Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in personal development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Kohei Yoshino, founder of Know Yourself Coaching and Consulting, located in Vancouver, BC, Canada.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
As a founder and principal coach for Know Yourself Coaching and Consulting, I provide life coaching and organizational development consulting to enable individuals and organizations to meet their true potential. Topics that I cover with my clients include purpose, vision, productivity, confidence, conflict management, and relationship management centered around the core values of vulnerability, authenticity, and balance. My mission is to enable individuals to develop skills and mindsets that would allow them to build a life filled with deep relationships and meaning.
Tell us about yourself
While I enjoyed working as a consultant and project manager in different industries, I felt that purpose was missing from my life. As I was committed to building a life filled with meaning (so that I could get out of bed excited like others who're living in alignment with purpose), I started reflecting on what has motivated me since I was a child. During this self-discovery process, I realized that I got super energized every time I enabled friends, co-workers, and family members to develop a life filled with love, purpose, and meaningful relationships by providing them with support in the forms of encouragement and evidence-based resources.
Learning is one of my biggest passions, and I'm always trying to find ways to help my clients better. I'm currently enrolled in a Ph.D. program in industrial and organizational psychology to support my clients further using evidence-based doctoral-level research.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
My biggest accomplishment to date is to have successfully helped every client build a life filled with deep relationships and meaning through the coaching and consulting program that I've created. Knowing that I positively impacted the clients I've worked with is really the biggest accomplishment.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
Among many challenges business owners face, I would say the hardest one is being consistent and patient in doing something that can be tedious and boring on a daily basis. Most of us entrepreneurs do not have a manager or supervisor who keeps us accountable for doing the tasks that we are not excited about. Nevertheless, I personally believe that it is these tedious tasks later become the foundation for the success of our business and help us to succeed ultimately.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Be Consistent and Persistent - Be consistent in putting in the work daily. Sometimes you don't see the results you want to see for a long time, but as long as you keep putting in the work, your efforts will eventually pay off. Remember to be patient and persistent.
- Prioritize Self-Care - Though it may be tempting to push yourself to the limit to get stuff done, please remember to slow down and take care of yourself whenever you feel like you need a rest. It may feel counterintuitive, but by slowing done and prioritizing self-care, you can be a lot more productive in the long run. Recovering from a burn-out takes a long time.
- Take Risks and Fail a Lot - Whenever you feel like you are too comfortable in the current state, try something new, take risks that you haven't taken before, and actively seek opportunities to fail (you may not fail after all!). Even if you fail, you can learn so much from this experience. In fact, the biggest lessons I've learned in my life are from the times I stepped into the scariest place and faced the fear of rejection and potential pain.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.knowyourselfconsulting.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/knowyourselfconsulting/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/koheiyoshino1/
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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