Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in personal and business development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Bob Welsh, partner at Leverage HR, located in Westerville, OH, USA.

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

Since 2006, Leverage HR has partnered with organizations to elevate diverse talent and transform cultures through coaching, leadership development, and organizational effectiveness solutions. Our solutions are always custom and anchored in creating inclusive cultures. Our private sector customers (70% of revenuer) are mid to large companies ($10M - $80B) where we serve some of the most well-known organizations in the world. Our public sector customers (30% revenue) are municipalities, counties, and state organizations.

Tell us about yourself

I joined Leverage HR as a partner three years ago after 25 years of corporate experience leading talent and learning, including as Chief Learning and Chief Talent Officer for DPDHL and IQVIA. What motivates me each day is finding better ways for organizations to unlock the potential of their employees, leading to happier, more engaged, more effective organizations that deliver superior services.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

I joined Leverage HR at the start of the pandemic and was immediately faced with canceled programs and the inability to sell. I led a process to build a new organizational strategy that included rationalizing our services, customers, and consultants and defining a path forward. In the short term, we reduced revenue after retiring European clients and high-income services, including change management. Since then, the business has doubled twice, and we are on track to exceed previous revenues by 2023 and build reserves to 4x revenue.

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

Focus. There are so many things you can and want to do. Understanding the 20% of work that creates 80% of value sometimes means doing things you don't necessarily like. I will often ask myself, "Is this the most important thing I need to be doing right now?" If the answer is yes, I tell myself, "Then feel good about it, don't get distracted, and focus on this." Another difficult thing is being okay with delegating and outsourcing things I can and like to do that take away from my most important tasks. When I do these two things well, the results speak for themselves.

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

  1. Find what gives you energy and build your business around that.
  2. Fail forward. Don't be afraid to fail. In fact, if you’re going to be successful, count on it. And when you do, reflect, adjust, and let the learning inform how you move forward.
  3. Less is more. Being an entrepreneur is overwhelming. Focusing on fewer things allows you to really evaluate things and adjust. If they are the wrong three things, you can always adjust. This is doubly important because being an entrepreneur requires mixing strategy with tactical work (most of the work). But if you don't give yourself the time and space to think, then you will never be strategic. Having fewer things to focus on helps provide that space and time.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

If you think entrepreneurship might be for you, try it. They say fear is the guardian at the gate of opportunity, and that's what usually stops us. I am not suggesting you quit your job and burn the boats tomorrow. Rather start lining up your thinking, pilot some things, and talk with other entrepreneurs. You may find it's not, or you may find it’s the best decision you ever made. It was for me!

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://leveragehr.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/leveragehr
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/welshhr/

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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