Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in training and development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Ian Townley, Co-Founder of Next Practices, located in London, UK.

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

Next Practices analyses learning application priorities and designs learning programs to overcome the barriers that can reduce the effect of learning in the workplace: learning design and application of learning to create the expected outcomes of learning interventions.

Tell us about yourself

I started out as a language teacher in Japan more than 20 years ago. From there, I moved into the corporate training world, working with some of the most recognized companies in Japan. However, I became frustrated that I would run into the same people with the same clients time and again, only to find that they hadn't used the skills and knowledge learned. When I moved back to the UK, I wanted to find a way to overcome that frustration, so I took a year out to analyze all the available academic literature. I discovered the concept of learning transfer and combined what I learned with my own experience to come up with a unique model to adapt the design of learning into the design of learning for application, and thus Next Practices was born.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Being recognized. Most business owners look for revenue first, and although this is, of course, super important, the satisfaction of being asked to speak at major conferences like ATD ICE and others is a sure sign of industry recognition and appreciation for your work. I'll be speaking live again next spring in San Diego for ATD ICE.

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

When you have a novel or new idea that is somewhat disruptive, getting people to listen and take a chance on you and your ideas is the biggest challenge an innovator faces. The key is to try to demonstrate your worth, build on that, make some small gains and then showcase what you have done to elevate your credibility.

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

I would say that the following are essential:

  1. Believe in yourself - if you are sure that you are adding worth to the market, then the market will listen: where there is a gap, there is an opportunity.
  2. Don't be afraid to try - literally, do something and don't procrastinate on an idea or think it has to be perfect before you do something: the best feedback always comes from clients.
  3. Where possible, carry yourself financially - know how you can survive and what you can accept without asking for funding: own your ideas, and don't let others drive the project just because they are financially invested.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://practicaltrainingtransfer.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ian-townley-next-practices/

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.