M.E. and L&D: Exclusive interview with Strategic Learning and Performance Consultant Yousaf Khan
'M.E. and L&D'. Giving you a glimpse into amazing people's pasts, to inspire your future.
In this edition of M.E. and L&D, we are delighted to learn more about Yousaf Khan. Yousaf is a strategic learning and performance consultant with over 10 years' experience in transforming learning for some of the world’s most recognised brands. His number one focus is delivering measurable business impact through strategic learning and people solutions.
Yousaf specialises in bridging the gap between learning, performance and business impact. From leading on enterprise scale learning tech transformations, optimising existing processes and technology, and reshaping the way L&D functions operate through a data and intelligence first mindset.
Let's start at the beginning. What was your very first job, and how did it shape your initial thoughts about your career?
Picture this, 17-year-old Asian lad, studying business at college, with two things on my mind – making money and getting out of my little village (Halifax, West Yorkshire). The college I went to was a bus and two train rides away. Why? Because it was close to a company that was handing out jobs to anyone, no references, no cv, no experience.
A commission-only sales job cold calling from the phone book, selling windows, doors, fascias and soffits (I didn’t even know what fascias and soffits were).
“onboarding” – was listening to someone else make calls for 30 mins before being passed a torn-out page of the phone book and a notepad.
At the end of my first week, I made my first sale. The commission? A whopping £35. While it wasn't exactly life-changing money, it sparked something much more valuable. I found myself obsessively studying the top performers – there were three guys who were consistently pulling in £200+ per week. What were they doing differently? How were they handling objections? What made their pitch so effective?
This became my first real lesson in what I now recognise as performance analysis. I started breaking down their techniques, styles, the way they opened or overcame objections. I started testing different approaches and by week three, I'd nearly tripled my earnings to £75-100 a week. More importantly, I'd discovered a formula that would shape my entire career: observe, deconstruct, learn, test, and apply. It's a methodology I still use today in every aspect of my life."
Can you share a defining moment or turning point in your life that steered you towards your current career path?
Years later, I landed a sales role with an eLearning company called Virtual College. This was my introduction to the Learning and Development industry—selling eLearning content, custom services, and learning management systems (LMS) to businesses.
I was instantly hooked. I was selling the very thing that had been so transformative for me – ‘learning' It was about empowering people to grow, develop, and perform at a higher level. I was helping businesses grow and develop their people so they could perform better.
But it wasn’t all smooth sailing. I quickly noticed a disconnect between the company's promotional messaging and the actual employee experience. The engaging, performance-focused learning we promised often turned out to be little more than glorified PowerPoints with some pretty graphics and branding.
That disconnect became an itch I couldn't ignore - I couldn't shake the feeling that there had to be a better way to actually increase performance through learning. And that realisation was the beginning of my journey to create BespokeLND.
Who were some of the key mentors or figures that inspired and guided you during the early stages of your career?
It might sound a bit cliché, but my father was a major influence. He’s severely dyslexic and left school at 14, yet through sheer hard work and constantly seeking better ways of doing things, he built an incredible life for our family. I still remember being 9-10 years old, he’d sit me down after school and ask me to read his business letters, supplier/sales contracts, write labels and even input data on spreadsheets for his stock database.
Early in my career, I struggled to find mentors. I wasn't interested in the conventional employment route; I wanted complete ownership of my journey. This led me to seek out virtual mentors – people like Tim Ferriss, Brian Tracy, and Jim Rohn.
Back then, most people I knew thought I was crazy for wanting to start my own business, but these virtual mentors opened up new ways of thinking for me. I started exploring blogs, podcasts and YouTube, learning from high performers across different areas of life, deconstructing their success, and figuring out how I could apply those insights to my own journey.
What were some of the biggest challenges or obstacles you faced when starting out, and how did you overcome them?
One of my biggest hurdles was my age and what some might call 'lack of credentials.' Picture this: a 24-year-old with no degree, CIPD or fancy letters after my name, trying to convince Heads of Learning and HR that there was a better way to approach L&D. It was... interesting, to say the least.
My pitch wasn't just about a new product or service – I was challenging their entire perspective on learning and development. I was arguing that we needed to shift focus from cheaper, faster, shinier ‘training’ to actual performance outcomes… and you know what? Even today, I’m still having those same conversations.
In terms of overcoming them, that's exactly what keeps me going – the opportunity to challenge these traditional mindsets and show there's a better way.
What’s been one accomplishment you are most proud of? and what's one thing you want to accomplish in the future?
When I look at what I'm most proud of, it's what I've achieved with BespokeLND. Starting from scratch, with no outside backing, I've built a business that now works with global brands and has literally taken me across the world – even allowing me to relocate to Dubai and build a life based around work I truly believe in, with absolute control.
As for the future? I've got my sights set on something bigger than just business growth. I want to fundamentally transform how organisations approach learning, development, and performance. My vision is to make business impact, data-driven decisions, and learning intelligence the standard operating model in L&D. I want to shift the conversation from “How many people completed the training?” and “what shiny tech or catalogue can we offer” to “How L&D can be a direct, measurable driver of people and business performance”.
Looking back, is there any advice you would give to your younger self when you were just starting out in your career?
Another cliché, but I would tell my younger self to believe in himself. I spent so much time trying to conform my thinking to what was popular or expected, essentially diluting what made me unique to fit in. But what ultimately led to my success was embracing my perspective and unconventional ideas and getting louder about it.
There’s a quote that sticks with me: "Extraordinary results come from extraordinary actions." - You can’t expect different outcomes if you’re doing the same thing as everyone else. It was only when I fully leaned into that idea that success started to appear.
Want to know more? Connect with Yousaf Khan on LinkedIn to explore their unique insights further and stay up-to-date with all their latest initiatives.