Erwin Wils, mindset coach and business strategist at Millionaire Life Strategy, empowers tech experts to boost their business and themselves, transforming them into the person that achieves their ambitions, goals, and beyond. As a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering by education and certified professional hypnotherapist, master Soulkey therapist, EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) and IEMT (Integral Eye Movement Therapy) practitioner by training, Wils brings 25+ years of experience to show the tech-geeks, nerds, and other left-brained technical experts how they can use their expertise to make a positive impact in the world and make a good living doing it.
Please tell us a little bit about your company – what is Millionaire Life Strategy all about?
Millionaire Life Strategy is all about transforming tech experts into their best selves, so that they can achieve their ambitions and the goals they have set for themselves. I believe technology is the future and entrepreneurs change the world. It’s time to put the stereotype nerd on the shelf and show the world what we’re really about: bringing brilliance to market.
Tech geeks tend to be introverted and have less confidence in their ability to pitch and share their ideas. They tend to think they can’t sell, can’t run a business, can’t succeed on their own. Millionaire Life Strategy is on a mission to change all of that; to give the tech geeks, nerds and left-brainers the confidence they need to succeed—whatever their goals are. We focus primarily on entrepreneurs and wantrapreneurs: people who want to start a business, but are scared. But we serve corporate teams and individuals as well business owners.
Tell us a little bit about your background and how you started your company?
After finishing university in 1996 as a Master of Science in electrical engineering, I worked in the corporate world for 20 years—because that’s what I was told to do: “Do your best at school, get a title, and get a job. That’s the safe, responsible way to live life.” I worked at several companies in various roles, always looking for ways to add value. My common thread was process optimization and each step I took was toward this goal: see how it works, optimize the process, and move on. Then in 2014 I thought to myself: “I can optimize a process and have all the figures and proof to support it, but if the people that use the process don’t change, the process itself won’t change. So how do I get those people to change as well?”
I thought about taking a training in NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) so that I could better influence them toward change. Long story short, I happened upon a hypnotherapy training instead that totally changed my life. This was my added value to the world; this was how I could make the positive impact I was looking for all those years.
I launched my hypnotherapy business in 2015, and after about 18 months, I changed my focus toward coaching, because I saw a lot of unused potential with my clients. It still took me 3 years to find my real niche, and once I found it, it made total sense to me. Nowadays, I empower tech experts to boost their business and themselves, transforming them into the person that achieves their ambitions, goals and beyond.
What are your plans, how do you plan to grow this company?
In order to grow, scalability and systems are key. This year, I am adding results-oriented masterminds and group coaching to my services. I am systemizing my business further by becoming the “go-to-expert” for technical entrepreneurs that want to launch and excel in business. I will have other Millionaire Life Strategy-trained coaches working with me, employing my proprietary EMPOWERR™ coaching methodology to reach even more tech experts with our mindset, sales, and efficiency programs. This will free me up to become the Chief Experience Officer, creating additional programs and focusing on my clients from a different perspective.
What was the biggest problem you encountered with your business and how did you overcome it?
When I changed my focus towards coaching, I was actually selling what people needed. Then one of my business coaches was telling me I had to sell what people wanted, and give them what they needed. I fully understood what he meant, and then I procrastinated for several months. Because I got into a moral dilemma. I needed to sell results, but how could I sell results, when I hadn’t yet achieved those results? I couldn’t sell somebody a coaching package to increase their profit by 50% when I never had those results. I literally got stuck. Until I kicked myself in the butt and said to myself, ”You’re not getting anywhere like this. Start having conversations with potential clients, find out what it is they want to achieve and when you feel comfortable that you can help them achieve those results, make them an offer for a pilot price.” I started doing that, and my business started growing rapidly. The rest, as they say, is history 😉
What were the top mistakes you made starting your business and what did you learn from it?
