some of the sponsors of some of the companies that the Warriors were working with.
Leap Academy with Ilana Golan
Steph Curry Enterprise: From Receptionist to Driving Business Success for a Sports Icon | Tiffany Williams
building relationships with women executives at those companies and being able to just still to this day, pick up the phone and ask for help or ask them questions. Those were the type of mentors that I had.
Leap Academy with Ilana Golan
Steph Curry Enterprise: From Receptionist to Driving Business Success for a Sports Icon | Tiffany Williams
There definitely were some, you know, I think that, you know, sometimes you may not feel heard or seen. I think it's just continuing on. I talked about this the other day and I was speaking on a panel. You know, my mom was an entrepreneur since I was seven. She's been running her business and she was told even within members of our family, like maybe you should
Leap Academy with Ilana Golan
Steph Curry Enterprise: From Receptionist to Driving Business Success for a Sports Icon | Tiffany Williams
keep your job and working in insurance. And she didn't want to do that. She wanted to, you know, go out on her own. And so seeing the work that she put in day after day when people were telling her to do something else and, you know, it's been 30 plus years now and she's still, you know, running that same business. So I think that I got a lot of that from her.
Leap Academy with Ilana Golan
Steph Curry Enterprise: From Receptionist to Driving Business Success for a Sports Icon | Tiffany Williams
I think I come from a long line of very strong women who are not, not going to take no for an answer. And so that was really instilled in me in an early age. So I was told recently that when I'm told no, I'm just going to figure out a different way to do it. And so I think that I've taken that approach in my career. It's like, if I can't do it here, then I have to go somewhere else where I can.
Leap Academy with Ilana Golan
Steph Curry Enterprise: From Receptionist to Driving Business Success for a Sports Icon | Tiffany Williams
And I think that that's the great part of working with Stefan, with whoever he's working with, he's going to give you that opportunity and he's going to listen to you and take your ideas. And even if it's something that can't be accomplished, she will hear you out and definitely give you feedback.
Leap Academy with Ilana Golan
Steph Curry Enterprise: From Receptionist to Driving Business Success for a Sports Icon | Tiffany Williams
So 30 Inc. is the off-the-court business group for Stephen Curry. So we have several businesses. Unanimous Media is our production company. We have two youth sports tours, Underrated Basketball and Underrated Golf. We have a creative agency, 7K. And then his foundation, Eat, Learn, Play, kind of sits right outside of that because it's a foundation with him and Aisha.
Leap Academy with Ilana Golan
Steph Curry Enterprise: From Receptionist to Driving Business Success for a Sports Icon | Tiffany Williams
And then Gentleman's Cut, his Kentucky straight bourbon. But our mission is really to elevate the under. As I mentioned earlier, Stephan's goal is to use his platform to provide a voice to those who don't have one or who may not get the recognition. So, you know, when we're producing film and television and movies, publishing books through Unanimous.
Leap Academy with Ilana Golan
Steph Curry Enterprise: From Receptionist to Driving Business Success for a Sports Icon | Tiffany Williams
We want to tell those stories of that community. Stefan realized a few years ago that he wouldn't have been invited to his own select camp. You know, each shoe company holds these signature athlete select camps, and he wasn't in that top ranking to be invited to that camp. So he wanted to create a space where
Leap Academy with Ilana Golan
Steph Curry Enterprise: From Receptionist to Driving Business Success for a Sports Icon | Tiffany Williams
those three-star athletes like himself would have an opportunity to showcase their skills to college coaches. And that's how underrated basketball was born. And with golf, he just wanted to create equity access and opportunity, a space where kids can play on the best courts throughout the country, throughout the world at this point, because we're We're expanding into Europe and Asia.
Leap Academy with Ilana Golan
Steph Curry Enterprise: From Receptionist to Driving Business Success for a Sports Icon | Tiffany Williams
But he wants to provide that space where they can get competition at the highest level, playing with their peers on the best courses. And that's just really what we strive to do with 30 Inc. is how can we come together in all of these different, all of our businesses, all these different industries and provide that space and that voice.
Leap Academy with Ilana Golan
Steph Curry Enterprise: From Receptionist to Driving Business Success for a Sports Icon | Tiffany Williams
There's always times in your career where you may not be moving as fast as you want to, or you may not feel like you're getting the recognition that you want to be able to move up. And I've definitely had those opportunities. But I do think that it is my background that have provided those drives, even that drive even back then.
