From Corporate Leader to Coach
The Bold Leap from Corporate to Coaching – A Conversation with Mark Wormgoor
Introduction: A Journey of Courage and Alignment
Every coach has a story, and Mark Wormgoor's journey from corporate leadership to entrepreneurship is as inspiring as it is instructive. After nearly three decades in tech and IT, Mark faced the pivotal realization that his "dream job" wasn’t aligned with his true purpose.
Instead of staying in a role that no longer fulfilled him, Mark made the bold choice to leap into entrepreneurship and, ultimately, coaching. In this blog, we’ll unpack Mark’s transition, the challenges he faced, and the powerful insights he offers to aspiring coaches.
Discovering the Call to Coaching
Mark’s career began with a vision—an endpoint he assumed would bring lasting satisfaction. However, by the time he was 40, he had already achieved that vision, only to find the role repetitive and unfulfilling. After interviewing for another high-profile role, he realized, “I don’t want to work for someone else for another three to five years. I just can’t do it.”
This pivotal moment set Mark on a path toward entrepreneurship. While initially focused on consulting, his passion for coaching leaders in tech emerged after working with Dan Martel, whose mentorship gave Mark a new perspective on how to empower others.
The Challenges of Transitioning to Entrepreneurship
Mark admits he underestimated the complexities of entrepreneurship. Despite his deep expertise in corporate strategy, operations, and finance, he encountered a steep learning curve, especially with marketing. “I thought my corporate experience would make starting a business easy. It didn’t,” he shared. His first startup venture didn’t turn a profit, but it taught him invaluable lessons about persistence and adaptability.
Finding a Niche: The Maverick CTO
Over time, Mark honed in on his passion for supporting leaders in technology—a group he understands deeply from his own career. His philosophy centers on encouraging tech leaders to be bold, visionary, and socially adept—a concept he’s branded as The Maverick CTO. This clarity not only reinvigorated his work but also created a cohesive framework for his coaching, speaking engagements, and content creation.
Mark’s advice for coaches seeking alignment? Find your niche. “Having a specific audience makes your marketing easier and your lessons more impactful,” he explained.
Overcoming the Myths About Coaching
One of the biggest misconceptions Mark faced—and sees other coaches struggle with—is the idea that coaching success happens overnight. He emphasizes the importance of patience, training, and validation. “Talk to 50 people in your niche,” he advises. “Ask them about their challenges and validate your ideas. It’s a quick way to ensure there’s a market for your services.”
The Three Keys to Being a Great Coach
When asked what makes a coach stand out, Mark shared three key principles:
Make It About Them – Leave your ego at the door. Coaching is about the client, their challenges, and their growth—not about showcasing your expertise.
Cultivate Genuine Care – Build trust by genuinely caring for your clients. Without trust, coaching relationships can’t flourish.
Commit to Growth – Continuously refine your skills. Whether through formal training or working with your own coach, stay committed to your development.
Building a Coaching Legacy
Mark’s journey is a powerful reminder that clarity and alignment often emerge after taking action. His concept of The Maverick CTO not only encapsulates his unique philosophy but also sets a strong foundation for his long-term impact. While he’s still contemplating a book, Mark has already started sharing his wisdom through speaking engagements, social media, and mentoring other leaders.
Final Thoughts
For those considering a leap into coaching, Mark’s story illustrates the importance of courage, resilience, and a willingness to grow. Whether you’re navigating a career change, seeking your niche, or refining your craft, his journey serves as a guide to building a fulfilling coaching practice that aligns with your values.
Connect with Mark
📸 Instagram: https://instagram.com/markwormgoor
💼 LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/mwormgoor
🌐Website:https://markwormgoor.com/
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Chapter list
00:00 Mark's Journey from Corporate to Coaching
01:13 Introducing Mark Wormgoor
05:02 Navigating the Challenges of Entrepreneurship
09:25 Finding Your Niche in Coaching
14:21 Advice for Aspiring Coaches
18:58 Key Principles for Effective Coaching
Full Transcript
Amanda Kaufman (00:00)
I had this end vision for my career. this is the job that I wanted. And somehow I got that job after four or five years, it got very repetitive. wanted to move on. wasn't sure what I was going to do.
found my dream job, And then I had the interview and I was driving back home. And then I thought, this is not what I want. I don't want to work for this guy. I don't want to work for someone else for another three or five years. just, I can't do it. And that's when I decided I'm not going to do it.