One of the things I learned the hard way was that you shouldn’t believe everything you see. Meaning, I was a newbie in the entrepreneurial world and I saw all those successful entrepreneurs telling me they knew the shortcut to success. I followed them thinking, “Well… they started out with nothing, became successful, and if they can do it, I can do it, too!,” only to find out they wanted me to copy them. And they already had some conditions in place that I didn’t have (like a massive following or mailing list) that they didn’t mention. That didn’t work for me.
When I started to focus on the principles behind their success and investigating how I could implement those into my business, I started to get some value out of it. I knew I didn’t want to coach my clients with generic packages. When I coach somebody, I make sure it’s all about them, their strengths, their business, their road to success; not mine.
Another mistake was that I thought I couldn’t sell, and I needed lots of training. After investing in my trainings, I recognized I was actually very good at selling, I just didn’t recognize it as selling. It all had to do with change my mindset around selling. Nowadays, I’m training other entrepreneurs (and other businesspeople who want to level up their skills) through my own Millionaire Life Strategy Advanced Sales Masterclass.
How do you separate yourself from your competitors?
I don’t believe in competitors, because every person is unique and thus different from the others. So all my fellow coaches are unique in their way. I know my strengths and skills and I know I can help my clients the best. My training as a certified professional hypnotherapist, master Soulkey therapist, EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitizing and Reprocessing) and IEMT (Integral Eye Movement Therapy) practitioner, combined with my Master of Science study in electrical engineering and 20 years of experience in the corporate world gives me a unique blend of knowledge and skills to service my clients true needs the best I can and the best they deserve to achieve the best outcomes they desire; which is to achieve their goals and turn their dreams into their reality.
What is one thing that you do daily to grow as an entrepreneur?
Mind feed. You should always invest in yourself, it’s the best investment you can make. Develop yourself by learning, meditating, and training. One of my coaches says, “When you want to build muscle power, go to the gym. When you want to build brain power, feed your brain with knowledge.” Consider your brain to be a muscle. When you want to use more capacity, train it.
What are three books or courses you recommend for new entrepreneurs?
I’ve read so many books, it’s hard to choose because they all contain golden nuggets that have made a big difference in my life. When I have to choose, I recommend the following 3 books:
- A classic and a must-read is Think and Grow Rich from Napoleon Hill. It’s the blueprint for success if you ask me.
- Another one I recommend is Profit First by Mike Michalowicz. It will teach you to look at your finances differently.
- The third book I recommend is Getting Things Done by David Allen. It takes practice, but it will be worth it.
All 3 books are worth reading, no matter what kind of business you’re in.
What is the one thing you wish you knew before starting your business?
You can be an expert in your field, that doesn’t make you an entrepreneur.
What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business?
I have to say word of mouth and referral-based marketing. Overdeliver to your customers so that they become your ambassadors and start selling your services to their contacts.
If you only had $1000 dollars to start a new business, knowing everything you know now, how would you spend it?
If that is all I would have, I would probably invest in a secondhand smartphone, laptop and an all-in 4G subscription. Because with those items, the world becomes your playground. Start doing market research, find a problem you can solve that people are willing to pay for, and go for it!
What’s your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs?
People listen to their favorite radio station WIIFM: What’s In It For Me. As an entrepreneur, you should tune into their radio station: What’s In It for Them. A nice metaphor that goes with this: Black and Decker doesn’t sell drills. They sell holes. Because people don’t need a drill, they need a hole. They need the hole to hang artwork, build a playhouse, create a sandbox, assemble a custom-made table and chairs. The drill is the perfect tool to create the perfect hole to make these dreams a reality.
Now use this to look at your products and/or services.
What is your favorite quote?
My favorite quote is from best-selling author Napoleon Hill: “Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve.” People can have the best dreams, but truly believing in them and taking steps to achieve them, can be a big challenge. That’s where I come in.
How can we get in touch with you?
You can connect with me on LinkedIn, go to Millionaire Life Strategy and download my free e-book about the differences of the employer and entrepreneurial mindset and when you’re serious and ready to turn your dreams into reality, make an appointment to chat with me through calendly
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