How A Retired Clown Discovered A New Passion For High-Fee Executive Coaching
- Nov 15, 2021
- 6 min read
Written by: Maxwell Nee, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Eddy Smits is not your average funny guy. As a professional clown, he spent 25 years brightening the lives of children at schools, parties and events.
Eddy could create just about any balloon animal you can think of. On top of that, he had a unique skill in creating balloon caricatures of people!
Eddy had a blast using his art to bring smiles to so many faces, but the most fulfilling part of his life on centre stage was giving light and joy to the children he visited in hospitals.
He knew this was where his clowning around transcended laughs and silliness.
It was where he made a real impact on those who needed it most.
As any coach knows, the desire to have an impact… To help people transform their lives… Is an itch that only gets more urgent, no matter how many people you help.
And so it was for Eddy….
After so many years playing jokes it was time to get serious and help people on a larger scale. He realised he had bigger shoes to fill.
While he had always loved bringing happiness to people, he wondered if there was a way he could create a deeper, longer-lasting impact that could transform the lives of others for years to come.
There was something more out there for him and he wanted to discover what that was.
So he began applying for different jobs, hoping to find a new passion that met his ambitions.
After almost three years of soul-searching, Eddy landed a job as an HR Consultant.
This may sound incredibly corporate to some people but for Eddy, it was the unexpected tip of the coaching iceberg.
This is where he realised his passion for entertaining and connecting with audiences carried over into being an executive and leadership coach.
“Being on stage is the same high as if you are coaching somebody. It’s the same vibe you have with people. Being on the same level. It’s about understanding each other."
“When I visited children that were about to die I learnt so much about life, about people. The system I used as a clown where you connect with children - it’s called ping pong where the child says something and you react - it’s the same system I use to connect with clients today.”
Despite having never built or ran an executive coaching business before, Eddy knew that this was the next step for him. He jumped right into the deep end and went full time in his business. Or, as Eddy puts it... “You have to jump in the water if you want to learn how to swim”
He swapped out a life of juggling balls for a new life helping clients juggle career goals and expectations so they can become the best, high achieving, happiest versions of themselves.
It wasn’t an easy transition though.
He spent three years trying to build his executive coaching business on his own. Implementing different strategies, taking advice from the wrong people and working countless hours to never really achieve what he’d hoped for.
Year after year, he chipped away at his savings until eventually, he ran out of cash. He had no other choice but to sell his apartment. After all, someone had to pay the bills.
He became more and more frustrated and emotional as time went by and eventually he realised he needed help to make this business a success. That’s when Eddy found HPC.
After speaking with Ryan (Mathie - HPC’s co-founder) he realised that the “LAUNCH” program was exactly what he needed to fill the gaps in his business.
It had taken him 10 years to become a successful clown and he didn’t want to wait that long again to find success as a coach.
“I was so glad that I came in touch with you guys." The question was asked…
“Have you built a coaching business before? No.
“Has anyone effectively shown you how to build one?” No.
“Do you know how it all works? No.
I needed someone to guide me through these things and that’s what HPC is doing. I’m so grateful for that.”
Our “LAUNCH” program would help him fast track his results and provide a roadmap to success, taking the guesswork out of building a profitable coaching business that impacts lives.
He couldn’t afford the program, he knew that, but he felt so passionately about becoming a high performing coach that he invested his very last dollar to get started.
“When your passion is big enough, you’ll do the things you need to make it happen.”
Inside the program, one of the biggest lessons Eddy learned was the importance of showing up in your business as the truest, most authentic version of yourself.
Living your truth, being unique, and being clear on what you offer and the help and impact you can provide is what attracts clients to you like a magnet.
“Clients choose YOU. They’re watching you and checking you out without you knowing.
“My first client was checking me out for 3 months on Instagram. I didn’t know her. She contacted me and said she liked my posts and that led to an enrolment call.”
Even though he knew how important authenticity was, even before joining the program, Eddy admits he hadn’t been embodying his truth and being open and transparent about his own experiences in life.
Again, he found another parallel between his old life on the stage and his new life as an executive coach.
“I trained a lot of clowns and I told them ‘You don’t play a clown, you ARE a clown.
Otherwise, the child won’t accept you."
“If you play the clown, after 10 seconds you’ll be out the door. The moment they feel you
aren’t authentic they won’t let you in. It’s exactly the same with coaching.”
So he went on a mission to start sharing his truth in the hopes of connecting with his audience on a deeper level and building higher levels of trust.
As soon as he implemented this change, everything started falling into place.
In just three weeks he signed a new client for $3,000.
He then went on to sign on two more clients for $2,500 and $5,000.
Eddy is now on track to hit six figures in his coaching business, simply by embodying his truth and delivering a service that impacts the lives of his clients in a big way.
This was all possible because he decided to invest in himself and the future of his business.
He stopped listening to advice from the wrong people - or YouTube - and connected with people he knew were already getting results.
“Don’t listen to your friends, your parents, listen to people who did it, listen to people who are doing it.”
“When I first started clowning, I didn’t ask my best friends how to paint my face. I went to a professional artist who showed me how to put on the nose. I went to a guy who made shoes and asked for a BIG pair of shoes.
“I went to the right people to motivate me… To tell me what I could and could not do… But most people go to their friends and get bad advice and they accept it because they are afraid and get reasons to NOT do what they want to do.”
Here at HPC we’ve helped hundreds of coaches, all around the world, go from inconsistent client lists to generating a 5-figure monthly income, like clockwork… because we give them the RIGHT advice from Day 1.
“I know I can coach. I know I can get clients. I know I can do posts on social media… I have the skills. Now it’s up to me to consistently do that, having revenue each month and financial peace and quiet.”
Your journey to achieving the same thing starts with booking your own Breakthrough Call.
Don’t worry - this isn’t like other calls you’ve been on before. There’s no pressure. No hype. No obligations.
It’s simply an opportunity to share with us a little bit about your business so we can give you some free advice to help you move past whatever’s holding you back.
Whether we work together after that is entirely up to you - but I’d love the chance to meet you before you decide.
Maxwell Nee, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Maxwell Nee is a Co-founder & Head of Growth at High Performing Coach – a 7-figure business in a saturated industry, which grew 300% during the COVID-19 Lockdown selling out online events. Maxwell started selling tickets for events when I was 16, generating $3,000, with zero marketing budget. To date, with his team, he sold out 8 live events in the 12 months during the crisis, helping thousands of coaches to build their businesses during huge uncertainty. They partnered with influencers such as Marisa Peer, Daniel Priestley, Harville Hendrix & Helen Hunt (17 times Oprah guest speaker). From quitting his corporate job, being hit with bankruptcy after his first investment fell flat, to sleeping on a friend's couch and selling his Bose Bluetooth Speakers to get by – Maxwell a unique and powerful understanding of what it really takes to succeed.
