Case Study working with Kathryn:
Eric Lochtefeld
“Kathryn is the best marketing mind that I have ever worked with in 25 years of running businesses.”
“Kathryn spotted an area of my expertise that I wasn’t even considering. Now I coach on it, and it's amazing.”
“It’s not actually easier to get a lower price. It’s just as difficult, if not more so, especially if you don’t know your avatar. Kathryn drove me to a higher caliber avatar, which turned out to be in alignment with my values, and I definitely enjoyed working with that customer base more.”
Some entrepreneurs build businesses with quick exits and giant payouts in mind. That’s not Eric Lochtefeld.
A serial founder and skilled investor, Eric truly enjoys launching, nurturing, and growing businesses that bring people both joy and prosperity. He’s a self-described entrepreneurial nerd who loves nothing more than geeking out on strategy.
And his endless hours of geekery have definitely paid off.
“I invest in both start-ups and mature businesses across all industries. My passion is for businesses in the $1 million to $10 million annual revenue range, though I won’t shy away from businesses with the potential to greatly exceed this.”
To date, Eric has founded or co-founded 23 entities, ranging from entertainment, events, personal development, real estate, media, and investing, exceeding $300 million in revenue. Of those 23, 13 have achieved 7 figures in annual revenue. In addition to building thriving businesses of his own, Eric co-runs business incubator Bliss Champions; owns a full-service retreat destination called Bliss Island; runs an investment fund that supports passion-driven founders with huge, world-changing visions; and does private client work coaching investors to leverage expenses into assets to amplify their wealth. Oh, and he’s a renowned and sought-after speaker who is equally comfortable running an intimate workshop or addressing a 1,000-seat auditorium.
In short, he’s a busy man with a big personality. He wears many hats and is constantly reinventing himself.
WISDOM FROM ERIC
Having passion for what you do, the flexibility to adjust and evolve on the fly, and the commitment to taking decisive actions and capitalize on new opportunities will hold any entrepreneur in a stronger stead than the most comprehensive business plan or strategic slide deck will.
All that means creating a cohesive, elevated personal brand for him is challenging. But Kathryn and her team were more than up to the task.
“I’m a little bit tricky because I’m in my 50s and I don’t have to work; I only do things that will bring me great joy. Which is great for me, but makes me a difficult client. Iconic Influencers was fantastic to partner with because they have insight, reach, and they’re absolutely world-class at branding. They built a fantastic brand for me that reflected all of my core values, and all I had to do was a little proofreading.”
Using dark colors, architectural fonts, and screened-back textures, the team created a visual footprint for Eric that was masculine but refined. Kathryn and the Iconic Influencers copywriters chose short, potent phrases that conveyed both joyful inspiration and business success. And above all, everyone who worked on Eric’s brand found ways to present him as a multi-faceted business genius whose diverse interests all coalesced in his mission to build lasting wealth and joy for himself and his clients.
Kathryn also encouraged him to expand his offerings, opening him up to an entirely new coaching endeavor and lucrative revenue stream.
“She spotted an area of my expertise that I wasn't even thinking about,” he explains.
“Over the course of our meetings, Kathryn saw that I’d gone from $100K to $50 million in net worth over seven years and said to me, ‘You must have a strategy that really works. Can you teach it to others?’ And now I mentor successful but dissatisfied founders. I help them reinvent themselves so they can embrace their highest purpose. I wouldn’t have seen that as a way to use my gifts without Kathryn’s insight.”
Once Eric had worked with Iconic Influencers to create a model around his new mentoring offering, his generosity and desire to be of service to his fellow entrepreneurs became a point of contention. He was more than willing to sell himself short, but the team wouldn’t let him.
“I said to myself, ‘I want this to be easy.’ And to me ‘easy’ meant a lower price. If I didn’t need the income and loved doing this kind of mentoring, why not charge a lower price? Won’t it be easier? That’s where I was wrong. It’s not actually easier to get a lower price. It’s just as difficult, if not more so, especially if you don’t know your avatar. Kathryn drove me to a higher caliber avatar, which turned out to be in alignment with my values, and I definitely enjoyed working with that customer base more.”
Kathryn’s philosophy is that the people who are willing to invest at the highest level tend to be very invested in actually doing the work. Getting the outcome, getting the transformation, doing what’s needed to get the best out of that investment. She shared this with Eric, and it was just the reminder he needed not to undervalue his expertise.
“I got to a point where I was thinking, ‘I’m just not going to charge for anything anymore.’ And I snapped out of that, thanks to Kathryn.”
Now, with his exquisitely designed brand and meticulously honed strategies, Eric continues to invest, build, and spread his business acumen among his mentees. He’s especially enjoying his latest venture, which has him traveling across the world to teach the art of asset wealth management. He meets with potential investors to identify a class of asset they’d like to pursue; guides them on the asset hunt; and advises them through the offer and acquisition processes. Once the deal is sealed, he invites the client and their family members to a weekend celebration at one of his luxury properties. The process is fast, fun, and incredibly effective. Eric is having an absolute blast doing it, and so are his clients.
“There are so many different people that can do bits and pieces like web design and advertising and social media, but the Iconic Influencers team is just so good at all of it.”
Will this be his last new business endeavor, or his last reinvention of himself? Certainly not.
Eric plans to keep launching businesses and making investments. His entrepreneurial spirit never dies down, and he doesn’t want it to. But with the framing, strategies, and guidance he gleaned from his work with Iconic Influencers, any new offerings he launches will be priced in a way that reflects his unique expertise, priceless perspective, and desire to work with clients who are willing to dig deep and work hard right alongside him.
“Kathryn is the best marketing mind that I have ever worked with in 25 years of running businesses. Kathryn spotted an area of my expertise that I wasn’t even considering. Now I coach on it, and it's amazing.”
— Eric Lochtefeld
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