Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in leadership development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Dave Cain, Owner of Cain Consulting, Inc., located in Sylvania, OH, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
My business is coaching leaders who are eager to improve their leadership skills. My customer is any leader, at any level of their organization, in any industry who has people reporting directly to them.
Tell us about yourself
I spent over 20 years as a supervisor and manager in food & beverage manufacturing. That experience taught me that there is little or no institutional support for developing the skills that leaders need in order to be effective on the job. I had to learn those skills on my own at first, then a leadership coach was provided for me, which helped me develop significantly. I wanted to become that coach so I could help others learn the leadership skills that they need to be successful, so I earned a Master of Organization Development degree and became a coach in 2006.
I'm motivated to do this work every day because of the countless leaders out there who are good at the technical aspects of their jobs but who are quietly uneasy about their ability to lead other people. It is my mission to advance my knowledge of leadership whenever and wherever I can.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
That I have been able to help dozens of leaders around the world to be better, more effective leaders and human beings - to have participated in making a positive difference in the lives of others.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
The unpredictability of the volume of work. When I am working full-time on a client project, there is little or no time to seek the next project. As a result, there is inconsistency in the workload over the course of a year or two. Correlated with that is that I am a coach, not a marketing or sales expert. It helps to be good at more than one thing.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Make sure you really want to do the work that you seek compensation for - and make sure you are good enough at it to deserve that compensation.
- Don't mistake that for passion. Passion is not a meal ticket, but being really good at something can be.
- Know the difference.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://cainconsultinginc.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davecaincoach/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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