Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in leadership development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Ligia Koijen Ramos, CEO of In2motivation, located in Amsterdam, North Holland, Netherlands.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
In2motivation is Leading Transformation. We are an international company with expertise in Leadership, Coaching, and Communication. Our focus is to create the most powerful context for success and healthy transformation. We create unique content and use the most modern studies in Neuroscience, together with creating real experiences, to amplify the success of the transformation. We serve companies and individuals in sustainable transformation and amplifying well-being. We have over 400 top companies in our portfolio and thousands of students over these two decades of work.
Tell us about yourself
I am a philosophy that loves to study ways to turn the best ideas into practice. I am the CEO of In2motivation, and what motivates me every day is my curiosity about how people and groups get things done. Which dynamics work best, and which dynamics bring noise and should be transformed for the good of all. I believe that all people have more skills than they often use. So my biggest motto is to create the most conducive environment for everyone to show all their talents. I love people, and I believe in them. That drives me every day to do my best for them and myself. I believe in 'doing as I wish I had done.' That authenticity of being unique.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
What makes me feel like "I did it" for sure is the fact that after my husband and partner went to the divine in the year 2021, I still kept all the company's results, increased the team, creating new courses, and have my family as my biggest focus. It was not a luminous moment; we built this company together, and now and for the first time, I am at the helm alone 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. I did all this without making work my escape or distraction from the pain I felt. I did it because this is what I want to do. There were times when I was asked, "do you want to continue?" I always answered, "it's not about continuing; it's about doing what I want to do and how I want to do it. My biggest challenge was seeing myself in the front of the ship because I always liked to be in the back. Accepting that it is now about me was an interesting and intense process. But I am sure that what made the difference was my focus on "doing it the way I want it done" because, in the end, we are the ones who have to deal with ourselves. Right?
And also an accomplishment, after 25 years of career, to see that more and more the Inner Game and personal development are becoming part of the business game as a relevant, important, and even indispensable part. The proof is that the book "Unleash Your transformation" published by Forbes, is currently at the top of the business tag. This book was co-authored by my husband, Peter Koijen, and Marco van Kalleveen, which I now have the great pleasure of representing.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
For me, the biggest challenge of being an entrepreneur is often being alone. Having all the decisions and the consequences of those decisions on my shoulders. So for me, one of the most important things is having a strong peer group. People with whom I can discuss ideas, receive provocations, and often receive mentoring and coaching. I look carefully for my masters and people who can be my role models. I ask a lot about how they do it and how they don't do it, too.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
What helps me is to keep this recipe alive every day:
- Believe it before you know it.
- Test, test, and test again.
- Be kind to yourself; that will make you kind to others.
- Observe.
- Decide.
- Change if necessary.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://in2motivation.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ligiakoijen
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ligiakoijenramos/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ligiakoijenramos/
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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