Well, hello and welcome back to the Amanda Kaufman show. I'm so excited to keep going with our segment on coaches that don't suck. And my friend Mark here is going to be sharing with us some of his insights over the years. And we're going to be talking about how to get some awesome clients, how to show up as an amazing coach and a bunch of other things. Mark, welcome to the show. Thank you. And thanks for having me.
Yeah, awesome. So Mark, like, do you want just taking 30 seconds and giving us a little bit of your background and what has you interested in talking about coaching today? Sure. Very quick intro. I'm based in the Netherlands, Europe. So my background, I have a background in tech, in IT. I had a long corporate background, about 28 years in technology so far. corporate leadership roles, consulting, all of that.
Four years ago, 2020 decided to go into entrepreneurship and actually be my own boss instead of working the job. So that's how I started. I started building a company and actually I did a coaching training back in 2020. Never had the intention of being a coach until I started working with Dan Martel who I really love. And he gave me a very different perspective on coaching. And that's when I thought I could do a similar thing.
can do what he does, but very specific to leaders in tech and IT. And that's my niche. I love that. I love that. And I have huge respect and deep admiration for Dan as well. That's how we met was being in his coaching program. I'm really excited about coaching and I have been for over eight years.
So I'm really curious, like what did spark your desire to be an entrepreneur? mean, 28 years in corporate 28 years is no joke. Like that's quite an awesome career, especially in the tech space that changes so quickly, so fast. What was it about entrepreneurship that drew you out to that? So yeah, it's a couple of things. So first I had this career.
And somewhere I had this a while ago when I was in my thirties, I had this end vision for my career. When I was going to be in my fifties, this is the job that I wanted. And somehow when I was only 40 years old, I got that job by luck, by surprise. and, well, anyway, that happens when I finished that job after four or five years, it got very repetitive. wanted to move on. wasn't sure what I was going to do. So as I was figuring that out, spoke to recruiters, I did some interviews, actually.
found my dream job, which was based in America, by the way. I was going to do that. And then I had the interview and I was driving back home. And then I thought, this is not what I want. I don't want to work for this guy. I that was a nice guy. So don't get me wrong. I don't want to work for someone else for another three or five years. just, I can't do it. And that's when I decided I'm not going to do it. I'm going to go out, do it on my own, take a chance, and see what that brings me. Well, and here you are. You know, you're four years later.
And I have to say it takes so much courage and I really want to just celebrate you really for that to have so much opportunity and to get aligned enough in your intuition to be able to say, that would be an achievement, but it wouldn't be in alignment. like that, that takes a lot of courage. I'm curious, like when you made that choice, that decision, it affect anybody else? Like, did you have a family that you had to break the news to or anything like that?
So one of the reasons that it's actually possible, I have two daughters, they're currently 21, 23. So at that point, they were sort of around their high school graduation and moving on to college university. That made it easier to make that decision because they relied less on me. They were sort of set, or at least that's what it felt like. And I didn't have all the responsibility that I had before then when I still had to take care of them financially, as well as in other ways.
that sort of fell away and that made it easier to make the decision and that contributed as well. Yeah, I can completely appreciate that. You know, I think a lot of people when they're wanting to make the leap into entrepreneurship, they underestimate the financial investment that's required no matter what kind of business you do. You know, I know I had that ignorance when I was moving out of
And I am calling it ignorance, by the way. When I was moving out of corporate America and I was like, I want to have the time freedom. I want to have the financial freedom. I want to have this. want to have that. That desire is outstanding and amazing. And you also have a lifestyle. So it's really important to really think about what are your lifestyle requirements? What education do you need to get? You you you went ahead and got a certification. I did the same thing.
But like what else do need to know to get to cashflow positive as soon as possible? Because we're entrepreneurs, right? Like we're providing coaching services, but we're entrepreneurs. So I'm curious, like, did you, did you feel, did you have like a mentor right away or how did you figure out what you needed to know to become successful as an entrepreneur? It's, it's been a very difficult journey. I underestimated it. Was difficult than you expected? Absolutely.
