Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in personal development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Niek van Halteren, owner of Current Leadership, located in Zwolle, Netherlands.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
My job is to help people to discover the leader within. In a society of constant pressure, high standards, online visibility, and connectedness, we tend to forget who we really are. We sometimes forget to take time for stillness and reflection and ask ourselves, who am I and what is it that I really want in life? I help leaders in entrepreneurs to find these answers by taking them off the grid into nature, into silence. Without time, phones, laptops, or anything else to hide behind. Since there are no impulses and no judgments, we fall back into our natural state. And in this state, we can answer the questions that really matter. This is what I do in leadership trails in different countries. I also simulate this environment for company leadership programs. And I create practical online out-of-comfort challenges for anyone that wants to work on his/her leadership.
Tell us about yourself
I have studied hotel management and wildlife management (partly in Africa), where I discovered the natural behavior of animals. How do they stay in contact with themselves and their environment, and which strategies do they have to stay alive? After that, I did a management program for the biggest bank in The Netherlands and had a 10-year banking career. From private banker to regional director and manager of innovation. Then I discovered that I was only living to be successful but did not experience peace and happiness. I decided to travel from The Netherlands to Cape Town, South Africa, with an old Landrover Defender. Lived in nature (in our rooftop tent) while we traveled to 21 countries and discovered that during my career, I had lost the connection with myself and my purpose. I decided to rebalance my life and quit my job. I started creating leadership programs that include out-of-comfort programs, with the help of nature, breathing, and meditation.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
My biggest accomplishment is that, instead of trying to find happiness while being successful, I now strive for happiness and, with that being successful. This total mind switch helps me to work from my inner drive and passion. I have created beautiful experiences where business leaders and entrepreneurs totally transformed and made different decisions in life. Besides, I started creating online challenges to help people change habits with accessible out-of-comfort experiences that I facilitate online. Thousands of people have already experienced this.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
Working fully connected with my passion makes it a lot more difficult to find a balance between life and work since the work I do gives me so much fulfillment. But with having a family with two children and organizing leadership trails abroad, being fully balanced is difficult at times.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- First, fully align with who you are and what you really admire, then start building on this feeling. This helps to keep the alignment in life.
- Follow your enthusiasm, not your ego.
- Be vulnerable and connect with others for help.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: http://www.currentleadership.nl/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/niek.vanhalteren/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/niekvanhalteren/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/niekvanhalteren/
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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