Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Tracey Grove, Owner of Pure Symmetry Coaching and Consulting, located in Redmond, WA, USA.

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

In a rapidly changing digital era, leaders must evolve to deliver a new experience for their customers and employees alike. Pure Symmetry Coaching and Consulting was founded with the mission to help people and organizations thrive in turbulent times.

We work with executives and leaders to improve organizational effectiveness to drive profitability, increase revenue growth and improve employee engagement. We work on crafting high performance through integrity, courage, and empathy, building resilience, honing leaders' ability to deal with and adapt to change, and helping their teams do the same.

Tell us about yourself

I am a high-performance executive coach specializing in leadership effectiveness. In non-jargon speak, I help leaders bring the best of themselves to their teams and their organizations. I leverage organizational psychology, neuroscience, cognitive behavioral, and positive psychology approaches to help my clients build self-awareness and break down patterns of behavior that no longer serve them or their employees. I also focus on stress management techniques to help leaders navigate through fear, improve employee engagement, and create cohesive, innovative, and agile teams that feel like family.

As a speaker and leadership development consultant, I focus on building resilience, both at the individual level and organizationally. I wrote my book, Taming the Sabertooth: Resilient Leadership in a Stressful World, to explain the concept of resilience in terms of communicating for clarity, challenging our assumptions, controlling the distractions we encounter every day, and committing to the practice of resilience by nurturing our recovery from stress. The book represents the culmination of 20 years of practice in working in corporations, consulting to organizations, and coaching individuals to deliver results.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

I have had the privilege to teach the skill of resilience to thousands in over twenty countries around the world. I have developed customized leadership development programs centered around the premise that consistent, systematic, programmatic habits and communication are needed to drive long-term behavioral change.

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

Entrepreneurship is not for the faint of heart! It takes courage to step away from the perceived security of a corporate job to run your own business, and in challenging times this risk can feel even more acute. It is a steep learning curve, with a multitude of details to consider that you may not have been aware of in your previous career. You have to learn how to manage every aspect of a business, not just the fun bits. But even in the difficult times, when you are frustrated, confused, or simply worn out, if you remember the reason you wanted to do this in the first place, you'll know that the dream is worth fighting for. It is exciting, exhilarating, and exhausting, all at the same time, making it worth taking the leap.

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

  1. Mine for the gold in your mistakes. It takes conscious effort to fix mistakes when they happen without being paralyzed by them. They often provide unforeseen insights, provided we take the time to really learn from them.
  2. Plans rarely match reality. Embracing the creativity that comes from not having things go the way you expect can help you to navigate through the setback and move to new beginnings. Looking at obstacles as opportunities to learn and grow makes it easier to overcome them.
  3. Challenge your inner critic. Overcoming fear and moving forward despite it is not for the faint of heart. But the rewards for doing so are immeasurable. Hope for the best but expect the worst. Anticipating setbacks, being prepared to address them, and learning from them when they do happen, builds a resilient mindset that is focused on action.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

Owning a business is the biggest challenge and reward you will experience, and surrounding yourself with supportive allies will help you to move forward in difficult times. Avoid the naysayers who will try to break you down, and spend time with those who are positive and encouraging while still keeping your feet on the ground.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.puresymmetry.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PureSymmetry
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/traceygrove/

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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