Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in personal development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Mitchell Earl, COO of Praxis, located in Austin, TX, USA.

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

Praxis is an intense personal and professional development program for young adults who want to work hard, build skills, learn how to create value, and develop a positive vision of the future for their lives and careers.

Tell us about yourself

In my teens and early 20s, I knew I wanted to be successful, but I didn't know what I wanted to do for work or how to figure it out. I spent nearly a decade job-hopping, trialing different career paths, and learning from the people I met along the way. Eventually, the combination of trial-and-error, experiential learning, and mentorship helped me find my way. It's that exact same combination that our program at Praxis offers to teens and early 20-somethings who desire to be successful but aren't quite sure how to get started.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

One thing that sets our program apart is the way our alumni take agency over their lives and careers once they enter the real world. They've gone on to start podcasts, publish books, land competitive jobs, launch freelance businesses, earn big promotions, negotiate raises, lead teams, find startups, travel the world, and more. We've helped over 500 young adults do exactly that – take agency over their lives and careers. And most did it without ever going to college.

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

Managing expectations – for your customers, your employees, your investors, your business partners, and even yourself. Managing expectations is one of the most difficult aspects of a business, yet also one of the highest-leverage things you can spend your time on if you learn how to do it effectively.

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

  1. Just get started. Try to win your first paying customer before you worry about any of the complexity.
  2. Identify your best customers. Then test and iterate. Obsess what your best customers want more (and less) of and how badly they want (or don't want) it. Adapt your offer to match your best customers' wants, needs, and perception of value.
  3. Market the problem. Start talking about the problem you're solving. Aim to build a loyal audience. Then solve that problem for your audience.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://discoverpraxis.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/discoverpraxis/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Mitchell_Earl
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mitchellearl/

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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