Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in personal development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Livio Sgarbi, Founder of EKIS SRL, located in Emilia, Italy.

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

I run a training and coaching company made up of more than 60 people. We help companies and individuals (athletes, managers, entrepreneurs, professionals, performers, etc.) to get more and better results. We provide them with skills, strategies, and abilities in order to express the best version of their selves.

Tell us about yourself

I’ve been working on personal development for 35 years, since I was 22. I started in the late eighty attending a course about memory technics and speed reading. That course blew my mind, and I decided to work with them and become a trainer myself. From then on, I never stopped working on myself and learning new things in order to help people to improve themselves. I’ve worked with more than 100.000 people so far, and I have done thousands of individual coaching sessions with people from every walk of life. Now, I’ve been running my own company for 23 years, and my motivation is even more strong. My mission as a coach, trainer, and entrepreneur is to be a force for good and make this world a better place to live in. All these educated people express themselves at their best. At the end of the day, we’re paid for helping others and making them better people.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Difficult to say. There are many things we made that make me proud and fulfilled. Among these:

  • Having certificated almost 1000 coaches so far (we also have a School of coaching).
  • Having published several books about coaching (we also have a publishing company).
  • Last but not least, it is one of the biggest coaching companies in Italy.

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

No doubts: managing people. When you’re in charge of many people with different needs and personalities, you need to be a leader and be an example for them. This represents both the hardest and the best things I deal with every given day.

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

Only three? There would be several… Anyway, the top three are:

  1. Think big and take little steps. Go for important and ambitious goals, but don’t look for shortcuts. Go fast but don’t try to skip the stages. Don’t follow the easy way; most of the time is wrong. Often, the right one’s the most difficult, and only a few people dare to go.
  2. Choose the right people. Surround yourself with competent and trusted people. As an entrepreneur, you need help. Surely, you need competencies in certain areas that you probably don’t have, so you need people, and you need to trust them, so choose well.
  3. Keep your energy up. Enthusiasm, passion, and motivation… are your best friends. Nothing big has been created without motivation and passion.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.ekis.it/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/liviocoach/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/liviocoach/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/liviosgarbi
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/liviosgarbi/

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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