Eric Dōshin Atkins
IT'S BEEN A JOURNEY
Business Experience with Zen Practice
Eric has been involved with consulting, sales consultant leadership and project management across several industries for just under 35 years now. He's worked with leading edge technology companies including Hewlett-Packard, Dell, BOXX Technologies and several smaller startups. Additionally, he spent quite a bit of time in the commercial and high end residential real estate industries, as well as, the residential and commercial solar industries.
He was also fortunate enough to have spent the last 29 years studying and practicing the Way of Zen with some of the most respected living Zen Masters and Suizen Grandmasters from around the world - including his Root Teacher - Stan Kakūdo Richardson of the Mujuan Ryu and Heart Teacher - Masayuki Koga of the Japanese Music Institute of America.
The combination of broad business experience and Zen practices over the last three decades has created a unique perspective which has allowed him to develop a truly effective and fulfilling approach to a wide variety of business efforts.
He began his career 35 years ago with Hewlett-Packard supporting an executive level sales team focused in the rapidly transitioning telecommunications industry of the early 90's. He spent a decade rising through the sales ranks and into their Professional Services Organization as a high level consultant all the while receiving world class training in executive level consulting, consultant management, sales and project management services. He was fortunate enough to be involved in both structuring the sale and then overseeing some of the largest and most technically advanced research and development projects of the times - including the first broadband internet delivery system that became TimeWarner’s Roadrunner Service providing a nation-wide backbone for the evolution of an instantaneous connection of consciousness across our planet.
Eric loved HP's employee-centric family oriented company culture that the founders, Bill and Dave, formalized in 1957 as “The HP Way” instilling it in every aspect of their emerging company. Eric had every intention of staying with HP through retirement and was well on his way up their corporate ladder, until two significant events occurred.
First in 1995, Eric suffered the loss and death of his best friend and roommate to a tragic car accident that sent him into an existential crisis. It was the beginning of his search for meaning and true understanding of this incredible experience we call life. That search eventually led him to Zen with it's non dogmatic approach to an awareness of all that is as a unified ever changing field of existence emerging from emptiness.
Second, HP suffered the loss of it’s founders and was taken over in 1999 by Carly Fiorina who, in his humble opinion, decimated "The HP Way" within 6 months of her start date sending the entire company into its own existential crisis from which it has never fully recovered. With a heavy heart, Eric left HP in late 1999 and began a journey of self discovery both personally and professionally that has taken him far beyond anything he could have imagined at that time.
A few of his business highlights and invaluable learning experiences are:
Overseeing a high profile Smart Homes Technology project involving a team of over 200 people from three multi-billion dollar companies with reporting to all three CEO’s that was intended to save the 150 year old Sears & Roebuck Company. Unfortunately, they would not dedicate the resources necessary to accomplish such a monumental feat even after a one-on-one conversation with the CEO, promising Eric that he would do so, prior to his fully accepting the position.
Assisting in the establishment of the Project Management Division for Vectris - a pre IPO DSL company that wasn't able to secure it's third round of funding.
Starting up Inner Peace Publishing to write and publish a children’s book dedicated to his two then infant daughters, Aspen and Lennon.
Starting up Replenished Real Estate where they flipped neglected homes into the most valuable homes in their neighborhoods.
Starting up ZenNow involving a zero gravity lounge that utilized sound, vibration and magnetics to induce a state of meditation that the inventor wouldn't industrialize for corporate settings despite our pleas to do so.
Overseeing a 348 unit $110M condo conversion project with Austin City Living overlooking the picturesque Austin 360 Bridge and downtown skyline that was picking up huge momentum until the real estate crash in 2008.
Assisting in the startups of Green City Solar as a VP, as well as, the Austin division for the then nation’s largest solar installer PetersenDean.
Assisting in the startup of two forward thinking luxury outdoor kitchen companies: Freedom Outdoor Living in Melbourne, FL and Ignite Outdoor Kitchens in Austin, TX.
Eric has been involved with many more such efforts over the years with a front row seat giving clear views of what works well and what doesn't work in a variety of industries and company cultures. He has made a career out sharing the deep and sometimes painful learning that comes from such observations.
Please feel free to reach out if you would like more details about his background or if it seems like any aspect of BizZennists Consulting may be a good fit for you and your organization’s current needs.