Leap Academy with Ilana Golan
Steph Curry Enterprise: From Receptionist to Driving Business Success for a Sports Icon | Tiffany Williams
You know, there were times early on in my career where I was like, is this what I'm sure I want to be doing? And it absolutely was. You know, I talk about, you know, I talked about in the beginning how, you know, I always wanted to work in entertainment. And so remembering that in those hard times. But yeah, there definitely are those moments where you have setbacks.
Leap Academy with Ilana Golan
Steph Curry Enterprise: From Receptionist to Driving Business Success for a Sports Icon | Tiffany Williams
Maybe you don't get the promotion that you wanted or, you know, you're not advancing as fast as you think that you should. But I've really just learned to let the work speak for itself. Eventually, you will get there if you're working hard and you have that drive and that hunger. And I definitely think that I have had and had all of those things. And that's what was able to get me to this point.
Leap Academy with Ilana Golan
Steph Curry Enterprise: From Receptionist to Driving Business Success for a Sports Icon | Tiffany Williams
I don't want this to come off wrong, but no, because I think I did everything that like there's there's definitely nothing that I would change. Like, I think that I did everything. I think that my younger self would be proud of what I've done and the work that I've done to get here. I don't think that there was anything.
Leap Academy with Ilana Golan
Steph Curry Enterprise: From Receptionist to Driving Business Success for a Sports Icon | Tiffany Williams
Probably the only thing that I would tell my younger self is that you're going to make it happen.
Leap Academy with Ilana Golan
Steph Curry Enterprise: From Receptionist to Driving Business Success for a Sports Icon | Tiffany Williams
I would definitely tell them to utilize your network. And I know that that, you know, in some cases easier said than done. But in my experience and, you know, I have a lot of people that reach out to me all the time for informational interviews. I try to if I hear about jobs and opportunities or different things, send it out to my network so that they can send it out to theirs.
Leap Academy with Ilana Golan
Steph Curry Enterprise: From Receptionist to Driving Business Success for a Sports Icon | Tiffany Williams
I didn't. That was something that grew over time. I was actually always interested in entertainment. I loved music growing up, loved TV. If you were looking for me, you could probably find me in my room watching TV or reading a book. But all things kind of media and entertainment, I absolutely loved. And so I spent a lot of time on those things.
Leap Academy with Ilana Golan
Steph Curry Enterprise: From Receptionist to Driving Business Success for a Sports Icon | Tiffany Williams
But I really think that believing, you know, utilizing your network. I think sometimes people are afraid to bug people. Like I get all the time, like, I didn't want to reach out to you because I know how busy you are. And I say, reach out. Like, you know, it doesn't hurt to ask. The only thing that somebody can tell you is no. And if they do, then, you know, you just move on.
Leap Academy with Ilana Golan
Steph Curry Enterprise: From Receptionist to Driving Business Success for a Sports Icon | Tiffany Williams
But I do definitely utilize your network. We don't know how to help if we don't hear from you. And so I think that that's the biggest advice that I would give.
Leap Academy with Ilana Golan
Steph Curry Enterprise: From Receptionist to Driving Business Success for a Sports Icon | Tiffany Williams
For me, this is something that I'm very behind the scenes, I always say. So this world of giving interviews and being on panels for myself, I'm used to, you know, organizing and setting those up for him, not so much doing it myself. But I'm It is something that, you know, I said I want to grow with when I started this journey. And so this is another piece of that.
Leap Academy with Ilana Golan
Steph Curry Enterprise: From Receptionist to Driving Business Success for a Sports Icon | Tiffany Williams
But, you know, I'm just trying to get some of these under my belt and learn from each one that I do and how to be a better speaker and not be so nervous. But I think I'm I think I'm growing in that that way as well. And yeah, it's been fun. I think that, you know, we're building an amazing business with 30 Inc.
Leap Academy with Ilana Golan
Steph Curry Enterprise: From Receptionist to Driving Business Success for a Sports Icon | Tiffany Williams
And there's so many opportunities for us to use our platform to help others, just the way that Stefan uses his and the way that he wants to. And so anything that I can do to continue to get the word out and help those who need that platform, I'd love to do it.
Leap Academy with Ilana Golan
Steph Curry Enterprise: From Receptionist to Driving Business Success for a Sports Icon | Tiffany Williams
Thank you so much for having me.
