5on5: Zen Coach Greg Clowminzer leads off the series
“There is so many ways a coach can help a business owner from strategic planning, to marketing, to getting through tough problems.” -Greg Clowminzer
I’m excited to introduce our new series on Life and Business Coaches. Our first Life/Business coach of the series is Greg Clowminzer. He is both a successful entrepreneur and passionate truth seeker. He is also known as the Zen Coach and is a self-realized spiritual teacher, life success coach and publisher of Daily Wisdom online coaching tips.
How long have you been a life coach and what was the impetus to become one?
I’ve been a life coach for over 16 years now. I think to really look back at what made me or prompted me to want to become a life coach I have to go back to my pre-coaching career, when I was in commercial real estate and going through a transition. I woke up in a place of really wanting to make a change in my own life. I was looking for some sort of mentor, some sort of guide and I was thinking the people I really looked up to might be a Martial Artist or some sort of Sage. And the thought that “when the students ready the teacher appeared”, was really predominant on my mind. It was really in that moment that I decided that I want to be that for other people. Those people who might be in that place of transition or that place of readiness. The fortunate thing is that right around that time I did have several teachers that showed up in my life and that were wonderful teachers and mentors for me. So that was really the deciding moment for me way back than.
What is your process for coaching a client? And time commitment?
It’s funny I have clients right now that I’ve worked with for 15 years. I generally ask a person for a year. I think you’ll see that most work happens over a year’s time. And that’s the thing with coaching as a developmental model vs. a quick fix model it takes time to develop a person. I’m a martial artist by background and you don’t just show up and get your black belt after a month. It’s a developmental process and you cultivate skills you cultivate a relationship and you learn new tools to equip you for your life. So my process is generally an initial interview, followed up by a complimentary consultation, then from the complimentary consultation we make a decision if it makes sense for us to work together or not. Then we look at how much time and what’s necessary to do our best work together both in time and the client’s budget. Eighty percent of my coaching is done over the phone; if the clients are local I allow them to choose to see me in person. Some people salt and pepper it with a face to face and some phone. Then if we are doing strategic planning sessions those are more face to face.
Who are your clients?
A better question may be who haven’t been my clients. If I look at my clients most of them are professionals with an entrepreneurial spirit or a need to be more entrepreneurial. I coach other coaches, service providers, financial services people, insurance, stockbrokers, mortgage people, real estate, real estate developers, CPAs, financial planners, chiropractors, dentists, and attorneys but usually professionals that are looking to build their visibility and grow their business and be experts in what they do.
How can coaching benefit a small business owner or entrepreneur?
There is so many ways a coach can help a business owner from strategic planning, to marketing, to getting through tough problems. Really shifting what their focus is, again so many business owners get caught up with the day to day affairs that they lose sight of finances, expenses, keeping people on the books that they should have let go of. A really good coach is going to be able to listen to and hear all of the concerns and challenges that a business owner may not have found a voice to articulate themselves and ask questions to point to the truth of what’s really going on in their business.
Tell me about one of your coaching models you use?
Listen, love, enlighten, and lead it’s really the four pillars that I use when working with a client.
Listening to what a client is trying to say or not trying to say. And just holding a space and loving people right where they are. That can create a huge shift or change for them. And then enlightening is really being able to ask very key questions or helping an individual to make distinctions in life and in language. Leading them is not leading them where I think they should go but out of listening and loving and enlightening is to lead them to where they want to go. Where they may have been afraid to go and just really support them through the courageous journey.
I want to thank Greg for his time and sharing his tips for entrepreneurs to get clearer on where they want to go. Next weeks coach is Jaclyn Beckerman from New York. Please go to our website and subscribe for our FREE white paper on these series.
