For over thirty-three years, Eric Harrison worked in, managed, and eventually owned his family’s wholesale women’s shoe company with his brother and partner. Eric began helping his dad sort and pack shoes from the time he was an adolescent and never lost his passion for the shoe business, the people he worked with and led, and the customers he got to serve.
After the death of his father in the summer of 2017 and the near-death of his wife six months later, Eric began a soul-searching journey which led him to decide to sell his interest to his brother and retire from his lifelong career in the fall of 2019.
Immediately after that, Eric finished writing and self-publishing his first book, Mustard Seed Faith in February 2020. The idea for the book was birthed out of the mounting negativity and vitriol that was building throughout society even prior to the events of 2020. The motivational faith-based book encourages people to embrace their similarities, rather than to focus on their differences.
In addition to writing his book, Eric began publishing a weekly blog, created a YouTube channel and other content designed to help people discover their WHY. Eric likes to refer to himself as the “Why Guy,” and tells people enthusiastically that he is in the Why Growing business. He believes that the bigger your Why, the greater your chance of creating an eternal legacy. Eric is also a licensed Ziglar Coaching System Personal Development Coach.
Please what is your business all about?
My overriding desire with everything that I do is to powerfully, significantly, and eternally impact lives so that they can do likewise. What started with self-publishing my first book in February 2020 has blossomed into a weekly blog, a YouTube channel, a Coaching room on Clubhouse as well as several other free resources available on my website that all are created with that same purpose in mind. In addition, I do some keynote and motivational speeches to civic and church groups, small businesses, etc, and also run a coaching business where I work with clients one-on-one or in small groups.
Tell us a little bit about your personal background – how you ended up in this career?
I literally grew up in my family’s women’s wholesale shoe business. For my whole career, I learned and applied the lessons of servant leadership, whether it was for our suppliers, vendors, customers, or employees. I learned to respect and accept people from all different ethnic, religious, and social backgrounds and to build relationships around our similarities, rather than focusing on our differences.
What was the biggest problem you encountered starting up, and how did you overcome it?
Honestly, overcoming my fears and limiting beliefs. Even in the beginning when I was writing my book, every day I had to just keep going and not worry about whether anyone cared to read what I wrote. Fortunately, it turns out they did, as when I launched I achieved best-seller status on Amazon. The other difficult thing was properly defining and niching down my audience. This was very hard. In fact, I continue to evaluate and tweak it. The more focused I get, however, the better I can serve people who are truly my customers.
What are some of the Do’s and Don’ts of being a business/success Coach?
My immediate response is that you must get comfortable with being uncomfortable. Your job is not to insert yourself into your client’s situation but to help them to find their solutions, which is the only solution that will work. You do this by asking great questions and then being quiet and giving the client time to think, and then answer. And almost always an answer is followed up with another 3-5 clarifying questions that help the person get to the heart of the matter or the real solution. It is also very important to set expectations before you ever begin.
Your clients must commit to being on time, being engaged, doing the work needed in between sessions, and be prepared to be accountable.
Finally, I always say that I do not sell coaching. I serve people and I give them tremendous value. They are not paying for coaching with me, they are investing in their future and working to leave a legacy. The value in that is well, invaluable. For this reason, I am never ashamed to ask clients who are ready to be coached to make the full investment in themselves. In other words, I would not discount my price to get a customer. On the few occasions I have done that, they ended up being the least involved and committed clients I had. People who are serious will pay you what you are worth.
Do you have any other projects or businesses you working on?
I am always thinking of new ideas and new ways to serve more people. My Clubhouse Coaching Room, which I share with my friend and coach, Danica Trebel, is something that we just started at the end of February. We are already talking about podcasts, online courses, etc. I want to meet people where they are and according to their needs. I also intend to start working on another book sometime in 2021.
How do you stay driven and motivated to keep going in your business?
I love this question. The short answer is, I show up and just “do” every day. For my entire career, I always knew whether my efforts were successful because being in a sales company you know every day whether what you are doing is working or not. The impact of what I do now is impossible to measure. Frankly, I struggled with that for a long time. But when I see a review on my book, a comment on a YouTube video, coaching clients who make changes that change their lives, it lights me up, and it is worth all of the time and effort I’ve put forth. I would also be disingenuous if I did not say that my faith in God and my desire to share His love with as many people as I can keep me engaged and motivated every day.
What is the one thing you wish you knew before starting your career as a coach?
First, I wish I would have hired a coach much earlier in my career. The benefits I would have gained would have been – as I said – invaluable. Directly to your question, however, I wish I had become a better notetaker. I try very hard to capture all of the answers and information my clients give me, but I have never been a great notetaker because the more information I can capture, the better I can help my clients in subsequent coaching sessions.
What has been your most effective marketing strategy to gain new clients?
I am very fortunate in that over my lengthy career, and my involvement in various service and civic organizations I have developed an extensive network. I would tell anyone though whether your network is 100 or 100,000 there is no better way to market yourself and connect with your network than to pick up the telephone and call them, ask them how they are doing and if there is anything you can help them with. Certainly today, you need to be able to use social media, however, I think many people try to do too many things. I would tell people to pick 1 or 2 if they are starting out and become proficient in those instead of doing a bunch of them halfway. Social media take time, commitment, and consistency and without all three, your efforts will be wasted.
When is the ideal time for a new entrepreneur to hire a business coach?
NOW! In all seriousness, I believe that everyone can benefit from coaches in their lives, whether a business or any other type of coach. If you are a solopreneur, your coach may be just the sounding board you need to make decisions as you begin to scale your business. If you are a successful entrepreneur, you need honesty and candor from a coach who will challenge you, tell you the truth, and hold you accountable. I cannot imagine that anyone doesn’t need a coach.
What are some of the reasons you would refuse or stop working with a client?
Well, I am only one person, so I want to make sure that there is a good fit between myself and any potential new client. This sounds easier than it is, but if you get a client that needs skills you can’t offer, that is not a good fit. I want to coach people who need exactly what I have to offer. I would stop working with a client for only two reasons.
Number one, they are dishonest, and number two, they are not doing the work that needs to be done to benefit and grow from a coaching relationship. I can’t imagine having that situation arise because I carefully evaluate any new client I invite into my practice (and vice-versa), and so far anyway I have never had a bad relationship with any of them.
What is your definition of success?
Specifically, when it comes to my coaching practice, it is helping my clients identify where they are currently, where they want to be, helping them to identify the gap, and then working to help them bridge that gap.
What are three things most clients have in common?
For my clients, they are seeking success not just in their businesses, but in every area of their lives. They have a big dream, but they don’t know how to pursue it. And that is the third thing which is many of them are enslaved by their business.
What’s your best piece of advice for people who are just starting their coaching business?
Zig Ziglar said it best:
Anything worth doing is worth doing poorly until you can learn to do it well.
Everyone has to start where they are, use what they have, and then get better every day. Yesterday’s mistakes and missteps will guide you to tomorrow’s success. If you have the heart to serve other people and deliver an incredible value, the rest can be learned over time.
What is your favorite quote?
People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.
Maya Angelou
How can readers get in touch with you?
Everything I have to offer is available on my website, whether it’s signing up for my weekly blog or scheduling a free strategy session to help you identify the gaps between where you are and where you want to go, everything can be accessed at www.eric-harrison.com.
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