Leap Academy with Ilana Golan
Steph Curry Enterprise: From Receptionist to Driving Business Success for a Sports Icon | Tiffany Williams
I couldn't imagine why anybody would ever want to do anything else. So fast forward when it's time to start thinking about what your career would look like and growing up in such a small town and not having access to the entertainment industry, so to speak. I thought I would probably go into business and wanted to major in business management.
Leap Academy with Ilana Golan
Steph Curry Enterprise: From Receptionist to Driving Business Success for a Sports Icon | Tiffany Williams
And then I went to San Jose State, kind of pivoted and started looking in broadcast journalism. And that's what I eventually majored in. And I think that during that time, I just did a ton of, because there was not much access to all things kind of in the entertainment industry or how do you get into that career, but I was very determined. And so I just started looking at a ton of internships.
Leap Academy with Ilana Golan
Steph Curry Enterprise: From Receptionist to Driving Business Success for a Sports Icon | Tiffany Williams
I remember in high school, I was a part of this program and you could do an internship in high school. And they asked me what I wanted my internship to be. And I said, I wanted to interned for like a production studio, like, you know, musical production studio. And they were like, well, we don't have that in Benicia. So what else do you want to do?
Leap Academy with Ilana Golan
Steph Curry Enterprise: From Receptionist to Driving Business Success for a Sports Icon | Tiffany Williams
I was really looking for opportunities for growth, and I was just very hungry for all things entertainment. My dad was really on me to get a job. When I heard about this part-time job as a receptionist, I was like, okay, this should be good enough. He was like, no. But that didn't really stop me. Ended up at the Warriors, working there part-time as a receptionist.
Leap Academy with Ilana Golan
Steph Curry Enterprise: From Receptionist to Driving Business Success for a Sports Icon | Tiffany Williams
Then I ended up doing the internship at a, like a small, like medical office, but that didn't really stop me. I interned at CMC in college and short stint at KMEL and And it was just very hungry for all things in entertainment and trying to figure out what that could look like for me. I eventually ended up getting this internship with a PR firm in Richmond.
Leap Academy with Ilana Golan
Steph Curry Enterprise: From Receptionist to Driving Business Success for a Sports Icon | Tiffany Williams
And through that, ended up with an internship at the 49ers. And that was what put me at the Warriors and working there part-time as a receptionist.
Leap Academy with Ilana Golan
Steph Curry Enterprise: From Receptionist to Driving Business Success for a Sports Icon | Tiffany Williams
I did so many internships. My dad was really on me to get a job. And so I thought that when I heard about this part time job as a receptionist, I was like, OK, this will be good enough. And he was like, no, that's not what I had in mind. And I was actually only part time receptionist for two weeks. And then they asked me to go full time.
Leap Academy with Ilana Golan
Steph Curry Enterprise: From Receptionist to Driving Business Success for a Sports Icon | Tiffany Williams
And I initially said no, because of my dad being on me to get a job. And me thinking, well, you know, I don't want to be a receptionist forever. But after a few months there and talking to some people, I realized that this could be an opportunity for me to showcase my skills and get my foot into the door to do something else.
Leap Academy with Ilana Golan
Steph Curry Enterprise: From Receptionist to Driving Business Success for a Sports Icon | Tiffany Williams
So I went back to them and I asked if the position was still available, that I was interested in that role. And I was probably only in the receptionist role for full-time receptionist for a couple months and a position actually did become available in the business. It was business development at the time department as an assistant. And I applied for it and got that role.
Leap Academy with Ilana Golan
Steph Curry Enterprise: From Receptionist to Driving Business Success for a Sports Icon | Tiffany Williams
And then it was like, it was really on from there.
Leap Academy with Ilana Golan
Steph Curry Enterprise: From Receptionist to Driving Business Success for a Sports Icon | Tiffany Williams
None at all. And that wasn't even in my mindset at the time. I was really wanting to prove myself to the front office. There wasn't even a thought that of working closely with the players or anything at that time. I think probably the most access to players I had, Monte Ellis was a rookie the year that I started.
Leap Academy with Ilana Golan
Steph Curry Enterprise: From Receptionist to Driving Business Success for a Sports Icon | Tiffany Williams
And he used to come up to the office after practice every day and hang out in the executive offices. And so that was probably the most access that I was really trying to also get into those executive offices and hopefully, you know, then see what I can do and get a role in one of their departments. And eventually that did happen.