So I thought I did a couple of different things over the years as well. So I did a startup and I was absolutely sure that with my experience in corporate, I could make a startup work in three to six months. could get it cashflow positive. Didn't happen. So that entire startup never made any money. spent lots of time. I spent lots of time learning. So it was an incredible lesson. Made no money. So I did some interim consulting after that. And of course that pays the bills, which really helps.
And then went back to full-time working on a company. And still it's really hard because I have a corporate background. know so much about finance, about HR, about delivery, about tech, about operations. That's all the stuff that I know really well. Still the marketing has been an incredible journey. And I think that's, that is hard. And it's hard to learn when you're new to it. And that's, that's what I struggled with very much in the beginning.
Yeah, gosh, you know, that makes so much sense. And I appreciate you just sharing that and being really open about that. Because I think the marketing is a it's such a big topic, isn't it? Like, there's just so many ways that you can go about doing it successfully and a lot more where you can be unsuccessful with marketing.
And like learning to have that patience for building the skill sets that are required. I totally resonate with what you're saying about, Hey, I have all this year in all these years in corporate America experience. was a strategy consultant for goodness sake. Like he would think that I'd be able to just like walk out of that arena and into entrepreneurship and bada bing, bada boom, but not quite.
So, so Mark, before we were live here with the interview, you were sharing with me that you found a niche in technology leaders. Do mind telling me a little bit about how you, how you discovered your specialty and what you wanted to double down on?
And then yes, that's been it's also been a very interesting journey. So when I when I was still in my corporate career, I would often have people come out to me and say, Mark, I have a challenge in my career or with my work. Can you give me some advice? And I just loved giving that advice. And it was either they had given performance feedback, they were struggling with a stakeholder over the project. And I love doing that. And that's why after I left my career, I decided I want to do a coaching training.
so I did a coaching training here in the Netherlands. It's a ICF, the coach federation certified training that I did here. And that centers very much around the coach is there as a tool for the coachee. So as a coach, you don't bring input. don't do mentoring. Mentoring is very different from coaching. And as a, as your coach, you're there to ask the questions, to help them with the challenge and help them find the solution within themselves for the challenge that they're dealing with. And I love that approach, but that's not me.
so after that whole training, decided that's not what I want to do. and, then I went on and I did more consulting and I actually have a, I also have a software development company. And then we started, I joined Dan Martel's group last year. And that was very different because Dan Martel, as you know, he does a lot of mentoring and actually he does a lot of mentoring. He shares a lot of his own experiences, his life lessons. And I love that about him. I'm not Dan by any means, but I do have a long history in tech.
And that's really what I want to share with people. Why? Well, I love tech, first of all, and after 30 years, I think I have some experience. also have 15 years of leadership you do too. Thank you. I also have 15 years of leadership experience in tech. And I think that's hard because you see a lot of people in technology that know everything about the tech side of it, but don't necessarily understand the social skills that come with it, the leadership skills, how to hire, how to build the team, how to...
It's your stakeholders, your boss, and there's a lot more that comes to leadership in tech than technology, AI or programming or whatever. And that's the part that I absolutely love. Yeah, that's so good. You know, it sounds like you really got tuned into what makes what what lights you up and what you really enjoy doing. But you're also matching that. And this is this dear listener is something that a lot of coaches do not do very well at first. But you matched it.
with the needs and the requirements of your target audience. And that right there is the secret of being able to unlock marketing, being able to unlock the sales conversation. It's really like, almost think of relationships as being represented by Venn diagrams. And we're looking for that overlap between what your genius is and what is it that they need.
And it's not necessarily having judgment for, know, you're a techie guy. So you're not, you're socially awkward judgment, judgment, judgment. It's more like, wait, you want to nail that promotion? You want to get that promotion? Hmm. Okay. So what else do we need to add to your skillset so that that promotion is a for sure thing and you get there faster with better quality or to avoid a lot of costs. So well done. That is really, really awesome. So Mark, like if you were to.
offer advice to somebody who was maybe doing a career change, seeking their alignment. Maybe they're starting the third chapter, their kids are, are gone and that, but they're not ready to retire and they're thinking about doing coaching. Like, what would you say is your top piece of advice if they're considering it?
