Meet the Founder of Customerse, Gary Searle

Gary Searle is the founder of Customerse. A customer experience consultancy based in the UK. But Customerse is a consultancy with a twist.

Customerse is bringing awareness to the very best companies in the world for customer experience.

Not only does Customerse consult with companies who want to stand out in their industry and provide the very best customer experiences, but they also actively refer customers to those companies who join Customerse.

Customerse believes the best companies deserve the best customers and they are on a mission to make sure that happens.

To learn more about Customerse connect with their founder on Facebook or LinkedIn.

Here we sit down with Gary, to know a bit more about his journey as a customer experience consultant.

Q. What inspired you to become an entrepreneur?

Gary: From a very young age I dreamed of becoming a fireman. But I told my mum that fire engines were too loud, so I’d drive a bus instead of the fire engine.

But I have asthma, a heart condition, and progressive eye disease, a fireman who can’t see or breathe properly, wouldn’t make a great fireman.

After I knew I wouldn’t be a fireman, starting a business was my next choice. I don’t know exactly why I wanted to start my own business, because no one else in my family went into entrepreneurship.

I had a fascination with entrepreneurs and their stories from a young age. I always enjoyed reading rags to riches stories and learning how they did it.

I quickly found I dreamed of starting my own venture and creating a legacy that would last, even after I was gone.

This vision of what I want to create is what keeps me going, even through the tough times.

Q. How did you get started?

Gary: I studied business at college and after this, I spent some time in the corporate world before starting my first business.

A few years later I began to suffer from mental illness, which resulted in me attempting to take my own life. This leads me to the world of personal development. After writing about my personal development journey online, people related to my story and started asking me to help them.

I began coaching people in their own personal development, I didn’t charge anyone for this, to begin with. But I eventually started a new business in the coaching industry.

My coaching business leads me to my current business Customerse. When coaching I always put customer experience as a priority, I quickly became fascinated with CX. This leads me to start Customerse to help businesses with their own CX.

As my vision for what I wanted to create took shape, what I wanted to offer through Customerse adapted and lead to what we do now.

Q. What was your biggest startup challenge? What steps did you take to overcome it? What did you learn?

Gary: For me, my biggest challenge was adapting to the realities of running your own business. At college, I was taught everything I needed to start a business and grow it. But it can’t teach you the reality and it can’t show you how to keep going when times are tough.

I learned the importance of mentors who have been there and done it already. I also learned the importance of personal development for people who run their own businesses.

Q. What is the Most Memorable Thing You’ve Done Since you Started your Business?

Gary: I have so many stories I could tell you about, but what I’m most proud of is how I was able to grow my business even through the Covid pandemic.
We’ve all gone through an incredibly challenging couple of years. My personal development path has taught me not to let situations out of my control dictate my life. I take full responsibility for my actions and don’t believe in blaming and excuses. Everything that’s good is down to me, but so is everything that’s bad. It’s down to us to create the reality we want.

Q. What is one book you recommend, and why?

Gary: The book I’d recommend is $100m offered by Alex Hormozi, I’ve read it 4 times already and always learn new things and get new insights each time I read it.

I love this book so much because Alex gives the kind of value you’d normally have to pay thousands of dollars for, but for an incredibly low price. If you implement what you learn, you will make millions from it.

If you’re looking to scale a business this is the book to read.

Q. In terms of legacy, what is the mark you’d like to leave on the world?

Gary: The legacy I want to create is one of the things that keeps me going.
That legacy is to create the world's biggest customer experience company. I’m creating a business that will last for generations after I’ve gone.
I will build the go-to brand in the customer experience space.

For me building a brand that will serve the world for generations to come is simply amazing to envision.

Q. In one sentence, what’s the best advice you’d give to someone just starting out on their entrepreneurial journey?

Gary: Take imperfect action daily.

Perfectionism is the biggest killer of dreams there is. Don’t take your dreams and ambitions to the grave. Speak them into the world and then create it.

You don’t need all the answers to start, you just have to take that next step and keep taking that next step.

To keep up to date with Gary and his journey, connect with him on Facebook and LinkedIn.