Leap Academy with Ilana Golan
Steph Curry Enterprise: From Receptionist to Driving Business Success for a Sports Icon | Tiffany Williams
There's always times in your career where you may not be moving as fast as you want to, or maybe you don't get the promotion that you wanted. I really just learned to let the work speak for itself.
Leap Academy with Ilana Golan
Steph Curry Enterprise: From Receptionist to Driving Business Success for a Sports Icon | Tiffany Williams
It was an incredible experience. I remember, you know, I was running the events department at the time and the production company that we worked with for the parade, I had been working with them for many years. And I used to always ask them, like, how was it to produce the Giants parade? You know, what was that process? How long did you start in advance planning?
Leap Academy with Ilana Golan
Steph Curry Enterprise: From Receptionist to Driving Business Success for a Sports Icon | Tiffany Williams
When did you know it was time to start planning? All those type of questions. It was really interesting. interesting to me. And so that year, as we're into the playoffs and we're super excited initially to make the playoffs and then to continue going round after round. And I started thinking, we need to start planning. And I remember bringing it up to my boss and some of the executives.
Leap Academy with Ilana Golan
Steph Curry Enterprise: From Receptionist to Driving Business Success for a Sports Icon | Tiffany Williams
And we set up a meeting with Hartman and started that process. And it was amazing. Just all the things that go into it that you don't even think about. You need to get almost all the bike rack around the country pretty much to plan for all of these people. Just, you know, small things like that and planning well in advance to make sure that you have enough bike rack. Nobody thinks about bike rack.
Leap Academy with Ilana Golan
Steph Curry Enterprise: From Receptionist to Driving Business Success for a Sports Icon | Tiffany Williams
All of those things and planning with the city and the mayor's office and the police department and fire and just all of these things that, you know, nobody, everybody has an amazing time, but they don't think about what happens behind the scenes to get to that point where the guys are standing up on the stage or going down the parade route in their buses. But it was amazing.
Leap Academy with Ilana Golan
Steph Curry Enterprise: From Receptionist to Driving Business Success for a Sports Icon | Tiffany Williams
And I think that that was a pivotal time in my career, because when you work for a team, you're working within a 75 mile radius. And I had done that at that point for almost 10 years. And I was really looking for opportunities for growth. And I realized that, you know, this parade is amazing and this is an amazing opportunity for me to be this involved in this.
Leap Academy with Ilana Golan
Steph Curry Enterprise: From Receptionist to Driving Business Success for a Sports Icon | Tiffany Williams
But if I stay here, maybe the biggest thing that I do. And I was really looking for growth opportunities. So.
Leap Academy with Ilana Golan
Steph Curry Enterprise: From Receptionist to Driving Business Success for a Sports Icon | Tiffany Williams
Not only was it something like kind of that notch that I could put on my belt to be a part of something like that, then it was also something that triggered in me that I probably need to start looking for other opportunities if I wanted to achieve some of these growth goals that I was looking for.
Leap Academy with Ilana Golan
Steph Curry Enterprise: From Receptionist to Driving Business Success for a Sports Icon | Tiffany Williams
Yeah. Or even things that I didn't, you know, when I first started working for the Warriors, they weren't the 2015 Warriors. And so, you know, never thinking that I would have the opportunity to, you know, be involved in the parade. And so, you know, just that curiosity of, you know, what was that experience like? It was just always something that I thought about.
Leap Academy with Ilana Golan
Steph Curry Enterprise: From Receptionist to Driving Business Success for a Sports Icon | Tiffany Williams
I would definitely tell them to...
Leap Academy with Ilana Golan
Steph Curry Enterprise: From Receptionist to Driving Business Success for a Sports Icon | Tiffany Williams
Yeah, to take it back a little bit, I was with the Warriors, of course, when he was drafted. So I had built a relationship with him and his family over the years. So in my role in business ops, we worked within several of the departments. My boss was over several departments. So arena operations, community relations, the foundations were all departments that were under her leadership.
Leap Academy with Ilana Golan
Steph Curry Enterprise: From Receptionist to Driving Business Success for a Sports Icon | Tiffany Williams
And I was kind of her right-hand person. So I worked a lot with the players, player development as well. I worked a lot with the players on player development and community relations initiatives. So I was constantly down there, you know, after practice, asking guys to do events, producing events for them, for their foundations or the initiatives that they cared about.
