In today's Wantrepreneur to Entrepreneur Spotlight, we're excited to feature Erik Berglund, a transformational figure in leadership development. Erik has pioneered a unique approach called "The Language of Leadership," designed to empower leaders across corporate, small business, and non-profit sectors. His method focuses on essential leadership skills aimed at creating a culture of accountability. This approach has significantly boosted the productivity and results of his clients, making workplaces more enjoyable and efficient.
Hi, Erik! Thanks for joining us today. Tell us about your business. Who do you serve, how do you serve them, and what's the impact that your business and work makes?
I serve Leaders in corporate, small business, and non-profit environments by helping them change what they say and how they say it so they can hold their people accountable. If they have direct reports, or if they have to hold people accountable regardless of title (Influence without authority), I introduce them to The Language of Leadership, a system for setting clear expectations, holding people accountable, having Constructive Conflict, Turning around underperformers, and building/restoring trust.
Leaders who speak The Language of Leadership are able to create Cultures of Accountability - business environments where it's completely normal and productive to have a conversation anytime someone doesn't do what they're supposed to (or does it late, poorly, etc). This improves productivity, talent development, and results and just makes it more enjoyable to work together.
Tell us about the moment you finally felt like you went from wantrepreneur to entrepreneur.
It's been a series of steps and moments that have led me here. The first time I realized I could get cold traffic to a webinar, that someone from that webinar would buy, that someone in the program would rebuy, and that someone in the program would bring me into their business for a larger $$$ value... All of those moments! But when it really clicked in is when I realized I could predictably add new clients to my business each month, and predictably grow my revenue and profit. That predictability is what stands out to me the most.
Describe the moment or period in your life/career that motivated you to make the entrepreneurial leap.
I was frustrated as a manager of 16 salespeople across three states - we were hitting good results and I'd started being able to do my job in way less time, but I was frustrated because it wasn't satisfying anymore. I knew I was bored of what I was doing, and that someone else on my team could do (and wanted) my job. And I didn't anymore. I realized then that I needed to go do something on my own. It helped that I had a product in mind – The Language of Leadership is what had allowed me to get to the results with my team, so I knew it was worth pursuing.
Describe a tool, service, or software that has been a game-changer for your business. How does it contribute to your success?
Shift has been a huge helper - it allows me to manage multiple email inboxes from one Platform. Hyros is the one I'm most excited about right now – I need to have better visibility throughout my funnel, tying ROAS to specific channels/campaigns/platforms and Hyros is providing that so I can make better decisions. The last is OutDo Assistant. It's my VA team that provides tooling, funnel, content, sales, and fractional COO support. They rock and have helped me grow tremendously.
We know that success is very often a non-linear path. Tell us about a failure, pivot point, or lesson that changed your course or direction and helped to get you where you are today.
When I first started a coaching company I realized how much time it took to find and nurture high-ticket clients ($2k+/mo). It was doable but very challenging, so I made the pivot to having a lower ticket offering so that I could build that trust and relationship, but also turn a profit. Pivoting to my academy format – where users pay $199/mo to be a part of a group coaching/practice session – allows me to have a profitable business unit that spits out high-ticket clients more predictably than 'cold' nurture tactics. That was a huge pivot that has led to today's success.
What unconventional strategy did you employ that significantly impacted your business?
I think the one mentioned above. I call it my 'paid top of funnel'.
Also, I make people PRACTICE leadership. That's a wildly different offering than anyone else in my space.
What’s something you wish you knew sooner that you’d give as advice for aspiring or newer entrepreneurs?
1) If you want to try something, but don't know how you'll measure/track success, stop and figure that part out. Few things are more frustrating (or expensive!) than trying something and realizing you can't even tell if it's working or not.
2) Shop for vendors before you need them. It's like not grocery shopping when you're hungry. You'll make better choices if you've already developed relationships/vetted vendors before you're ready to act.
3) Quickly figure out how you make money. What's the pivotal metric for your business's growth? For mine, it's having a greater than 2x ROAS in the same billing cycle for my 'paid top of funnel' offering. Everything hinges on that.
Want to go deeper into Erik's work? Visit the links below:
- Go to the Language of Leadership website: LanguageOfLeadership.io
- Connect with Erik on LinkedIn: Erik Berglund
- Join the Language of Leadership Facebook Group
- Watch the free webinar How to Stop Babysitting Your Team
