Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in coaching but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Bob Thames, founder of Pathways to Transformation LLC., located in Crossville, TN, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Pathways to Transformation is a coaching and consulting business that strives to help organizations and individuals to discover their authentic talents and walk alongside them to champion and encourage them to take action in alignment with that discovery. Change is inevitable and disruptive. Almost no one is eager to embrace change, but actually, that is precisely how we grow. We help define and provide accountability for the changes individuals wish to make in their lives.
Tell us about yourself
I spent over fifty years in the business world for companies like IBM, Digital Equipment, Arthur Andersen, KPMG, and SAS Institute. I have seen organizations and individuals struggle with change, and many technology projects fail because of a lack of readiness to accept change. I have also witnessed many individuals try valiantly to be someone other than their authentic selves. They feel they have to live up to someone else's expectation or explicit interpretation of a role. Coaching individuals to help them embody authenticity and strive for it brings me a great deal of fulfillment.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Being an objective listener and advocating for individuals who want to lift their performance in life to an entirely new level.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
Try as we may, some people are just not going to change, even if they see the reasons why they must. When an adventure turns to drudgery, business as usual keeps nudging us back into the comfort zone. Someone once said that nothing grows in the comfort zone!
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Know deeply who you are and why your talents are needed by others.
- Approach people who could use your talents with a servant's heart.
- Be prepared for surprises, detours, disappointments, joys, fulfillment, and heartache. It's part of the process.
Is there anything else you'd like to share?
Mahatma Gandhi once said, "Be the change you wish to see in the world." Taking the eye off ourselves and focusing on serving others can bring the greatest joy imaginable.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://pathwaystotransformation.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/robert.thames
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rcthames/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobthames/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solopreneur that you'd like to share, then email community@subkit.com; we'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
Feel inspired to start, run or grow your own subscription business? Check out subkit.com and learn how you can turn "one day" into day one.
