Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in personal development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Keith Blakemore-Noble, owner of Keith Blakemore-Noble, Ltd, located in Edinburgh, Scotland, UK.

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

I am The Mindset Master, and I use my own custom blend of hypnosis, NLP, and coaching to help people be, do, and have more of what they most want. For some, that means helping them to conquer their fears or phobias. For others, that means helping them to banish their unhelpful habits, such as smoking or over-eating or poor diet, or consuming too much alcohol or and for yet others, that means delving deeper and helping them to overcome limiting beliefs, removing doubts, installing powerful positive, helpful beliefs and giving them the mindset to create the life they truly want.

My customers are people who know what they want in life, know that they want to make a change, and are committed to doing what it takes to create that change for themselves. And over the past 13 years, there have been thousands of very happy clients all around the world.

Tell us about yourself

Before doing what I do now, I used to work in IT - a pretty good 20-year career. Unfortunately, I was painfully shy and terrified of meeting or speaking with strangers (probably why IT was such a great job for me!). Until one panic attack, too many, which made me realise that I had to change something. I couldn't go through life like that anymore. So I studied NLP, hypnosis, and coaching, right up to train-the-trainer level so that I could "sort myself out," which I did wonderfully. I went from being terrified of meeting strangers to thoroughly enjoying walking into rooms filled with strangers and meeting as many of them as I could. As I started using these new skills to help more and more friends, I started thinking that maybe a career change would be good. I loved helping people get amazing results. And then, as if to give the final push, my IT position was made redundant. My boss gave me a wheelbarrow full of cash and told me not to come back! So I jumped at the opportunity and threw myself headlong into building a coaching business. That was 13 years ago, and it's taken me around the world. I've helped thousands of people in that time, spoken on stages from New York to Singapore and more, and trained many people in these same skills, and I absolutely love it. I still get a kick from knowing that I can help people to conquer things that are holding them back. I still remember what it was like to be the old shy me, and if I can help others to overcome their equivalent of that, then that's what will keep me doing what I do.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Still being here years later. It's not always been easy. Sometimes I've had to take a part-time job to keep the bills paid, and sometimes I've wanted to give up, but I've done whatever it took to keep things going, and I'm still here, better than ever.

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

It can get very lonely. When you are an employee, you usually have a group of people in a similar position, plenty of people you can hang out with, complain with, and celebrate with. As a business owner, the buck stops with you. You don't always have that "gang" you can hang out with, which can get really hard at times.

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

  1. It will take longer and cost more money than you think to get going, but it's so worth it.
  2. One size does not fit all. Do not be taken in by the offers from the "gurus" to sell you The Way to build your business. Everyone is different. Every business is different. There is no "Blueprint to guarantee success." Learn from as many as you can, of course, but take from it the bits which work for YOU and throw away the rest, then build your own success by blending the bits which resonate and combining them with your own knowledge, skills, and experience.
  3. Build yourself a small, supportive team. Not necessarily in the business, but a trusted group in whom you can confide, with whom you can bounce ideas, and celebrate successes. It can get lonely. You WILL want to quit countless times. This support network will make all the difference.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://keithblakemorenoble.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KeithBlakemoreNoble/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keithblakemorenoble/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithblakemorenoble/

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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