About Me
I'm a leadership coach and remote team building expert with over 25 years of experience building and leading teams. I work with owners of small to medium sized business who can't get away from their business for an extended vacation. I help them build systems and teams so they can enjoy the time freedom they have always wanted since starting their business.
Every Summer, I Got to Build a New Team.
For fifteen years, I ran a summer camp in Ohio.
Every summer, I recruited, onboarded, delegated to, and developed a staff. We'd run all summer. Then they'd leave.
And I'd get something most leaders never get: significant time to reflect.
No fires to put out. No team to manage. Just space to look at what worked, what didn't, and how I wanted to lead differently next time.
Then I'd do it again next summer.
Most leaders don't get that. They hire their first person and it's on-the-job training with no break, no reset, and no roadmap. I didn't realize how much those fifteen laboratories had shaped me until years later, when I started working with business owners who froze the moment hiring came up.
15
summers / teams / chances to get better
Following 15 years at camp...
01
Learning to Develop Leaders
Leading at a Megachurch
After camp, I was recruited by megachurch in Ohio as a campus pastor. I got to lead an amazing team there, and more importantly, I got to be led by someone who was very intentional about leadership development. That shaped how I think about developing people, not just managing them.
02
Building From Scratch
Planting a Church in Virginia
Then my family and I moved to Virginia and planted a church. Built a team again. Led through the hard, uncertain early stages that every new venture carries.
In a few short years, the church was operating as a healthy unified body positively impacting the local community. Eventually, we left that church in the hands of another pastor after merging two churches into one.
I still serve there as an overseer. Watching it operate without me is one of the things I'm most proud of.
03
Entering the Marketplace
The Accidental CEO
After leaving full-time ministry, we moved into the marketplace.
I had started building websites as a side hustle to help fund the adoption of two of our four kids.
What started as a side hustle quickly grew into a real business, and I realized I had become an accidental CEO.
04
Freedom Through Business
Becoming Digital Nomads
With the location freedom owning a web design business gave us, we decided to become full time digital nomads and go explore the world with our kids.
When we started traveling full time, people started asking how we did it.
05
The Real Problem
Why Hiring Felt So Hard
I saw an opportunity and started teaching lead generation. People had success. They got busy. And then they'd freeze when I told them it was time to hire.
It took me a while to figure out why.
I had just assumed everyone knew how to hire. I was so comfortable with it after fifteen years at camp that it felt obvious to me.
Turns out, it wasn't obvious to them.
That realization changed everything about what I teach.
What I Acually Believe
Leadership Defines Growth
Your leadership capacity is the capacity of your business.
That's not a motivational line. It's what I've watched play out over and over again across fifteen years at camp, two churches, and six plus years building and leading a fully remote team across cultures and time zones while running a business and raising a family on the road. The thing that limits most businesses isn't marketing. It isn't leads. It's the owner's capacity to lead.
And here's what I love about that:
It's fixable.
Business Creates Opportunity
When you decide to build a business that employs people, you're not just solving your operational capacity problem.
You're providing meaningful work.
You're giving someone a livelihood.
You're enabling a family to save for retirement, go on vacation, buy a car, buy a home.
Why It Matters
I get to one of the ones that creates a few jobs for a few people right now.
And I love that.
That's not a by product of building a good business.
For me, it's the point.
And, now I want to leverage the power of multiplication and coach others on hiring and leading a great teams themselves.
If You're Ready to Talk
Let's have a 25-minute consultation call.
We'll look at where your business is right now, identify what's actually holding you back, and map out a next step based on your situation.
If I can help, I'll show you how. If not, you'll still leave with clarity.
Or take the "What's My REAL Bottleneck Assessment" first if you're not sure where you stand.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Eric Dingler Do?
Eric Dingler is a business coach who helps small business owners build a team they can trust so the business runs without them. Most owners he works with can't take real time off because every decision, problem, and question still comes back to them. Eric helps them fix that. He also speaks and facilitates for organizations on leadership and building remote teams.
Who is a good fit for working with Eric?
Small business owners who want a business they can step away from. That includes owners who already have a team but still get pulled into everything, and owners about to make their first hire who want to do it right. If you can't remember your last real vacation because the business needs you all the time, you're the person Eric works with.
What is the Real Bottleneck Quiz?
It's a free five question quiz that takes about three minutes. You already know you can't step away from your business. The quiz surfaces the specific reason why. Most owners guess wrong about what is actually keeping them tied to the day to day. The quiz shows you which of four common bottlenecks is really the problem, so you know where to start.
What happens on the consultation call?
It's a 25-minute call where Eric looks at your current situation, identifies what's actually holding you back, and maps out a next step. If he can help, he'll explain how. If your situation isn't the right fit, you'll still leave with clarity on what to do next.
How is this different from other business coaches?
Eric's approach is built on 25 years of real experience leading teams, including six years running a fully remote team across time zones while traveling full-time with his family. He teaches what he's done, not a methodology he learned in a certification program.
Plus, he's blunt and to the point. You don't have time to cuddled.
Does Eric work with businesses in a specific industry?
No. The principles of delegation, hiring, and team structure apply across industries. The common thread is small business owners who are the operational center of their business and want to change that.
