I’ve learned from talking to coaches and business owners, and also reflecting on my own experiences, that the biggest obstacle to growing a business is the founder.

Our beliefs and values, without proper examination, can stop us from making the best decisions for our businesses.

In this conversation with Dirk Bischof I learn about how his passion for stories and his drive to understand himself have helped him grow as an entrepreneur.

In particular I found fascinating the tension between his need for freedom and his need to create more impact.

In order to grow his impact he needed to grow his team, but in order to work as an effective team he needed to create structure.

But Dirk hated structure. He’d always run away from it. Sticking with that belief would have limited his ability to create more impact. However he discovered that structure can also create freedom.

Through self-reflection and questioning we discover the beliefs that are getting in the way. By learning to accept and reframe them we avoid creating inner conflict that stops us from making the impact we want.

For many entrepreneurs the idea of looking inwards sounds self indulgent and a waste of time.

However, when things get really tough and you need to make some big decisions knowing more about yourself will help you overcome those challenges more effortlessly.