Today we’d like to introduce you to Eric Henderson.
Eric, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
After I graduated from high school, I took a year off to ‘figure’ out what I wanted to do. I really had no direction. At the same time, my father, a smart and successful man with an MBA from Babson College, was going through a tough time in his corporate job with DEC Digital Equipment Corporation. He had been worried about getting laid off for about a year – and so the stress in our family was immense, to say the least.
One day, my dad came home from work, walked into the family room, and slammed his fists on to the kitchen counter and showed us his pink slip. Then he said to me, “Don’t YOU ever get a job or depend on somebody else – ever! Do you understand me?!” And that changed the course of my life forever. Seeing my dad so vulnerable, feeling like he had no control or certainty in his immediate future scared the hell out of me. It doesn’t get much more real than your own dad who you look up to and admire, becoming a victim to the economy he built for himself – the only one he really knew at that time.
I had no idea where I should go from there, but right away I understood a few important things: Don’t just depend on a job for security, the best time to implement a plan B is when you don’t need one, and the greatest investment you can make is in yourself and to do your own thing (have your own business). These were the defining moments that pushed me towards the path of self-reliance and entrepreneurship. Two ideas I’m very passionate about today.
I started my journey in personal development and entrepreneurship the next day. Truth be told, it was an ‘accident’ and a blessing that I became an entrepreneur. I really had (or gave myself) no other choice.
But, the road was rocky for many years. I certainly experienced the struggle that a lot of entrepreneurs go through. It was feast or famine for a while. I started my first “official” business when I was 21 – a landscaping business. I learned a LOT early on – about management, operations, and finances – and while that business is still operating today (after a few years of doing other things, we re-opened under a different name), I’ve learned how to work ON my business instead of IN my business so that I can pursue what I’m truly passionate about.
The business runs itself without my involvement. That was always my long-term goal – to develop businesses that could sustain themselves without me having to be there. And, most importantly, would pay me a recurring income. Today, after owning a number of businesses including a digital marketing agency, online businesses, and other service-based businesses, my focus is on helping others develop themselves into entrepreneurs through a digital franchising platform.
Has it been a smooth road?
It has definitely not always been a smooth road. Starting so young as an entrepreneur, I made some early mistakes with my finances and put too much trust in employees. I almost completely lost my business in a span of two weeks one season when I allowed one of my employees to be in charge – I came back to find half my clients had fired us. That was tough to rebuild, but it taught me a good lesson about how and when to offload responsibility, and why setting up systems so your business can run by itself is so important.
Later, when I was beginning to delve into online and digital marketing – my second business – I definitely struggled. My now wife and I had a newborn and I remember struggling just to put food on the table. But we always did and our kids never knew when we struggled early on. We were building a digital marketing agency together – designing websites and social media marketing plans for businesses all while our babies played on the floor of our office.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Eric Henderson & Associates story. Tell us more about the business.
At Eric Henderson & Associates, we wake up every single day with the intention and passion to Educate, Empower and Equip the ambitious intrapreneur/Entrepreneur who’s been telling themselves – “I know I can be more. I know I deserve more. I just need the right mentor and start now to take action!”
For me personally, my ‘WHY’ is assisting the Intrapreneur (risk-averse entrepreneur) to develop their own business. It’s powerful when a team member says, “Eric, I can now FIRE my boss!”
Bringing on those “newbies”, helping them establish their vision, & preparing them for their entrepreneurial journey is what it’s all about. As a team, we enjoy spending our time educating customers on our industry-leading products while building and training a team of thousands of professionals to create their own lifestyle of financial freedom & ultimate time flexibility.
There’s nothing we enjoy more than helping others get their time back and create a better life for themselves & their family.
Our mission is in the development of people. We believe that the greatest investment you can make is in yourself. And that the best investment, outside of yourself, is the investment in other people and their success.
IMHO, the greatest achievement and satisfaction in life is to positively affect another person’s life by helping them become their best self – and helping them reach their goals and achieve their dreams.
This is what we at Eric Henderson & Associates do best.
What are you known for?
There are a lot of different options out there to make a living. But, there are not that many that allow you to also build and design a life. We have a proven track record of assisting thousands of people to design their ideal dream life. Together, we create entrepreneurial success stories, one person at a time.
What are you most proud of as a company?
There are so many things to be proud of, both as a team and as a company. I would have to say that when you combine the fact that we have been in business for a long time and have consistently created so many success stories for people of all walks of life, is a reminder to us that we are doing the right things.
What sets you apart from others?
What I believe makes us so unique and different is that not only do we provide FREE world-class guidance and mentorship, but we also have a proven platform to make this a reality for anyone looking to become their own boss. We are in business for ourselves but never by ourselves. People love our team synergy and cooperation.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
Things are changing so fast.
The more powerful and more numerous the trends, the bigger the boom in an industry. Some of the shifts and trends happening right now that are helping us grow at an unprecedented rate are:
• How we live—the ‘Search for Lifestyle’ revolution
• How we earn—the Self-employment revolution
• How companies sell—the Direct Shopping revolution
• How we buy—the Consumer Experience revolution
• How we interact—the Social Media revolution
• How we connect—the Mobile revolution.
And then there are:
• the Baby-boomers searching for new income sources
• The ‘pressured’ Middle Class needing new income sources
• The flood of women wanting time flexibility and income equality.
There has been a huge shift in how people go about earning an income today and making a living. There are all sorts of terms being thrown around these days that talk about the paradigm shifts taking place – things, like:
-The ‘Gig Economy’.
-The ‘You Economy’.
-The ‘Side Hustle’.
In fact, more 1099’s were filed in 2015 than at any other time in history – something like 90 million.
So, the trend is toward freedom, autonomy and ultimately risk-averse entrepreneurship. People want to do something they love but also have flexibility built into it. With technology and access to so much great information online today, it is an even playing field for us all.
We as a company are providing guidance and education on how someone can take full advantage of these shifts and trends – without any risk. There truly has never been a better to time become an entrepreneur!
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.Eric-Henderson.com
- Phone: 978-852-9191
- Email: eric@eric-henderson.com
- Facebook: http://www.Facebook.com/EricJHenderson
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericjphenderson/
Getting in touch: BostonVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
