Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Shane Parreco, CEO of Online Training Concepts, located in Asheville, NC, USA.

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

Online Training Concepts is an education technology business that produces immersive learning solutions. These take shape as digital platforms and products for the online learning market, custom software applications, as well as tailored client services to support businesses and organizations seeking accessible onboarding systems, training experiences, and educational content development.

Tell us about yourself

I have a fairly diverse background and experience level, including organizational leadership and business management, wilderness leadership and experiential education, audio engineering and lighting design, ultralight aviation instruction, and a passion for cultivating learning and curiosity in others.

I first started OTC to create an online learning platform for the ultralight aviation community - specifically, an education resource for paragliding and hang gliding instructors to use with their students. After the success of that first project, I then expanded into other areas of focus that needed a dedicated online home for training resources, eventually leveraging all of that experience into creating a client services department that offers all of our custom development capabilities as a service.

My motivation comes from my passion for pushing education technology further into the world of immersive realities. Augmented, virtual, and mixed reality (AR/VR/XR) technology offers an infinite canvas for creating custom learning experiences and opportunities to explore, and I am eager to participate in the coming boom for creative professionals looking to build content for those worlds.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

I'm not a big fan of using numbers or other typical measurements for evaluating the success or level of accomplishment of a business - the part that most excites me is the validation I get from our people about how we are building a culture that encourages fun and enjoyment at work and requires a healthy work/life balance. Most businesses miss this point entirely, and it is my goal to continue creating an environment for creative people to share their passion and enjoy their work without the need to abide by the typical merit and reward-based principles laid out by a dying breed of business managers and leaders.

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

The hardest thing to manage as a business owner is how much work is required to really get a new company to a place of stability. So much happens in the early days of starting a business, and I have to wear so many hats each day to keep the wheel in motion and the business headed in the right direction.

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

  1. Seek help. There are lots of Entrepreneur Support Organizations (ESOs) that offer free coaching, mentorship programs, and even potential sources of funding. Look to your local community and find the support you need there first. Everything grows from there.
  2. Don't be afraid to Press Pause. Sometimes taking a step back is not a bad thing. As a startup founder, sometimes the best thing you can do is take a breath and press pause on a project or a direction that once felt critical to the success of the business. The universe can deliver the most amazing support in those moments, do your best not to miss it because you are too focused on something that might not work.
  3. Be authentic. Many new business founders try to be something or someone they are not, and it is always obvious. If you are not 100% committed to your vision and goals for the business, no one else will be either. The only way to lead a business is to love what you do and for that to be clear to everyone you interact with.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

Let your passion and interest be your guide. If you try to start a business simply because you think you can make money doing that particular thing, you will always struggle with motivation and recruiting people for your cause and mission. The most important part of being a business owner is being honest with yourself and everyone around you - the more you can embrace authenticity, the more successful you will be.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://onlinetrainingconcepts.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/onlinetrainingconcepts/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/onlinetrainingconcepts/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shane-parreco-4206874b/

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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