There’s something about finding a deeper purpose that sticks with you wherever you go. Regardless of the path that you choose to pursue, once you’ve had a taste of what it’s like to do things because of a more profound meaning, you carry that with you.
Harry Sahi is a former United Nations HeForShe Ambassador and two times TEDx Speaker who has become an award-winning entrepreneur that has built three successful, 7-figure businesses. As a HeForShe Ambassador, Harry helped fight for gender equality across the world. As an entrepreneur, he helps people solve daily problems by providing them with ingenious and effective solutions.
In his evolution as a purpose-driven entrepreneur, Harry, two years ago decided to enter the world of business coaching. He knew he had the solution to most business owners’ problems and wanted to share that with as many people as he can.
I recently got to interview him for my Purpose and Passion in Harmony series, which gives purpose-driven entrepreneurs who have something unique to offer a chance to shine. The goal is to inspire others who wish to build purpose-centric businesses to find the drive to just go for it. It is my hope that these articles create a positive impact on the lives of readers all over the world.
What inspired you to be an entrepreneur?
First thing–if you only want to make money, please don’t be an entrepreneur. There are many other ways to make money. Now to answer your question about entrepreneurial inspiration: money never excites me. It’s the adrenaline rush which I get when I solve tough problems and there’s nothing better than when you solve real problems that people face on a day to day basis. The sort of happiness and the sense of satisfaction that you get when you solve people’s problems cannot be expressed in words.
I have built three successful businesses (a cleaning business, design firm and travel business) over the past seven years and it’s been slightly over two years that I have been working on coaching people on how to start and scale a business. The thing which inspires me on a daily basis is interacting with diverse individuals from all over the world, listening to their challenges and helping them think through different possibilities of doing the same thing while delivering measurable results.
How are you making a positive difference in the world?
By helping others learn and execute the same skill set in a business that I learned over the past seven years through my business coaching program. I am also working with a charity organization in Kenya where we continuously donate a certain percentage of our profits for their mission driven projects.
What has been the greatest positive impact you have seen your clients’ or customers’ faces from working directly with you?
Sense of satisfaction on their face with positive results. I think it matters a lot when you are coaching people one-on-one, to always have face interactions. It just helps them understand better and craft go-to market strategies according to their specific products or services. You cannot just record a webinar and expect that it will serve the same value to everyone. One of my clients has successfully sold 10,000 masks to one of the country’s biggest public transport companies.
What does a purpose-driven business mean to you?
It means providing value to others and creating a positive impact in the society. It is very important to have a purpose in any business. Your business needs to be driven by a strong mission statement and be out there to solve some of the toughest problems. Making money should not be the sole purpose of creating a business. When an organization is purpose driven, it can go above and beyond to serve their clients and meet their expectations.
How did you pivot your business during the pandemic?
Online is the new norm! It was hard for the first few weeks but I ended up developing systems which helped me to take the overall coaching program from in person meetings to online, completely. It has helped me to widen up the clientele base as well. Before pivoting online, I was thinking people may not spend money to learn new skills and launch new businesses because they may not have money or have lost their jobs. But I was completely wrong. I haven’t seen a growth like this in my coaching business in the past two years.
What are your top 5 tips to scale a business or use social media to attract new clients?
Top 5 tips to scale a business or use social media to attract new clients:
- Be authentic and original
- Tap into B2B market and work on organic or referral marketing
- Use social media with a human thought and develop genuine connections
- Post consistently on social media as it helps to develop your personal brand
- Provide a sample of your value in the first week to a potential client with limited/less fee (because results speak louder than words).
Where can people learn more?
If you want to work with me or learn more about my one-on-one coaching program, feel free to send me a DM on Instagram. My instagram handle is @imharrysahi.