In an age riddled with business buzzwords and lauded entrepreneurial success stories, the transformation of a seasoned corporate executive into a solopreneur remains a narrative less frequently explored. We often see startup gurus who birth unicorns from garages or the high-performance culture of venture-backed innovators. The latter-day icon of the ‘solopreneur’ has typically been associated with the digital nomad, relentlessly carving their niche within a cramped coffeeshop or a coworking space that feels like home. But what about the executives who walk away from the C-suite to forge their path, unassisted by silicon valley visions or angel investors?

Casimiro Da Silva Santos also known as Coach Cas in the Industry, Founder and CEO of Bring the Best, ActionCOACH Sul Do Tejo is not just an average ‘solopreneur,’ avoiding the ordinary career pivot but he is a tale woven with the golden threads of reinvention, personal exploration, and an unbridled commitment to something more significant than just a profitable enterprise — it’s a commitment to purpose.

Casimiro’s path from being a seasoned executive in some of the world’s top blue-chip companies to a solopreneur running his coaching consultation service is both inspiring and enlightening. His academic prowess with an MSc in Chemical Engineering and an Executive MBA engineered a career in the water and process treatment market firms like Nalco, Ecolab, Kemira, and Buckman. There, his roles evolved from a sales engineer to a Global Program Manager and eventually a Commercial Director, traversing the globe from The Netherlands, South Africa, Italy and China, accumulating over a quarter-century of industry experience.

In 2022, Casimiro stepped away from the corporate ladder to dismantle the scarcity in people’s lives and build a brand based on the abundance he had learned, lived, and delivered. His company, Bring The Best/ActionCOACH Sul do Tejo, was born with a mission to share a profound wealth of experience aimed at creating abundance in the professional world.

Elevating the Business and Coaching Domain

Grounded in a vision to lead a coaching practice that is as authentic as it is impactful, Casimiro’s enterprise offers services spanning Business, Leadership, Executive, and Team Performance coaching. What sets his service apart from the sea of competitors is his deeply human approach. This is not just a coaching business; it is a beacon of empathy and authenticity where each client is guided through the turbulence of their professional endeavors with an unwavering, but compassionate, hand. The authenticity is further underscored by the rigorous accreditation from International Coach Federation (ICF) and European Mentoring And Coaching Council (EMCC), elevating the caliber of his service to a standard unmatched in conventional business coaching spheres.

The unique approach he incorporates stands at the cornerstones of mentoring, coaching, and consulting, allowing him to tailor his services with precision and compassion. This trifecta approach speaks from the depths of his corporate career experience, where he has weathered storms and celebrated triumphs that are now at the disposal of every client who seeks his guidance. He aims to touch the lives of 720 individuals within his niche domain by the year 2027, leaving an indelible imprint on each life he acquaints with his expertise.

Overcoming Industry Challenges and Planting Strategic Seeds

The domain of coaching, however, is not without its challenges. One of the prime hurdles he faces is the lack of regulation within the coaching community in Portugal. This absence calls into question the credibility of many self-proclaimed coaches and diminishes the value of in-person interaction and the insights it yields, compared with the burgeoning AI and coaching platforms. Although these seem daunting, they are merely catalysts fueling Casimiro’s strategic vision. His strategic seeds are sown through unwavering commitment and incremental yet profound steps towards his business goals.

A 5-year roadmap envisages a €250,000 business supported by 3 proficient coaches partnering alongside him, while the 3rd year looks to solidify the enterprise’s stature with these objectives. His long-term vision is palpably inspiring and ensures that every member is not only aware but vested in realizing the company’s overarching mission.

Leading with Strength and Style

The Make-or-Break element in any business is its leadership, and Casimiro embodies this with a rare mix of strength, expertise, and emotional intelligence. The brand identity he carries as an ActionCOACH franchise, coupled with his own distinguished background, creates a unique proposition. His empathetic approach to leadership is predicated on the belief that compassion embodies action far more effectively than any demonstration of vulnerability. This brand of leadership not only resonates with the team but is a fundamental reason that cascades down to other layers of the organization.

Product Strategy and the Customer Connection

For Casimiro, customer connection is not a strategy, but an ethos. He ensures the highest level of customer satisfaction by establishing a direct conduit with his clients, post-coaching. This feedback loop not only enhances the service provided but also drives strategic pivots within the company that are rooted in the response from the very people it serves. It is a testament to his commitment to customer value, where each interaction is an opportunity to refine and redefine the business’s direction and service delivery.

He says, “My empathy and ease of connecting with people and establishing trusting relationships are key to my business practice and ethics.”

Weathering the Storms

Every entrepreneur is well-versed with the storms that come their way. What sets Casimiro apart is his profound understanding of the dichotomy of risk-taking. The most significant risk he took was to believe in himself at a time when it seemed more comfortable to regress into the safety of a corporate role. Today, his venture not only stands as a testament to that belief but has become the fulcrum that supports many others to take the plunge in their own entrepreneurial quests.

Curating a Landscape for Growth

The entrepreneurial savannah is often noted for its potential for growth. For Casimiro, this growth is not just a numerical summation; it is a landscape that needs to be meticulously cultivated and curated. To ensure this, he subscribes to a regimen of reading, journaling, and planning rooted in the principles of Stoicism, a discipline that not only steers his path forward but solidifies the groundwork for an organization that has growth etched in its very core.

Inspiring the Next Generation

In the sprawling narrative of his business, what reverberates most profoundly is the advice he unreservedly shares for the aspiring businesspersons. It transcends the rhetoric of readiness; it underscores the power of action. His words echo a crystal-clear refrain; the right time is not something on a distant clock face of a looming future; it is now, in this very moment, to take that stride and begin the pursuit of entrepreneurial dreams.

In conclusion, Casimiro is not just the solopreneur who stepped into the world of coaching; he is the embodiment of transformation, a herald of change, and a guide walking the talk of prosperity and growth for individuals and businesses alike. His story is not just about an executive who became a solopreneur; it is a narrative of courage, resilience, and the relentless pursuit of abundance, a story that propels not just his business but the very essence of entrepreneurship itself.

For every entrepreneur out there, in the words of Casimiro, remember, “You will never be ready to start up, so instead of dwelling on when you should start, start!.” It is not just a call to action but a mandate for a thriving, entrepreneurial ecosystem that the world needs now more than ever.