Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in coaching but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Alan Pastian, Founder of Forward Leadership Coaching, located in St Paul, MN, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
I believe every person in life is made to professionally and personally move forward in life. You were never meant to stay stuck. Spinning your wheels while others pass you by isn't good. Going backward was never part of the plan. You were made to advance, to take ground, and to advance in life. Forward Leadership Coaching helps business professionals give them the "traction" necessary to move 'Forward. We focus specifically on three spheres of influence in your life. First, we help you discover your unique leadership style by looking under the hood of how you "run" as the leader. Second, your team dynamics. When you are a better leader, you have a better team. We help you build a cohesive team working together for better team dynamics and an inspiring work environment. Third, we help you create a life-giving culture. Your mission, vision, and values are everything. The systems you create and the culture you tolerate determines how on purpose you and your team are. We help you build a framework that will lead to your personal and professional progress.
Tell us about yourself
Forward's mission is exactly the same as my own mission: To help you move forward in work and in life. If you become excellent at who you are personally, you become excellent at what you do professionally. These areas of life are inseparable. So I have focused on growing and advancing myself first, and that ultimately grows and advances my business. I have personally challenged myself to live a life of "forward motions." Growing up in a mobile home park as the son of a construction worker, I found myself stocking grocery shelves at 14 years old and working multiple jobs while pursuing my education. I became the first in my family to graduate with not one but two college degrees in business and theology. I discovered my purpose and devoted myself to working in the non-profit sector, mentoring people, investing in multiple non-profit organizations, and empowering my community to "live life to the full." As an entrepreneur, I started my own design company to help bring the small businesses and non-profit dreams of others to life. I am also a published author and am featured on Amazon and in multiple magazines, blogs, online platforms, etc.
My personal growth and advancement in life have led me to be certified in ClifftonStrengths, Enneagram, and DISC. I am a certified Independent Speaker, Coach, and Trainer with the John Maxwell Team, serving as both a Maxwell Method DISC Consultant and Youth Certified Facilitator and part of the WeAlign Coaching Firm.
Each day should be seen as an adventure. What hills do you have to climb, and what peaks are in your sites...basically, what ground am I going to take is a question I ask myself every day. I'm less about goals and more about distance. My coaching is more about direction than a destination. Going the distance relationally, emotionally, spiritually, etc., is what keeps me moving!
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
I have never been burned out and have stayed passionate my whole life about what I do. I have chosen to build my life around my passions, so collecting a paycheck is a bonus! And I love helping people do the same! The more I choose to live my life on a mission, the farther my personal and professional reach is.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
Becoming complacent. How you have to choose to be innovative. Research what other competitors are doing. Study their designs. What are their latest breakthrough ideas, and how can you improve on them. When you realign your "WHY" to your business, it reminds you of who you are and the reason for starting your business in the first place.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
First, make a great first impression. Your design, marketing, and the first person people experience in your business will leave either make a positive, negative or neutral impression. Second, know what makes you different. Have a "signature move" that makes you unique in your niche. Third, know how to fuel up personally. When you skip vacations, overwork yourself and lose your hobbies, you start running on fumes. If you lose enthusiasm, you have the potential to lose your clients.
Is there anything else you'd like to share?
I'm super passionate about family, friends, and the future. My wife and I have been married for 25 years; we have two children (my "ray of sunshine" Anja and my "mighty warrior" Magnus). We have lived in cities around the US, including Mobile, AL, Washington DC, Phoenix, AZ, and Minneapolis, encouraging my family, friends, and community. I have traveled to over 24 countries, sharing my enthusiasm for life, believing coffee and community are inseparable, a picture speaks a thousand words, celebrating films as modern-day parables, and desire collecting experiences more than collecting things.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.forwardleadershipcoaching.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alan.pastian
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alanpastian/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alan-pastian/
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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