Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in business development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Robert Abbanat, CEO of GloCoach, located in Shanghai, China.

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

GloCoach is the first digital platform to drive personal transformation at scale. We achieve this with a combination of highly accomplished coaches, technology, and an innovative process.

GloCoach has redefined the role and profile of a world-class business coach. We are overturning the belief that coaches can only ask questions and should never give advice. On the contrary, we recruit coaches exclusively for their outstanding professional credentials and then empower them to share experiences and even give advice when appropriate. We call this new and highly impactful approach Advisory Coaching, the tenants of which are embodied in our unique methodology called The GloCoach Way.

At its core, GloCoach is a technology company that leverages a cloud-based platform, rich content, and machine learning to support the entire coaching lifecycle. We integrate our own model of leadership competencies with the first pre-coaching assessment that identifies specific, observed behaviors in the context of organizational needs and the coachee's current role. With this, we can offer an experience that transforms leadership performance at scale, is highly consistent, and is easily measurable.

Our customers are working professionals from a wide range of industries and include employees from some of the world's most famous and demanding companies such as Nike, Nestle, Siemens, Google, Thermo Fisher Scientific, and many others.

Tell us about yourself

At heart, I'm a serial entrepreneur. While studying physics at Boston College, I ran two successful businesses and learned how to lead before graduating. Since the day I left the classroom, I've been looking for ways to solve problems with technology. With more degrees than I really need, I have plenty of ideas about what works, what doesn't, and what the future of talent development should look like.

When I graduated from Georgia Tech with a master's degree in Aerospace Engineering, I turned down Boeing to launch an ed-tech company producing interactive multimedia courses for engineering students. We ultimately produced 3D simulations to show how NASA missions unravel the mysteries of our solar system.

After graduating from MIT's Sloan School of Management with my MBA, I moved to China in search of new entrepreneurial opportunities in a different environment. Seeing the need and opportunities for teaching business English in the fast-growing economies of Asia, I was inspired to launch ILE, now a global company with students in more than 50 cities. Leveraging lessons learned from that business, my partners and I launched GloCoach, which is home to hundreds of the world's best corporate coaches. Our mission is to help CEOs, senior management teams, and young emerging leaders improve leadership competencies and deliver superior results. Like ILE, GloCoach began with a focus on Asia, though it is now gaining traction in Europe and the Americas.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Over the course of my career, I have been fortunate to be recognized for my work and contributions, including:

  • Nominated & Elected to Board of Governors
    American Chamber of Commerce, Shanghai, China 2017-2018
  • Young Entrepreneur of the Year
    Issued by US Small Business Administration · Jan 1998
  • Top 40 Under 40 Rising Stars in Georgia
    Issued by Georgia Trend Magazine · Jan 1997
  • Young Alumni of the Year
    Issued by Boston College · Jan 1998
  • Outstanding Georgia Citizen
    Issued by Cathy Cox, Secretary of State · Jan 1998
  • Council of Outstanding Young Engineering Alumni
    Issued by Georgia Institute of Technology · Jan 1998
  • Young Entrepreneur of the Year
    Issued by Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award · Jan 1999
  • Small Business Person of the Year
    Issued by BellSouth Small Business Person of the Year Awards · Jan 1999
  • Rotarian of the Quarter
    Issued by Rotary International, Dunwoody, Georgia · Jan 1999

But perhaps the recognition I am most proud of was having my name sent to planet Mars. Really. One of NASA's endeavors that were immortalized by my first company's work was the Mars Pathfinder mission, which landed on Mars on July 4th, 1997. You may remember seeing a computer-generated animation of that lander opening its petals and the Sojourner rover crawling into the Martian dust. That animation was created by my company and shown on every news station the world over. It was even part of a display in the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum in Washington DC. For our contributions, I, and 2,000 others who contributed to the mission, had our signatures embossed on a wafer-thin sheet of metal affixed to the lander itself, which now rests in Mars' Ares Vallis. Perhaps someday, one of my descendants will journey to the Red Planet and see for herself the signature that I inked so many years ago.

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

Perhaps Einstein said it best: "Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new." These are words to live by and inspire a core GloCoach philosophy: growth only happens when we are pushed out of our comfort zone. Thus, challenges not only make us stronger, but they are the road to growth and achievement.

It's not easy. Asia is a highly competitive and sometimes harsh entrepreneurial environment, especially for foreigners. While I'm confident in my ability to solve problems with cutting-edge technology, I think it is my persistence, ability to get results, and my honesty that keeps me ahead in the game.

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

I believe in a simple mission in pursuit of a big vision. At GloCoach, our Mission is to accelerate the success of the professionals we serve and the organizations they serve. Our Vision is to be the number one partner (by market share and customer appraisal) for talent development in the Asia Pacific region.

For aspiring entrepreneurs, persistence and resilience are non-negotiables for success. For those looking for encouragement, as Elon said, if you need words of inspiration, don't become an entrepreneur.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

Professionally speaking, success for me is building and being part of something bigger than myself. I aspire to leave a mark on the world by helping others to grow and succeed at scale by creatively leveraging technology and surrounding myself with people who are smarter than me and who share my values for the integrity and hard work.

But as a husband and father of three, success means being there for my family, first and foremost. It also means contributing to my community. Throughout my career, I have always made time for volunteer and community activities such as Rotary International and, most recently, with the Boy Scouts as Cubmaster for Pack 12, Shanghai. These are also important measures of one's success.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.glocoach.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scaletech_history/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rabbanat/

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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