This interview was conducted with top Management Coach Andrew Rondeau.
For more information on Andrew click here Andrew Rondeau: Tell me about your own personal experience of setting up your own company and how you managed the transition from working for large Corporates to working for yourself? Damien Senn: I remember with great amusement my first day of work in the corporate world after lining up a graduate position at one of the world’s leading accountancy firms. I went into the office wearing one of my Dad’s suits. Although it was beautifully cut, I found that it just didn’t quite fit me and I secretly hoped that none of my co-workers would notice. I did my best to ignore the slight over-sizing. Before I knew it I had received my first pay check and was in a position where I could actually afford to go out and buy a suit of my own. Just like with my Dad’s suit, I knew immediately that I didn’t fit into the corporate world either. I was far more entrepreneurial in nature and had real trouble taking orders from others, particularly managers I didn’t respect. Despite this awareness I spent nearly 8 years of my life gritting it out and trying to fit into a world that I knew I didn’t belong in. Over that time I had the good fortune of working for some of the most prestigious companies in the world and my experience of work in each of the environments was effectively the same. In the end my transition was a swift one. At the age of 28, I finally decided that life was to short to be working for anyone else and from that moment on, I made the personal commitment to follow in the direction of things that inspired me. And I have to say it has been quite a magical journey ever since! Andrew Rondeau: Today, what does your company offer and what is it that sets yours apart from the rest? Damien Senn: Today I specialise in helping self employed professionals and entrepreneurs use the power of the internet to grow their businesses. I am able to draw on my diverse range of business experience both on and offline to guide people in direction of the things that bring them most alive. My work combines the disciplines of coaching, consulting and project management. I am also increasingly sharing my knowledge, experience and expertise through public speaking and training. Later on this year I will also be running my first retreat with a couple of close friends Davide De Angelis and Steve Nobel. We have created the retreat to help people explore the incredible possibilities that live inside of them and will be particularly useful for entrepreneurially minded people who are just starting out on their own. To find out more information see www.discoveryourflow.com
Andrew Rondeau: How is the Internet different now, as opposed to when you first got started online?
Damien Senn: The internet has evolved massively since I first started online.
One of the most exciting recent developments is the whole web 2.0 and social networking phenomena. Web Developers are really are building some quite extraordinary tools these days to help people connect on the internet whether it be for business or pleasure. In terms of my own work one of the real challenges and joys that I experience is constantly staying to be on the edge of all the latest developments in the web world. One thing that I managed to work out quite early on in my web journey was the danger of trying to go it alone. The web is so vast that this task would be literally impossible to do. This was one of the main reasons I set up a monthly internet entrepreneurs networking club in London called Web Wednesdays. It’s a great way for people to keep abreast with all the latest changes on an ongoing basis. www.webwednesdays.com
Andrew Rondeau: What motivates you to do the work that you do?
Damien Senn: I must admit I am totally inspired by people who are out there in the world trying to bring their ideas to life and make their dreams a reality, whether on or offline. I feel very fortunate to do the work that I do because I get to witness my clients completely come alive to their own possibilities. Andrew Rondeau: How important has goal setting been to your overall success? Damien Senn: I am a big believer that there is a time a place for goal setting and planning, but strangely enough I actually believe that it can hold you back when you are starting up a business. I come across so many start-up entrepreneurs that spend so much time and effort trying to write a business plan that they never actually get started! Business for me is much more of a creative endeavour than a science, particularly in the start up phase. Rather than setting goals from the outset of starting a business, what I believe most people would be much better off doing is actually using that time to discover what it is they are really good and what they feel inspired by. By merging these two ingredients together and then by experimenting playfully in their chosen marketplace they will soon discover whether their business ideas have any legs or not. Once they have discovered that there is a market for their products/services then that’s the time to start implementing the more linear processes of goal setting, planning, process mapping and systems creation. Andrew Rondeau: What attributes do you believe have helped make you a success? Damien Senn: Probably the key personality traits that have really helped me become successful at what I do is my determination. I am an incredibly strong willed individual and once I set my mind on something I can’t bear the thought of not achieving it.
Two other characteristics that I believe are paramount to my success is the willingness to take risks as well as a willingness to make mistakes. Mistake making in business really is the fuel of champions because it provides such incredible opportunities for deep learning. If you could recommend one book that would inspire others to start their own business, what would it be? I’d probably have to say Richard Branson’s autobiography ‘Losing my Virginity’. The book is so rich with personal experience and anecdotes that it is far better than any novel that you could hope to read. Andrew Rondeau: Which person has influenced you the most in your lifetime, and how? Damien Senn: I’d have to say that the most influential person of my life time would definitely have to be my Dad. He equipped with so many incredible life skills that it is hard to imagine where I would be in life without his guidance and support. I dearly hope that if I ever become a parent that I can emulate the special gifts that both of my parents have given me. Andrew Rondeau: If you could pass on one piece of advice, what would it be? Damien Senn: The best advice I could give to anyone is to understand that the real currency of your life is time. I spent a good portion of my life in the corporate world thinking that money is the coin of life. It isn’t. I was getting paid obscene amounts of money to spend 60-80 hours of my life each week doing things that bought me very little joy. I really felt like I had to learn this lesson the hard way. I think most people would be much better off if they connected with the things that bring them totally alive and then find ways of getting people to pay them you well for doing those things. I guess in a nutshell, you can always make more money. The one thing you can’t do is bring back time. So make every second count. | 