In today’s episode, Chris Coleman shares his life story. He provides us with some insight into the factors that contributed to his success, and how faith is the glue that holds his life together.
Chris is a franchise consultant and owner of FranNet. His goal is to help individuals evaluate their career choices and determine whether self-employment is a viable option.
What’s your history, where did you start and where are you now? (01:55)
Chris says he grew up in an entrepreneurial household, where hard work and determination was key. Hard work became part of his lifestyle at a very young age, but career-wise, the risk-taking only sunk in much later. He went through college and got a criminal justice degree; he was ready to enroll in the police academy. However, his brother approached him about an automotive startup company that was looking for people to start at the bottom and work their way up. His plan was to do it for a year and see how it plays out. He learned a process called paintless dent repair and went on to fixing cars himself. He did that for the first 13 years of his career, and only then decided to do something else.What was it about that time that pulled you in a different direction? (06:14)
Chris explains that the change was very necessary; he was in a very physically demanding job and he reached a point where he had three surgeries done on his right arm. He tried working with his left arm, but it wasn’t working and it resulted in poor productivity. At the time, they had small children and he assured his wife that he would take care of finances if she wanted to stay home and raise the kids. His father had a franchise consulting business, and even though he knew nothing about business, he gave it a shot. He knew he had to make a plan to take care of his family. He grabbed the opportunity with both hands; he fixed cars in the mornings and put on his suit in the afternoons. Although he knew nothing about business, he worked his way up as a consultant and ended up being the chairperson of the advisory council for the company.What would you say to someone dealing with challenges and uncertainty post-COVID-19? (09:37)
Chris explains that everyone has a different mindset and a different set of skills. To ease the adaption process, you have to have a positive attitude. There is a lot of disruption and uncertainty going on in the world at the moment. Don’t take advantage of the situation but recognize that there are also opportunities in the crisis. You have to be willing to put yourself out there, to take advantage of the arising opportunities; don’t get caught up in the negativity.Where are you now with the different projects you’re working on? (12:12)
Chris says there’s been another major shift in his life in the past 13 to 14 months. These shifts seem to happen every 11 years. Through a business connection, Chris met up with Tom Hill who gave him a book to read and advised him for probably the fourth time that he needed to go on a solitude journey. He went all-in; fasting, no people, no electronics. Chris was at a point in his life where he was experiencing a lot of friction. He took some time alone, read his Bible and prayed a lot. During his reflection, he noticed the beauty of nature, and how every force/element just takes it’s course effortlessly. At this point, he realized that he was not where he was supposed to be. Within 6 weeks he sold his business. Even though he doesn’t know where he will be a year from now, he is more financially secure and at peace than he has ever been before.When it comes to Tom’s six areas of life, what are you working on right now? (19:30)
Chris says one of the six areas is relationships, and for the past 7 years he has been working on his faith and his relationship with God. He spends a lot of time praying, which has been the glue holding it all together. The second thing is health, which he jokingly adds has not been at the top of his list of priorities. Back to relationships, he has been focusing a lot on professional relationships, because he has been growing a business, then sold the business, and is now waiting to see what happens next. He says he likes to have safety and stability, but he is in a season in his life where he doesn’t have a lot of it. However, opportunities are abundant.