Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in business consulting and services but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Keenan Schneider, Co-Founder of CultureScale, located in Louisville, KY, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
CultureScale is a culture and internal operations partner specializing in people-first solutions to nurture healthy workplaces. While most of our experience is in high-growth tech startups, our customers are any company that wants to retain their talent by creating an environment where employees are engaged, supported, and developed.
Tell us about yourself
My spouse (and now business partner), Katy, and I have spent the last 20 collective years spearheading culture initiatives at various tech companies. We're both wildly passionate about the employee experience, and we're firm believers that if you take care of your team members, you're far more likely to see long-term success as a business. We're motivated by making a positive impact in the world, and with our backgrounds, we believe we're best suited to do that by helping businesses assess their cultures, providing thought partnerships on strategies to nurture healthy workplaces, and developing workshops and programs that support employee engagement.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Frankly, starting. I'm a perfectionist, and I tend to want to sit back and consider all possibilities to get to the ideal state before making a move. Katy is a thoughtful planner who thrives in a place where she can create structure. None of that is conducive to starting a business, and we've been able to (mostly) overcome our worst tendencies and enable ourselves to embrace the unknown.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
Imposter syndrome. There's this mindset that many people have: after a certain number of years, or after you've attained a certain title or completed X number of projects, you'll have all the answers. The reality is that everyone is just doing their best to figure things out along the way. It's a bitter pill to swallow, but it's also invigorating to know that there aren't necessarily correct answers. The world is what we shape it to be.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Adopt a growth mindset. Don't limit yourself only to things you know—dedicate time to curiosity and developing new skills.
- Build community. This is tough for me as an introvert, but the biggest moments of inspiration for me have come from connecting with people, sharing our passions, and hearing new perspectives.
- Be willing to change your mind. You won't get very far if you're not open-minded.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.culturescale.co/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/culturescale-llc/
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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