When Corporate Prestige Meets Solo Reality
Jim Fielding spent 30 years leading teams at Disney, Dreamworks, and the LA Clippers. Then he went solo — and had to learn QuickBooks from scratch.
Key Takeaways
- Corporate executives are the least prepared for solo practice. When you’ve had teams handling everything from scheduling to invoicing, doing it all yourself is a shock.
- Your network is your launchpad — but only if you activate it. Jim’s rolodex was full of powerful names, but turning contacts into clients required a completely different skill set.
- Systems aren’t optional, even for a solo coach. The coaches who build systems early — even simple ones — create the capacity to grow. The ones who don’t stay stuck doing everything manually.
Questions Explored
- What surprised you most about going from a corporate executive to a solo coach?
- How did you build systems as a one-person operation?
- What do corporate leaders get wrong about coaching as a career?
About Jim Fielding
Jim is an executive coach with 30 years of leadership experience at Disney, Dreamworks, and the LA Clippers. He now helps leaders navigate transitions and build authentic leadership practices.