Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in coaching but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Glenn Gow, a Peak Performance CEO Coach, based in Portola Valley, CA, USA.

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

My customers are CEOs who want to become even better CEOs. I coach them to achieve peak performance for their companies and themselves. My CEOs recognize that every great athlete has a coach and every Fortune 500 CEO has a coach. Why? Because coaches make us better.

Tell us about yourself

I was a CEO for 25 years. I know what it takes to become a better CEO. Then, I was recruited into venture capital, where I started coaching the CEOs of our portfolio companies, and that's when I found my passion. My motivation comes from watching my CEOs get better. I love watching them improve and grow.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

My biggest accomplishment is when my CEOs achieve amazing results. For example, I helped one CEO grow their company from a $200 Million valuation to an $800 Million valuation in about a year.

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

Some of my CEOs are founders, some are brought in to take an existing company to a new level, and some are business owners. The hardest thing for my CEOs is that it's lonely at the top. They often have significant issues that they have no one to talk to about. Part of my role is to help them work through the biggest business and personal issues that are holding them back.

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

  1. A great market opportunity. Go after a market that is large and growing.
  2. Create a differentiated and defensible offering. Build a product or service that is better/faster/cheaper and that cannot be easily copied.
  3. Hire a great team. Not only do you want great people on your team, but you want people who know how to scale a team under them.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

If you're a CEO, find a coach that works for you. I was a CEO for 25 years and had a coach for 17 of those years. It was transformational.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.glenngow.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/glenngow/

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.

Turn your craft into recurring revenue with Subkit. Start your subscription offering in minutes and supercharge it with growth levers. Get early access here.