Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in personal development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Stephen Lock, owner of Stephen Lock Coaching, located in Leeds, West Yorkshire, UK.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
I am an Executive Coach and Mentor working with leaders across the globe. I also chair and facilitate peer learning groups of senior leaders. Mostly my customers are values-based individuals, leaders of purpose-driven organisations, or people interested in progressive models of leadership and growth.
Tell us about yourself
I took a winding road to launch my business. My career started in the software industry, including time at Hewlett-Packard (France) and start-ups in London. I then joined the health service, where I've had a variety of national roles. Along the way, I developed skills in cross-boundary leadership, self-managing teams, and working in complexity. I've also taught on the NIHR's national leadership development programme. I've been fortunate enough to study improvement theory at Warwick University Business School, leadership with Ashridge Business School, and innovation at INSEAD Business School (Paris). I have an ILM 7 (Institute of Leadership and Management) Certificate in Executive and Senior Leadership Coaching and Mentoring.
It was this final piece of study that motivated me to start my own practice in coaching and leadership development. I decided to put what I love at the heart of what I do every day. It was a really good decision.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
My biggest achievement is in the testimonials I get from my clients (see my website). It's hard launching on your own, but my mission for myself is to "achieve success through service." By being truly present for my clients and serving them well, I get lots of rewards. I'm particularly proud of finding the confidence to develop a new type of coaching that blends traditional techniques with modern approaches to self-inquiry. It took a lot of bravery to propose this way of working to the first client. When (after one session) she described it as "magical," I knew I was on to something.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
For me, the hardest thing has been learning the routines and practices required to market myself and then sell successfully. It took me a while to realise that my passion may be coaching, but my job is sales. It took me a few months to find my groove with this, but now I have a process in place, and I actually enjoy it.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Get a coach. I realise I'm a coach recommending coaching, but I am serious. If I hadn't been coached, I wouldn't have had the confidence to launch on my own, and I wouldn't have had a clear sense of direction. I still regularly get coaching because you can't coach yourself!
- Most of us massively overestimate what we can achieve in a year and underestimate what we can achieve in ten years. So, plan to be in it for the long haul, not for overnight success. Then, one day, it will start to take off.
- Have a routine. Faced with an empty calendar, how do you know what to do? I'm a reasonably methodical person, but I have found that discipline in sales and marketing, in particular, is crucial. Get that blog out on a regular rhythm. Spend 30 minutes a day networking on LinkedIn. Schedule time for planning. Whatever it is, set up a routine, be consistent, and for ages, nothing will happen. Then, one day it will all start to click. Your overnight success will finally arrive. Just not overnight.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.stephenlockcoaching.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/realstephenlock
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephen-mortimer-lock/
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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