So I do think a training helps. It doesn't have to be ICF, right, or anything like that. But it really helped me to learn how to ask questions, how to ask the right questions. it helped me grow my conversational skills as a coach. And a lot of those very powerful questions, I now have a large tool set with a lot of very powerful questions that I can ask in a coaching interview. So that always helps, or at least it helped me. I was really
good part of the training that I had was we had a lot of supervised mentoring, so our supervised coaching. So we did like a small group coaching and it was completely supervised and it was always someone there to give us feedback, to give us advice and like how could we do better in our coaching? And that was incredible. So I would say always start with doing a proper training around all of the tools and techniques that you can use as you coach to help someone else.
Yeah, so I'd say that's an absolute start. Second, figure out your niche. You have a lot of people that just want to be a coach. I think it's really more powerful if you have a very specific niche of people that you focus on, like entrepreneurs like between half a million and two million or something like that, anything like that. Or dads, I don't know. But I think have a very specific niche that you focus on.
focus on that makes your marketing easier, it makes your targeting easier, but also it makes your your own lessons that you can share easier to share. I really love that. I and I agree. I'm a coach of coaches and I specialize in coaches that are going after their first six figures. Usually. I think one of the things that I've learned kind of thinking about about those lessons is that
Just because you have a niche doesn't mean that you can't take the odd client that, you know, falls outside of it because you have great rapport and all of that kind of thing. Like I totally get the idea of being very coachy and, you being able to pull it in. But you're right. Like having a target audience, that's a real validated audience.
you know, I think one thing that a lot of coaches do, I know I was guilty of this too, is we get really introverted and we get into our head and we get into our journaling and all of those kinds of things. We get very hypothetical about how the real world is. And when you can be like, no, like there's a literal group, there's the community of people that are hanging out together and they all have this stuff in common. I want to serve that group and I want to serve that group with the thing they want to do.
Right. And when you get that kind of clarity, you're right. Like the messaging is so much easier. Your methodologies get so much clearer. You know, it's I guess it's just not enough to just be coachy. one of the pieces of advice there, this is more from the startup world and somebody that I recently spoke to that was really in sales said this to me as well. So if you're thinking about coaching and you have that specific group in mind, reach out to 50 people that you know, 50 people on LinkedIn, even
random people on LinkedIn that are in that niche, send them a message, say, I'm thinking about going into coaching. This is my idea. Can I just get 15 minutes of your time and just validate it? That's something you'd be interested in. It's going to take you a week to do. Speak to 50 people and you will know for sure if either the niche is there, get your first five or 10 clients. Maybe don't, but at least you will have validated. And that's a very quick and easy exercise that you can.
Yeah, that's, that's such a powerful one. And I know a lot of coaches, sometimes they, they're like, I don't want to tell them. I don't want to tell everybody what I'm doing until I'm successful. And I'm like, you gotta tell people so you can be successful. Right. And like that, that's kind of the hard part. so good. So Mark, like, where are you headed? Where are you going to do next? What are you excited about?
So I'm, yeah, let me start with where I started. So when I started coaching and I've been doing coaching of technology leaders for actually a while, just before the summer, I had an idea that really gave me a lot of energy and it really resonated with me. I call it the Maverick CTO. And for me, it's leaders in technology. I love the word Maverick and somehow everything that I want to share with leaders in tech just come back in the one word. I think people,
leaders in technology, I believe that they should be bold visionary leaders, right? Not just leaders that are there with their laptop and do their development, but actually have a, be bold, have a vision. And that's what I really want to do and want to share. And that's also what I make part of my coaching now with everyone that I work with. And I just love the whole concept. It's given me energy ever since it came to mind just before the summer. I love that. And I think it's that concept.
that really stuck with me and that's what I want to share. And now I get on podcasts and talk about it. I do a lot of content on Instagram and LinkedIn as well to talk about it. I get on stages. I have an event for CTOs here in Amsterdam Thursday, this coming Thursday. I'm going to be on a CIO panel in three weeks. And I just love getting on stages talking about this stuff and yeah, just sharing what I believe in my vision for tech leaders.
you are living the literal dream of a coach because I was actually thinking about this just the other day, how important it is for a coach that wants longevity to have a core philosophy. And it sounds like you've discovered that. And what's really cool about your story in discovering your core philosophy is that you let yourself help people in the meantime.
