Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in personal development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Scott Foley, Founder of Scott Foley Coaching, located in Manchester, UK.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
I'm a Career Coach, Coach Supervisor, and Executive Coach. I help clients find work they love, develop their careers, and perform at their best.
Tell us about yourself
Through a career that involved several changes and working in different jobs and industries, I realised that the biggest theme running through them all was that I most enjoyed supporting and developing others. This led me to train as a coach and, in time, start my own business, where I now help clients develop their careers, make a career change, or perform at their best at work. I also support fellow coaches in developing their coaching practice and enhancing the work they do with their clients. My philosophy and primary motivation is one of service to others, something which really clicked for me when I read coach Steve Chandler's excellent book 'When All Boats Rise,' which encapsulates how we can fulfill our own goals through service to clients.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Developing a successful coaching business during the COVID-19 lockdown felt like a big achievement when all the usual rules and expectations - including in employment and the job market - went up in the air. Helping clients navigate such a turbulent time while developing a thriving coaching business was challenging, but I learned a lot from this experience, as my clients also did through coaching together.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
As a solopreneur, one of the hardest things for me was delegation and outsourcing, which isn't my core zone of expertise. I've been fortunate to learn many skills over the years, and I can do many things a lot of solopreneurs business owners wouldn't know how to do - but there's the trap! My value is in my direct work with clients, not building websites, and having a detailed knowledge of accounting or digital design. So, outsourcing and asking for help from others has been a learning journey for me.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Just because there are other people in the market doing what you want to do, don't assume you can't be successful. Look at what you can do differently or better. Identify your unique selling point.
- Identify your ideal client and speak SPECIFICALLY to them in all your marketing social media. Don't try to market yourself to everyone - you will get lost in the noise. Find your tribe and understand what they really want from you.
- Delegate and outsource. Your biggest value is, as the owner of the business, to work out where your value is best added and just do that. Outsource anything that doesn't have to be done by you personally; otherwise, you will have no time to grow the business and will be chasing your tail all day with every single admin task.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.scottfoleycoaching.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottpfoley/
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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