Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Miles Croft, founder and coach of Honest Sales Academy, located in Bournemouth, Dorset, UK.

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

I'm the Founder of the Honest Sales Academy and a Sales Prospecting Coach with 25 LinkedIn Learning courses. I'm a man on a mission to dispel the stereotype of the dishonest and untrustworthy salesperson by training everyone to find new opportunities and maintain relationships in an honest and trustworthy way.

Tell us about yourself

I've worked in Sales for almost my entire working life, and one day, my sister started making cold calls for a business she had founded with her husband. She asked me how to make cold calls, and the advice I gave her seemed obvious to me but mind-blowing to her. I realised that I knew something that most people didn't - and that's probably the case for most people in their respective careers. I then made my first sales training video course, "Cold Call Mastery" and it was really successful. So, I made another one about overcoming objections to a similar success. Then I made another, and another, and another, and so on until I now have about 30 courses across LinkedIn Learning, Udemy, Listenable and more. Receiving messages from learners saying they took my advice and it worked is what motivates me. You can put this content out into the ether thinking nobody will care... but they do! I've made content about mental health within sales, and messages about that course matter to me the most.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Making the transition from working full-time to being fully self employed. For me, it was incremental. It started as a 'side-hustle', grew into part-time, and now I do it full-time. It's a scary moment when you jump into the abyss and support yourself, not knowing if you'll be able to survive years, months, even weeks! I once heard a business owner describe entrepreneurship as 'jumping off a bridge and building a plane on the way down' - and he was right! Even now, I have anxiety that my courses will flop, my Academy will go empty, and I'll have no other option than to move back into full-time employment. I fully respect employed people; I just enjoy the freedom of being self-employed. But... so far, so good! My goals are currently focused on multiplying my income streams, so if one fails, I'm safe.What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?

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

Keeping motivation when you don't report to anyone but yourself. Some days, when you feel like staying in bed or watching TV... there's nobody to stop you. YOU have to find the motivation to clock in and do the work. I'm lazy by nature, so I'm constantly battling my default instinct of sitting back and relaxing, but if I do that, then I won't grow and will live to regret it when my current venture comes to an end.

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

  1. Start by simply turning up - this is the first, hardest, and most important obstacle you need to overcome. If what you're doing isn't working, you're not seeing instant results, or it's hard work, then it's easy to stop and move on. But there is a ton of research to show the consistency, and 'plugging at it' more often than not bears fruit.
  2. Understand where your time is best spent. I'm terrible at building websites, designing logos, organising my calendar, and a whole raft of other activities that need doing. I'm good at writing educational content, delivering scripts to the camera and finding new eLearning opportunities. So I've surrounded myself with people that are good at the things I'm bad at, and I focus my time on doing the things I'm good at. I believe the benefits outweigh the costs.
  3. Try not to do it alone. Being an entrepreneur can be lonely. Your friends all work full time, your family don't understand what you're doing and other entrepreneurs often work in isolation. So, to both protect your mental health and nurture your entrepreneurial spirit - join a coworking space, work with other small business owners, attend networking events, and even join LinkedIn Groups or Forums if that's the only option. They will give you encouragement, share ideas and just give you company along the way.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://honestsalesacademy.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/milescroft/

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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