Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in personal and business development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Brent Kedzierski, Founder of HumanWRKS, located in North Carolina, USA.

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

We help people bring the best of who they are to everything they do.

My customers are people who possess a growth mindset and want to build a personal brand that highlights their unique ability to contribute, add value, and grow their strengths. We help people to build a personal brand that is distinctive and relevant, highlights their abilities, and clarifies what they want out of work and life. Because most people don’t define themselves, they default to how the world defines them.

Tell us about yourself

I grew up in an industrial suburb of Pittsburgh and have always been inspired by the human condition at work. My journey has taken me across industries helping me tackle all the core challenges humans face at work. My last role, where I spent 22 years, was as Head of Learning Strategy and Innovation at Shell. People spend over 100,000 hours at work, and that represents a third of their time on earth. I want my legacy to be in helping people find the sweet spot where their passions and competence lie so they can be better engaged and fulfilled in taking charge of how they spend their personal and professional time.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Helping people find those significant emotional and intellectual ah-ha discoveries about themselves that they have been blind to for a variety of reasons has been my greatest motivator. Most people have been conditioned to only see their limitations based on prior circumstances and constraints. Seeing the satisfaction when people identify what they really want and being able to articulate what makes them distinctive, clear, and relevant is my way of giving back. Unfortunately, most people learn all this too late in life and don’t spend enough time bringing their best selves to everything they do.

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

I’ve been trained in the school of experience and have witnessed too many people become marginalized by their organizations or situations. Having the experience and insights that others may not in seeing success and failure and not being able to help them get out of their own way feel like a lost opportunity. The hardest thing is seeing people live in their own status quo when a better path for them to become their best selves is within their grasp.

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

You must separate yourself from the herd of choices by delivering a relevant product in distinctively engaging ways. Always lead with authenticity and credibility, and strive to create a relationship where people get value from knowing you. We live in a world of choices, and people need to be discerning in where they invest their time. My goal is always to leave them feeling that the experience was meaningful, and their time was well spent.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

Work is a key part of a person’s identity but only represents about one-eighth of who we are meant to be, even though it consumes one-third of our time. Too many people translate that one-third of the time spent at work to be 100% of who they are. Work should enrich the other dimensions of who people are and make them healthier and happier contributors to themselves as well as their families and communities. Work needs to enrich, not diminish people.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.humanwrks.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/humanwrks
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brentkedzierski/

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.

Turn your craft into recurring revenue with Subkit. Start your subscription offering in minutes and supercharge it with growth levers. Get early access here.