Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in business development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Rocío Neira, CEO of Net Coaching, located in La Molina, Lima, Peru.

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

Net coaching has come to enhance the experience and effectiveness of coaching to improve our skills and results, thanks to the use of technology. We have specialized in the development of soft skills by applying innovative technologies, like the automation of coaching and mentoring processes and the development of a virtual campus for training and tracking the results. A multidisciplinary group of professionals from different Latam countries—Peru, Mexico, Colombia, and Venezuela, among others—oversees the delivery of those services.

Regarding our customers, we have two differentiated segments:
For businesses: We offer customized solutions that are oriented to improve performance and profitability, their skills and leadership, and reduce the cost of training, among other business goals. Those services can be delivered through programs, workshops, coaching and mentoring processes, etc.

For coaches: We offer information technology services that facilitate and enhance the delivery of their services, but most importantly, we offer to work with them as a community to develop new offerings for businesses and people.

Tell us about yourself

There were several factors that influenced the decision to start net coaching:

I am a systems engineer, PMP, and scrum master. I have more than 20 years of experience in the IT industry, most of it managing projects for big companies and working with people from different countries. I have led the systems development area of a bank in Peru and became AVP of the membership area of the Los Angeles PMI chapter, where I received recognition for my work. All these gave me the confidence to motivate coaches in several countries in Latin America to go through digital transformation.

Other experiences that influenced me took place when I was taking my coaching course. In the beginning, I realized the power of coaching to improve our quality of life and reach our goals, and after almost finishing my course, I became aware that I could do positive things by helping people face their daily challenges by integrating my knowledge and experience in IT with coaching. But the experiences that have sculpted my character the most have been the problems I have had to overcome in my personal life, which has helped me to be the resilient person I am today. In this aspect, coaching has also helped me face and manage them with more optimism and temperance.

What motivates me every day? Taking one step at a time and getting closer to what I envisioned one day for my business and for my life, and, even more, seeing the positive results that our services provide to our clients.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

There are two things that I value the most: the first is that I have a great team of coaches that back me up; they are certified, have many years of experience, and have specialized in different areas, including in the corporate world. And the second one is that I got to develop a platform that can effectively support coaches' activities, and most importantly, we are co-creating innovative services, like the Program of Soft Skills for Integrative Leaders. Now, we are preparing new programs oriented toward program managers and engineering students.

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

One of the hardest things that business owners must face is uncertainty; you have no way of knowing if the decision you’re making is going to turn out the results that you hope. So, you need to be very resilient and try new things without losing sight of your purpose. I realized that during the pandemic and the storm of online transmissions, people started to get bored of it, and coaches found it harder to offer their usual workshops and courses.

At that moment, I decided to propose to them that we develop something unique thanks to the contributions of all of them, and we did it. Two weeks ago, we finished the delivery of our first program with excellent results. The next step is to customize that program for segments of the market, like project managers and engineering students.

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

There are three tips that have worked out for me and that I would like to share:

  1. Perseverance: I think it is the most important. Not all businesses grow at the same pace, and most of them gain notoriety 2 or 3 years later. Of course, there are some exceptions, and you need to be very resilient and perseverant.
  2. Holistic and adaptability: You need to have a holistic view of things and be aware of how your industry and the market change. Nowadays, everything changes extremely fast, and you need to adapt yourself and your business to those changes in no time.
  3. Critical thinking: It is a must that you develop critical thinking and be able to make innovative proposals that not even the "big ones" in your industry have dared.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://netcoaching.services/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/netcoachingoficial
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/net.coaching/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RocioNeiraF

LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/net-coaching-oficial/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rocioneira/

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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