Leap Academy with Ilana Golan
Steph Curry Enterprise: From Receptionist to Driving Business Success for a Sports Icon | Tiffany Williams
So through all that time, I had built a relationship with Stefan. And then fast forward to, you know, after that championship year in 2015, I started putting myself out there more for other opportunities, applying for jobs. I think some recruiters had reached out to me as well. And
Leap Academy with Ilana Golan
Steph Curry Enterprise: From Receptionist to Driving Business Success for a Sports Icon | Tiffany Williams
In 2016, I was in the final rounds of interviews for a position with the city of Santa Clara to be their liaison with the 49ers. And my aunt, I think she was Stefan's nanny at the time, had mentioned to him that that was what I was doing. And he reached out to me and said that he was looking to bring on some people on his team. And then I interviewed and got the job.
Leap Academy with Ilana Golan
Steph Curry Enterprise: From Receptionist to Driving Business Success for a Sports Icon | Tiffany Williams
I think it was seeing my work ethic and, you know, just me being always down there diligently working on various things for the players. I remember after he played in FIBA and they won the gold medal, I led an event for him and Some of his sponsors and the Warriors, it was called the Gold Medal Reception. I worked very closely with his mom and his agency on putting that event together for them.
Leap Academy with Ilana Golan
Steph Curry Enterprise: From Receptionist to Driving Business Success for a Sports Icon | Tiffany Williams
So I think that it was seeing the work that I had done, you know, in the community, you know, Christmas with the Currys started. Initially, when he was with the Warriors and him and Aisha purchasing these huge trucks of food for the community and me, you know, working with them on producing those events back in, you know, 2012, 2013.
Leap Academy with Ilana Golan
Steph Curry Enterprise: From Receptionist to Driving Business Success for a Sports Icon | Tiffany Williams
So I think it was, you know, all of those things, seeing me in the way that I not only working to produce events or community initiatives, but then also the way that I worked with him and his family on those things and executing the things that they wanted to see. And, you know, knowing that that would be a fit in what he was looking for.
Leap Academy with Ilana Golan
Steph Curry Enterprise: From Receptionist to Driving Business Success for a Sports Icon | Tiffany Williams
Stefan is somebody who, he has a lot of amazing ideas and he really had a lot of, you know, the things that he wanted to see and the work that he wanted to do in the community. He knew, him and Aisha knew that they wanted to start their own foundation ELP. They had been working with a lot of different organizations.
Leap Academy with Ilana Golan
Steph Curry Enterprise: From Receptionist to Driving Business Success for a Sports Icon | Tiffany Williams
But they wanted to put something together that focused on the issues that they saw in Oakland that they wanted to help to solve. And then, you know, in terms of his brand and things, it's kind of a combination of him knowing what he wants and knowing he wanted to be.
Leap Academy with Ilana Golan
Steph Curry Enterprise: From Receptionist to Driving Business Success for a Sports Icon | Tiffany Williams
intentional about the way that he showed up and making sure that the partners that he worked with had like values to his and that the work that they do in with ELP is not just that's the only community focused work that they do. They want that to have a lens through all of the work that they do with their partners and
Leap Academy with Ilana Golan
Steph Curry Enterprise: From Receptionist to Driving Business Success for a Sports Icon | Tiffany Williams
You know, anybody who knows Stefan knows that he really wants to use his platform to provide a voice to those who don't have one. And so those are things that, you know, he came to the table with, like he knew that he wanted to do. And it's really just making sure that working with him and working with his partners and our team to make sure that those things are realized.
Leap Academy with Ilana Golan
Steph Curry Enterprise: From Receptionist to Driving Business Success for a Sports Icon | Tiffany Williams
I will say one of the biggest challenges that I was working over the last couple of years to overcome, and I have at this point, but was kind of imposter syndrome. I think that I was, I don't want to say I've worked so many years in my career to get to this point, but
Leap Academy with Ilana Golan
Steph Curry Enterprise: From Receptionist to Driving Business Success for a Sports Icon | Tiffany Williams
I don't know, sometimes you execute and you make things happen and you may not see even in yourself the work that it took to get there.
Leap Academy with Ilana Golan
Steph Curry Enterprise: From Receptionist to Driving Business Success for a Sports Icon | Tiffany Williams
And so, you know, being around all of these leaders and executives and Stephan and the way he shows up, I did have a little bit of imposter syndrome, but I definitely have worked through that, you know, with a business coach, even just writing down everything that I have done and everything that I was doing in my role and taking a look at that and being like, okay, yeah, I am supposed to be here and I'm doing this and it's not by accident.