Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Thane Ringler, Founder of Thane Marcus, located in Denver, CO, USA.

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

My business is people and unlocking their full potential. Leadership is not something that is taught in our formal education, nor is it something often given to us in on-the-job training. If we aren't intentional about our personal leadership development, then we will often never have a good understanding of what becoming a good leader is. There are plenty of bad examples of leaders, and I'm sure you've also experienced many of those. It's harder to find examples of leaders who are actually WORTH following. That is the work that I do: Helping develop leaders worth following.

My customers are individuals, teams, and organizations with no people development offerings currently, who are stuck and don't know where to go, or those struggling with interpersonal issues and not making the most of the talent they possess or the others on their team. Through coaching and consulting in partnership with GiANT Worldwide, we offer resources and support for unlocking your full potential as well as the potential of those you lead.

Tell us about yourself

My background is largely in the game of golf. Since I was 3 years old, I have had a club in my hand and have been pursuing my best on the course. After competing as a junior and collegiately, I turned professional and competed for 4 years on different tours in the US and overseas in Asia. After an injury sidelined my career for over a year, I decided to transition out of the world of golf and into the world of human development. After working with individuals on performance and development (alongside a handful of other endeavors), I partnered with GiANT Worldwide to focus on leadership development in organizations and teams across the world.

What motivates me most in work is seeing more people come fully alive in gaining practical tools to grow in their leadership skills while also having a stronger sense of purpose and identity along the way. Competing for most of my life led to the development of many helpful skills. It taught me many strategies we can use to develop our skills and maximize our performance.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

While there are many wins and losses along the way with any business, one of the greatest accomplishments so far has been the work we've done with a larger organization in developing a "leader academy" for over a hundred of their people. Through this work, the CFO (typically a position that cares most about the bottom line) stated that this investment (which was not a small one financially) had already paid for itself in just two months of the engagement. THAT is something I'm proud of and grateful for.

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

As a business owner, you are forced to wear many different hats. If we aren't intentional about shifting between the roles or even being aware of the differences, we will often slide into a mad frenzy of putting out fires left and right, feeling like we have no space to grow the business and no room to breathe. Yet, if we aren't able to be 100% healthy ourselves, then what we offer our customers won't be its best self either. We must be able to prioritize not only the things that are urgent and important but also the things that aren't urgent yet still have high importance in moving the business forward. Proper prioritization of these things is a must for a business to thrive over the long run.

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

  1. Fall in love with the direction, not the destination - meaning: the process matters more than mere results. The destination will always be shifting as you learn more intel and better understand your client's needs.
  2. Patience, patience, patience - we ALL "overestimate what can be accomplished in one year and underestimate what can be accomplished in ten years" (Bill Gates)
  3. Anything worthwhile will be challenging; meaningful effort adds up over time progress never feels like progress at the moment, and courage will always be necessary.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

One new development that I'm really excited about is a wing of my business I created called The Leadership Majors.

The Leadership Majors is an organization founded at the intersection of Leadership Development and Golf. Through organizing 1-day events as well as weekend retreats combining these two realms, TLM looks to establish a unique experience that entails meaningful learnings, intentional relationships, and world-class golf experiences. To learn more about this vision, visit https://theleadershipmajors.com.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.thanemarcus.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thane.ringler
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thanemarcus/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/thanemarcus
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thaneringler/

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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