Matt Essam is a creative business coach. Think of him as the British version of Chris Do.

In this episode, he and Chris talk about finding their sense of purpose in life, and how everyone’s story has inherent value—even if you don’t see it just yet. They discuss strategies about how to become a better listener and why doing so is critical to the success of your business and client relationships.

This isn’t just for the creative community. The ideas and mindset these two kindred spirits share are applicable to everyone.

Matt helps freelancers and creative business owners find their dream clients so they can do fulfilling, financially rewarding work. He made this shift to become a creative coach about four years ago when he realized, through his digital marketing job, there were bigger problems to solve for the creative community.

He noticed creatives needed help not just with their marketing, but with their business, mindset, and many other things.

After losing a close member of his family in 2015, Matt’s perspective on what he was working towards completely changed. At the time, he was working independently with clients, and while he had more flexibility and freedom, there was something missing.

On his plane ride back to the UK, Matt really started to reevaluate what he was doing. The loss of someone so close to him not only prompted him to think of his own mortality, but also what he could do that would be meaningful for others.

He first analyzed where the gaps were. The first (and you can probably guess this one) was the lack of business acumen in creatives. As a creative himself, Matt understood the hesitation surrounding business.

Taking what he’d learned building his own business, Matt decided it was time to fill the gaps, and help creatives land their dream clients.

Matt’s story is an inspiring one, and if you’re unsure of how to land dream clients yourself, Matt’s got plenty of words of wisdom to help you get started.