Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in personal and business development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Dominique Mas, Owner of Group Coaching HQ, located in Brooklyn, NY, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Group Coaching HQ is a training school for qualified coaches who want to differentiate themselves in the coach market. We are an ICF-accredited group coaching certification program and community. Our mission is to transform coaches into master group coaches to propel them to design, sell and run their own group programs so that they can amplify their impact.
Tell us about yourself
I had the idea after I offered a group coaching demonstration for the International Coach Federation. I received a ton of requests for support and questions from coaches who wanted to start their own programs. My background is in education, and once an educator, always an educator! After receiving all these messages, my brain was on fire! What would be a creative and truly engaging way for me to share my knowledge but also leverage the wisdom of all the learners?
As Head of Coaching and Curriculum at Medley, I also created a lot of opportunities for our coaches to develop their skills, so I put all of my experiences together and came up with GCHQ.
What keeps me motivated is seeing the impact we have on the coaches who train with us. No matter whether they are seasoned coaches or brand new, they find an incredible community of other coaches who have their back. They develop deep friendships and professional relationships, and that's simply priceless.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
I think the fact that I was able to have an idea and execute it is for sure my biggest accomplishment. I am truly proud of having researched, designed, and tested our product and, of course, continuing to refine it.
The other thing I am proud of is that, for once, I did not try to go it alone! I found the best possible partner I could have hoped for, and we have been working together to make this company as impactful as possible for coaches.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
To continue to learn and grow. It can be so easy to get stuck in the weeds, to focus on small details... I find that I'm very comfortable with putting out ideas that are not "perfect," but it took me a while to get there.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
I like to turn my tips into questions - I think they're more expansive and allow each person to think about what's right for them, so here we go:
- How can you make sure that you have some sort of financial stability while building your business? This will allow you to focus your energy on the business and the joy of building it, vs. having a scarcity mindset and trying to work out where your next paycheck is coming from.
- What will you do to research your product and ensure there is a really great reason for it to exist?
- What excites you about building this business? How will you ensure that you stay with this excitement? This might mean that you find partners who complement your skills so that you can focus on what you love. It might mean that you build it slowly, one product at a time so that you can build a core audience... What will it take for you to stay in the mindset of creation?
Is there anything else you'd like to share?
Building a business, for me, is a little like an expansion of who I am. I chose to do it as a side project at first so that I could truly enjoy the process and not be dependent on it. For me, this has meant that everything I do, I do because I believe it will help our audience, whether they are a customer or not. This has allowed me to build from the heart, and as I move towards becoming more financially dependent on it, I feel 100% certain that it is sustainable.
We don't have to drop everything and build! There are lots of different ways to be a business owner. What's yours?
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.groupcoachinghq.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/group_coaching_hq/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/GroupCoachingHQ
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/groupcoachinghq/
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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