Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in personal development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Kurt Ostermiller, Founder of Kurt Ostermiller Coaching, located in Austin, TX, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
I am a Certified Business Executive Coach who focuses on leading corporate financial professionals to transform themselves on their journey from Hell Island to Heaven Island. I utilize my 2-plus decades as a Chief Financial Officer and two coaching certifications (John Maxwell Team and Eben Pagan Virtual Coaching) while guiding clients to define and act on their 3 A’s:
• Achieve / Avoid – what are their goals?
• Align – what is the true understanding and meaning of their goals?
• Act/Assess – take action and evaluate progress.
I utilize my proprietary A3 Coaching Program in my coaching program.
Tell us about yourself
We all have a Purpose in our Life, and we need to discover that. It’s not the goal that we should concentrate on but the journey towards that Purpose that makes us who we are. We can’t control events – what we can control is what these events mean to us. Unfortunately, most people don’t figure that out. Having done this myself drives me to lead others to define their Purpose and live a Life of Significance.
I tend to think of Life in reverse order. Have no regrets on our death bed. A little morbid, but it leads us to define and act upon what we want to do with our lives. David Goggins (Navy Seal) once said a cemetery is the world’s saddest place – not because of the bodies but because of the unaccomplished dreams and unrealized potential that’s buried. We have the ability to decide consciously what our Purpose and Life are about. It’s up to us to define that desire and implement a road map to get there. This is why I became a Coach – to help others clarify and realize their aspirations.
I have a Bachelor's in Accounting from Montana State University, an MBA from the University of Oregon, and many years in the trenches of corporate finance. I became a Certified Coach in 2016 with two coaching certifications - John Maxwell Team and Eben Pagan Virtual Coaching.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Sharing the emotion with a client once they figure out the real reason behind their issues and problems. Everyone has quantifiable goals, but it’s the true reason behind the goal that matters. That leads us toward a Life of Significance.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
Attacking issues where you have little or no experience. Most business owners are experts in their products but lack cash flow, legal, accounting, marketing, sales, etc., experience. Not knowing what you don't know can be deadly in the business climate.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Solve a problem for your clients. Not many people care about your methodology – people want solutions to their problems without doing much work.
- Be passionate about what you do. Without emotion, you’re just another commodity.
- Hold impeccable ethics.
Is there anything else you'd like to share?
Everything boils down to people. My market niche is with corporate finance professionals because that is the chair I sat in for over two decades, and having relevant experience as a coach is extremely important. I soon learned that my clients are humans disguised as finance people. We all have strengths, weaknesses, insecurities, and dreams. As a coach, it is my job to dig deep and figure out, along with my client, what their goals and dreams truly mean to them. Once we’ve achieved that clarity, constructing and implementing their plan of attack to realize these goals becomes an achievable reality.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://kurtostermillercoach.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/a3cfogroup
Twitter: https://twitter.com/KurtOstermiller
LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3dvx5Dv
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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