Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in personal development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Emile Liang, founder of SkillTree Inc., located in North York, ON, Canada.

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

SkillTree is about providing mentorship and career coaching for Game Development Professionals to upkeep or expand their skills. Too often, training and coaching are deprioritized in-game production because team leads often favor making the games at the expense of investing in their talents, having too much on their plates. SkillTree is a collective of experts in Game Development who agree to set aside some of their time to help support the growth of other game developers, providing an option to professionals in the industry to keep sharpening their skills. All our mentors have shipped AAA games and are active in the industry, keeping their knowledge current, and are exposed to the cutting edge of our industry. They often have over a decade of experience and have been part of several game production life cycles. SkillTree is mentoring, coaching, and training done for Game Devs by Game Devs.

Tell us about yourself

I have decided to start SkillTree because I want to have an impact beyond the games I make. As a producer, the part I enjoyed the most was supporting my team members to grow and become a better version of themself. Having the privilege to be part of the growth of people and see them soar higher is very rewarding. I wanted to build a business around what made me the most happy in my work. After over two decades of making AAA games, I wanted to be able to help more people beyond the boundaries of my local teams.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

SkillTree is only nine months old, but we are already reaching a hundred people within our Discord Community. I can now see self-sustained mentors-mentees feedback and support loops. It is becoming autonomous, and I don't need to be always active to keep the momentum.

Also, as SkillTree is an online business, our reach is global. We have mentors able to provide their sessions in several languages to mentees around the globe. All this without too high of an initial investment.

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

The hardest for me is to reach out to the game developers via social media. Our professionals are very dedicated to their games, are pretty tired after a day of creation, and don't spend much time on social media. I have a hard time reaching out to them to inform them there are opportunities to support them in their crafts. It often needs the collaboration of the games studios to inform them we are here for them.

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

  1. Be financially prepared; I have provisioned enough before to do this leap. This removes the financial pressure in order to be free to do the steps at the pace I consider right for my mentors, mentees, and me.
  2. Leverage your network, maintain it, and be a good manager and team member; your network will be present for you when you need help or be referred to potential customers.
  3. Be present on social media and give to the communities. It will create positive exposure, and you will develop an increasingly strong following group, essential to any online business.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

SkillTree is a company I have started as I wanted to have some sabbatical time before going back into production when I feel recharged and ready. It might grow into a more demanding and profitable business, but it is still, for the moment, my side business and a good escape from my day-to-day. Helping others is a sweet alternative to our daily firefighting.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.skilltreeinc.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SkillTreeInc/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/skilltreeinc/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SkillTree_inc
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/skilltree-inc/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solopreneur that you'd like to share, then email community@subkit.com; we'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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