Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in personal development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Ryan Dunlap, Founder of Conflictish™, located in Chattanooga, TN, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

I am the founder of Conflictish™, a conflict strategy consultancy dedicated to walking leaders and teams through all of the 'ish that comes with conflict. From sluggish performance to tarnished relationships to squeamish conversations, we can help with all that 'ish.

Our mission is to help our clients get comfortable with the uncomfortable. When they experience declining leadership, fractured team dynamics, & toxic workplace culture, we are their trusted partner to help them navigate those challenges confidently & competently.

We are committed to developing easier, more accessible ways to manage conflict by empowering teams and leaders with the necessary tools & resources they need to overcome conflict within themselves, their teams, and across their organizations. That's what led me to develop our proprietary framework, The Real Tact Model™. It is a tool that we use to help leaders build their conflict competence and, ultimately, step into conflict with greater self-awareness, confidence, and control.

Tell us about yourself

I am a former hostage negotiator and crisis intervention officer. In addition to my time in law enforcement, I've served as an executive pastor and as the former executive director of an anti-human trafficking non-profit organization. As a result of those disparate experiences, I've had the privilege of spending the last 20 years leading others through countless sensitive & high-stakes conflict incidents.

Like a lot of others, I've worked in some unspeakably toxic organizations and for some toxic leaders. But I've also been empowered to lead others through conflict in a healthy way. I wanted to help more people experience the benefits of a healthy organization filled with healthy leaders. Now, as a conflict strategist and consultant, I'm able to provide leaders with the skills they need to build safe and responsive organizations while leading incredibly connected teams.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

I started. Really, starting is my biggest accomplishment. By simply starting this business, I've overcome an obstacle that so many others never will. The audacity it takes to believe in oneself is a rare character trait to possess. So many of us are so comfortably miserable in our day-to-day lives that we hold ourselves back from building the amazing companies of our dreams.

Simply because I started, I've now been able to help others solve some deeply impactful problems in their own lives, and that has been fulfilling to me.

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

Running a business is a multi-disciplinary process. Yes, my job is to help others overcome conflict, but my responsibilities extend far beyond that. Starting out, I had to be prepared to be a full-stack web developer, an accountant, a marketing professional, a brand strategist, a chief program designer, a tax expert, a social media manager, a sales expert, and so much more.

Learning how to balance each of those responsibilities and allocating the right amount of time to each area of responsibility takes time to figure out and can be a challenging season of business ownership, especially until you are able to delegate or outsource some of those responsibilities to other professionals.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. Get clear on who you are: Don't build a business or a personal brand that isn't true to who you are. Ensure that your business has an authentic voice, an authentic face, and an authentic persona. When I first launched my company, I had a different name and logo because I thought I had to look and present myself like everyone else in my segment. I quickly learned that being exactly who I am is what helped my company stand out from the rest.
  2. Get clear on what you do: What do you want to be known for? If you can't clearly convey what you do, people won't be inclined to call you. If you're just starting out, try to focus on solving one specific problem with one purpose-built solution. Put it out there, get feedback, analyze the results and make adjustments. Once you have proven that your concept works, build upon that success strategically, adding complementing services or products over time.
  3. Get clear on who you help: Who is your ideal client? It's easy to want to appeal to as many potential clients as possible early on, but if you spend all your time pitching to the wrong people, you'll never make sales. Your ideal client should be someone who wants to solve the specific problem that your product or service solves and who is ready to solve their problem right now.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.conflictish.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/conflictish/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RyanMDunlap
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanmdunlap/

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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