“Motivational speeches with disco lights and dancing are not effective”: what type of coaching is useful for business?
There are hundreds and thousands of accounts on Instagram that promise to lead your business to success. Some people believe such claims, while others are more sceptical. Conte.ai Magazine decided to address this question, so we interviewed the CEO of CHOCOLATE ROJO CONSULTING, David Asensio García. He told us how to distinguish between a good and a bad coach and whether businessmen need to turn to them for help at all.
The identity crisis that gave rise to a business
David describes himself as a ‘happy wacko’ who once discovered that talking about brands and organising events were his favourite activities. Since then, he has devoted his life to these pleasurable pursuits. The СЕО is certain: he does not grow when unhappy – in such moments, he cannot approach problem-solving creatively.
“The CHOCOLATE ROJO CONSULTING company didn’t emerge on any one particular day,” the businessman shares. “I took the first steps towards creating the business about 5 years ago. At that time, I was facing an identity crisis because I was doing something I didn’t enjoy. I decided to quit the job that didn’t suit me and start doing what I loved – coaching. I wrote my first book on this topic 13 years ago. So you could say my coaching project is 13 years old.”
The unconventional startup name — CHOCOLATE ROJO (red chocolate) CONSULTING - Creative Boutique — was invented during a workshop in Pamplona. David was tasked with writing down a list of everything he liked and then using those words to make up interesting combinations. The list had 4 items: Messi, New York, chocolate, and red. He tried out different combinations, and eventually, the name was born. Sounds unusual, doesn’t it?
Now the company works in three key areas: publishing books and writing articles for magazines and newspapers, organising events, and business consulting.
David Asensio García
How coaching works: an inside look
As СЕО of the company, David does managerial work and provides consultations. The main thing the coach gives his clients is the tools to develop innovative thinking.
“I’ve always considered motivational speeches with disco lights and dancing an ineffective tool and have never implemented them in my work,” the entrepreneur explains his approach. “I rather give out ‘magic kicks’ and offer people a way of looking at their problems from a different angle. My goal is to show the client how important it is to be themself. Only when you understand who you are and why you do what you do can you start to create a business.”
The coach's key working tool is conversation. He listens to and tries to understand each client. People often do not realise their true desires, and an outside specialist can see what they do not notice themselves.
CHOCOLATE ROJO CONSULTING does not focus on any specific audience, but David does not work with those who want to blend in. The company gets requests from clients who want to make their business unique and thereby attract a new audience. They are people who have grown tired of the influence of trends from large corporations.
“The main problem our clients have is that many underestimate the importance of the unique ‘I’. However, at the same time, people are tired of seeing and hearing the same thing – they want to create something new. For example, I wear red glasses because I like them and not because Levi or Apple told me what to wear.”
Business training in a museum and the power of teamwork
The most memorable project the coach has worked on was a conference at the Raphael Museum. Raphael is a Spanish pop singer David adores. David gave a lecture on the interconnection between the singer’s life and creativity and the world of business. The feelings his talk inspired and the listeners’ reactions were unbelievable. The main advantage of David’s work is the opportunity to cooperate with people he respects and admires. The СЕО believes that working with those who inspire you is a benchmark of success.
David is not the only one working at the startup, yet neither does it have a staff. The СЕО invites freelancers, many of whom he has cooperated with for many years, to work with him on projects. According to him, this work principle demonstrates maximum effectiveness.
“I try to surround myself with professionals from various areas,” the businessman explains. “I partner with coaches, designers, copywriters, operators. Each of them is the best in their field. Besides, I only work with those who share my outlook. I turn to specialists when I need their help with a project. I also have an assistant – my right-hand man – who helps me search for and establish contact with freelancers.”
Over the years, the company has achieved considerable success. The coach is certain that creativity, which is a key to progress, has helped with that. Without this quality, business development and upscaling are impossible, as is building a personal brand.
“Without creativity, humankind wouldn’t be where we are today. We would still be warming ourselves by the fire in a cave. Without creativity, you cannot invent and construct something great. Of course, leadership skills and other personality traits are important to a businessman. However, the main quality of a good entrepreneur is still the ability to create something new, something different from anything else. For example, you’re reading a book, see an interesting idea there, and decide to improve on it – this is creativity. However, at the same time, you shouldn’t just dream ‘I’d do it like this and not like that' – you need to go out and do it.”
David at work
How to advertise a company through a personal brand
David has 2 blogs: on one, he writes about branding, and on the other, about personal growth. The team offered to connect them to Google Ads and promote them. Still, the CEO rejected this idea since his primary goal is to share interesting and useful information with people. His blog audience consists not just of followers but of friends. Besides, the entrepreneur has always been an advocate of organic growth.
The CEO uses social media, particularly Facebook, to promote the company. He likes this platform a lot as a tool for communicating with his audience.
“I like developing my brand on social media. I have fun and publish lots of different content on my Facebook account. I also like LinkedIn; you can find plenty of interesting business information there and establish contacts with potential clients. I use this social media platform for work and learning. I also have Twitter; it is beneficial for the business. But TikTok didn’t work out for us. Of course, I could hire an SMM specialist to manage the accounts. But for now, I enjoy preparing content and creating posts myself. We might add an SMM manager to our staff in the future.”
To promote his brand on social media as effectively as possible, the entrepreneur uses all available tools. He tracks the statistics using special services and analyses what works and what does not. It helps him adjust his content strategy, remove anything that is not bringing results, and add posts that will interest the audience. However, having fully entrusted their business profiles to Conte.ai’s experts, the entrepreneur is given the opportunity to strike a better work-life balance without the burden of social media hanging around his neck. Conte.ai will help David establish a strong presence across different social media platforms and stay on top of social media even when he is swamped with coaching and managerial activities.
A taste of David’s Instagram account feed
Confidence that makes life easier
David has both business experience and extensive experience in business coaching. At our request, the businessman analysed his years of work and summed up the secret of his success.
“When I realised that you need to believe in yourself and your product, despite all odds, it became much easier for me to live and work. This confidence makes it easier to grow and achieve results, even if someone doesn’t like your ideas. Don’t try to reach out to everyone; it is better to focus on your target audience. And another important thought: you need to look for creative solutions for each task, even the smallest one. Then, the results will exceed all expectations.
According to David, it is of primary importance for an entrepreneur to stay true to themself and be creative. It is essential to stand out from others – not because being unique is fashionable but because it helps you express yourself as an individual. You cannot become unique by pretending to be someone else and following trends.