You've been working, you said yourself, you've been working with technology leaders for a long time, but it wasn't until this summer that you got the epiphany of this core philosophy that you can get behind. And now you've got speaking. Do you have a book in there? Are you going to do a book? I don't know yet. so somebody asked me this recently and I've actually, so I've already started putting a lot of the stuff that I learned and that I share in a big notion site. it's not, it's nowhere near, but it's already,
I know it's already started to come together, but all the ideas, it's something that I already share. So if anyone is interested, they can reach out to me on LinkedIn or Instagram and just send me DMs, say CTO Compass, for example. And that's a start and I already have the title. If it ever is gonna be a book, it's gonna be called the CTO Compass. Yeah, so who knows? I don't know.
I think you got a book in there. think it's a matter of getting organized and doing it. Cause you know, like the hard part really is the core philosophy, right? Because you're, you're making a decision about what you're for. And you're also making a decision about what you're against. And that can be really scary, especially in the early days as a coach, because you kind of feel like all this scarcity of, I going to be able to find people who want to work with me? Am I going to be able to find, you know, enough business to make this thing?
really work. And the authentic truth is that the more clear and specific you can be about what your philosophy is, and then you can repeat that philosophy over and over and over again in your marketing and your conversations and your network, then the more people can choose you. And I had, had another guest recently ask the question. She said, would you rather have a hundred percent of 10 people or would you rather have 0 % of a thousand? And
you know, that specificity of what you stand for and against that's that's given you your perfect 10, you know. So good. So I love asking my guests this for this segment. What do you think are the three things that help a coach not to suck?
Okay, sure. So happy to answer. So I think first of all, I think and that's, think by far the most important coaching is 100 % about the other person. Right? So I think the most important thing that we can do as a coach is just like, we're not there. Check your ego when a coaching conversation starts, don't go there, don't get there. mean, that's, I'd say by far number one, and it's like, top out there.
So I'd say that's, that's, and I still see coaches that don't have that, that actually want to bring their ego and it doesn't work. You're there to help another person get better and get further in life or whatever it is that you do. So I'd say that's the first one. And the second one, and of course with that also truly caring about the other person. So I think actually having a personal interest and who's on the other side of that conversation is
just as important. you can't bring those two to the table, it's not going to work. So those two, and yeah, I think those are by far the most important ones. After that, get, yeah, like all the technologies, the tools that you can use, the questions to ask, like getting skilled. So make sure that you also have your own training, that you learn more, having a coach yourself. Right now, we're, I'm with Del Martel still, and I love him.
But who knows what I'm going to do next year. Maybe find somebody else to coach me. Cause I do believe also as coaches and I was actually saw that on your Instagram today and I love that as well. as coaches, also need coaches. mean, we should also follow what we preach. And right now for me, that's then I don't know what is going to be next year, but making sure that you also have someone to learn from and get better. So don't get stuck. Just make sure that you continuously get better as a coach over time.
I love it. love it. You know, the biggest thing that we offer as coaches is this capacity for people to have new perspective. And whether you agree with the philosophy that the coach is just the tool and they just ask questions and they never offer information or you don't. I think the thing that remains is this idea of the expansion of perspective. And it's so hard to have someone expand their perspective if they don't trust you.
And I totally agree with everything that you just said. know, like if you're not practicing what you preach, why would somebody trust you? If you don't like the person that you're coaching, why would they trust you? Right. And if you don't make the decisions that are ultimately in the highest service, then why would they trust you? And coaching is ultimately a relationship. Yeah. Super. Well, Mark, this has been fantastic. And I really want to just thank you so much for being here.
How can people follow you? What's the best way? Yeah, there's people on LinkedIn, Mark Wormboar on LinkedIn. You'll find me there on Instagram, Mark Wormboar as well. Follow me there. Follow me. Send me a message. Reach out. I'm happy to chat. Mark, I'm so glad that we connected. I can't wait to see what you do next. I'm eagerly awaiting your book.
And listener, hey, go ahead and share this episode with three of your coachy friends who are navigating that transition. There were some major, major nuggets of gold in this episode. And don't forget to subscribe so that you can catch the next one and leave us a five-star review because it helps the other coaches and entrepreneurs to find this episode more easily. Thank you so much for taking the 30 seconds to do those things and we will see you next time.
