Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in coaching but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Ian Carlstrom, Founder of The GREATEST Game, located in Fargo, ND, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
My business is working smarter, not harder, to build better businesses. My customers are those growth-minded entrepreneurs who are serious about taking their business to the next level - whatever that means to them. I work with these entrepreneurs and business leaders to get unstuck and stay on track with their business strategies.
I meet them where they're at to create a roadmap and build everyday practices around communication, measurements, goals, and roles, so they have accountability to their vision. I do this with a combination of coaching & advising to help them work ON the business. As a fractional integrator, I work with them on the heavy lift of working IN their business.
Tell us about yourself
After years of managing businesses and advising over a thousand other businesses, I have the tools, knowledge, and experience to do pretty much anything I could ever dream of. My problem is that I'm not much of a dreamer, I've always loved helping others, and that seemed to serve the purpose of fulfillment.
Now it's become clear to me that my dream is to be part of a business world where great power and great responsibility go hand in hand, where corporate social responsibility is a strategy, not hindsight. My purpose in this is simply to empower businesses to do business better, be better corporate citizens in their day-to-day lives, and give back and support the cause(s) they care about.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
I'd say I'm a fairly risk-averse person, super risk-averse compared to the group of people brave enough to call themselves entrepreneurs. But in 2019, when I had the opportunity to start this business on my own, I proudly staked my claim as "Fargo's First Fractional Integrator" (even though I still had to explain what this meant to pretty much everyone I met). Putting myself out there taught me so much; it changed the way I think about business and opened so many doors that I wouldn't have even thought about.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
For this, I'll quote the great author Dr. Seuss, one of my favorite books: Oh, the Places You'll Go!
"All Alone! Whether you like it or not,
Alone will be something you'll be quite a lot.
And when you're alone, there's a very good chance
you'll meet things that scare you right out of your pants.
There are some, down the road between hither and yon,
that can scare you so much you won't want to go on."
It can be a lonely game out there for sure, especially if you're on your own in business. So I like to cultivate a growth mindset and be a giver to my circle around me however I can.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
Failure is part of the journey. Don't be paralyzed by perfection. Play through your mistakes, and learn from them, but the show must go on. With that said, start with a plan. Don't just wing it; it won't work, and you'll be exhausted, but you won't understand why. You will not be for everyone, there will be haters, but those aren't your people. Find your people!
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://ianmcarlstrom.wixsite.com/integrator
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ian.carlstrom.9
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iancarlstrom/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/iancarlstrom/
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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