People nowadays face a lot of challenges when it comes to experiencing change. May it be their personal life or professional one, the hurdles become taller and taller to cross and this creates an unbalanced lifestyle. In these changing times, it is very important to secure one’s mind as it is the most important tool that keeps everyone on their toes. Negative thoughts and opposite emotions can affect the thought process of able individuals in a drastic way. This is why there is a need for competent motivational speakers, who can really help people to come out of their stagnant self and become the leader of their own life.

Changing times like the Covid-19 pandemic has forced people to work remotely and it has been observed that many people are facing mental health issues due to the sudden lockdowns and isolation. Hence, it has become quite evident that there is a rising demand of motivational speakers in almost every part of the country. This is why we at CIO Look India, with our latest edition – Champions of Change, 2021 have brought Santosh Sunar, one of the renowned motivational speakers and mentor to the cluster of the stories we are featuring. He is the Founder and Director of BeTheGuide.

“Every company should have dedicated motivational speakers in their arsenal to enhance their corporate lifestyle”

Bringing the Change by the Spirit of Motivation

Reskilling, Reshaping, and Rebuilding is Santosh’s mantra. He trains people to become motivational speakers and professionals, where they can stand in front of many people and be confident while speaking. “I want them to give the best speeches,” claims Santosh.

When candidates go for an interview, Santosh wants to create an environment where they can be confident and speak boldly so that the interview process becomes a piece of cake for them. This is where he is trying to bring the change in. The motivational courses and professional coaching courses available in the market right now are not up to the mark.

The ones that are already in the market lack credibility and proper course material to facilitate true motivational coaching or mentoring sessions. “I am providing services in such a way that the experience for a learner becomes affordable with quality training,” says Santosh. BeTheGuide is an ISO certified company now and it has won many accolades. It is one of the best coaching centres in India.

According to him, every organization and every institution must have motivational speakers. He has partnered with preschools and colleges. Santosh along with his team at BeTheGuide is able to completely discuss students’ problems and challenges while providing effective solutions along the way.

A Versatile Journey

Santosh has 15 years of experience in the motivational coaching field. He failed twice while completing his graduation in Zoology (Hons). He was hunting for jobs after graduation. Santosh has worked in multiple disciplines. He was a teacher; he has worked in an internet café, and he was into construction as well. “I have done jobs that were out of my comfort zone,” states Santosh.

He has worked across different verticals to gain knowledge of different markets. But then, he received an opportunity to work in HSBC. Being a graduate from a different course, working with an international bank was a challenge. But he never backed down from a good rodeo. Through his experience, he has learnt that there are three things to do when one is in a new zone – observe, analyse, and implement. “I call this OAI model – Observation, Analysis, and Implementation,” shares Santosh.

Initially, he wanted to become a Naval officer. “I strive to work out of my comfort zone. That is why, when I was working in HSBC, I used to handle customers who used to earn 8-9 figure income whereas I was just getting a five-figure amount,” contemplates Santosh. This made him realize that the finance sector is not really his calling. He wanted to do something more. So, he started browsing through Google and came across various motivational speaking videos and channels. “I was fascinated by the motivational speakers and the way they influenced people’s lives,” adds Santosh.

He decided that this is something that he wants to be involved in. This is the space where he needs to make a difference. From that point onwards, he never looked back. In his initial entrepreneurial days, he used to conduct free sessions to gain public attention and build his brand. “I personally felt how difficult it is to step into the motivational speaking industry,” shares Santosh. To further his knowledge, he started consulting with other motivational speakers and looking for motivational speaking courses. But there were no economical options available at that time. He realized that if he wants to make his stand in this space, he needs to learn everything himself.

It has been four years since his journey with BeTheGuide started. “My entrepreneurial saga began with my passion to follow my dreams and I am glad that I am into the motivational field,” says Santosh.

He and his team train the C-level executives from multinational companies and mentor them in becoming dynamic orators. Speaking is an essential skill for a leader, and Santosh helps business leaders develop this skill to the best extent possible.

Dynamics of BeTheGuide

It is a motivational coaching start-up that focuses on providing excellent and affordable motivational drive for youngsters and professionals in the Northeast India. BeTheGuide is Meghalaya’s first skill development coaching center, which has been certified and registered under MSMED Act of Government of India, 2006.

The company is providing a unique learning platform for dropouts, freshers, and already working professionals to upskill their communication in a dynamic way. Through its various mentoring programs, the organization is helping people to be self-employed and create an opportunity to grow in their community via motivational speaking.

BeTheGuide strives to become a driving force for people who are looking to grow in their career and lives by enriching a positive mindset. Its model creates motivational speakers trained by other motivational speakers through the coaching that the organization provides. The team at BeTheGuide wishes to put at least one motivational coach in each house in order to make home a safe space to develop and grow. To achieve this feat, the company has organized different sessions and mentoring programs at various educational institutions in Meghalaya.

BeTheGuide has been awarded with various awards and recognitions like a prestigious Indian Leadership ICON Award and Top 10 winners in Chief Minister’s E-champion challenge.