And now, Charles Joseph Coleman III is forging his own life’s path, one far different from that of the late Iowa Sen. C. Joseph Coleman, his grandfather, who died in 2002, and C. Joseph Coleman Jr., his father, who left his law practice to become a Catholic deacon.

Yet, he is drawing on lessons they taught him.

He’s known as Joey Coleman — named Joey from birth to avoid confusion with his grandfather and father who were known as Joe — and he travels far and wide as a motivational speaker to impart ideas — with a focus on how businesses can keep their customers.

Since leaving Fort Dodge for college in 1991 after graduating from St. Edmond High School, he has held internships with the CIA, Secret Service and the White House while in law school at George Washington University, practiced law in Fort Dodge with his father, taught university courses, founded a company aimed at helping businesses retain their customers particularly in the first 100 days, and has written a book, “Never Lose a Customer Again.”

From his home in Boulder, Colorado, where he lives with his wife, Berit, and their sons, Lochlan, 5, and Kjellen, 3, Joey Coleman travels the country — and sometimes beyond. His family often accompanies him on the trips.

This year, as in past ones, he plans 40 to 50 appearances as a keynote speaker — his speeches can range from 15 minutes to a three-day workshop. In February, he will fly to Brisbane to speak before the Volkswagen Australia group.

Coleman was teaching classes in business at Berkshire College in Massachusetts when in 2002 he returned to Washington to get involved in business and in short order started his own company focused on branding and marketing.

He founded Design Symphony — “if you hired me, you would get all the pieces of your business on the same sheet of music playing in harmony” in explaining the name — and the company became his primary focus for the next 15 years.

The genesis for his speaking career came when he was asked to speak to a conference for one of his clients, a tech company, that he was helping with its branding campaign.

“The crowd loved it,” he said. “So I started giving more of these speeches. It was all about personal branding. In 2015, I went all in and decided to become a full-time speaker about the customer experience.

“There’s an underlying principle that applies,” Coleman said. “Research shows 20 to 70 percent of customers leave in the first 100 days. Research also shows that if you can keep them beyond that time, they will be with you for life. So it’s a pivotal first three months. There are lots of speakers who speak about marketing and sales, but very few who speak about what happens after the sale.”

His customers run the full gamut, he said: “If you have human beings as customers, these principles apply to their business.” They include chambers of commerce, financial advisers, the auto industry, technology, entrepreneurial conferences, the food and wine industry, real estate, and salon and spa owners.

Before he speaks, Coleman said, “I spend time talking to companies and employees to learn about their business. Then I do my own independent research about the industry and competition. Depending on some clients, I also speak with their customers as well. It’s all about the First 100 Days.

“At a high level, every person in business has heard of buyer’s remorse, but if you go to any business, most do not have a system to counter it. There’s a structural issue — the person who buys the service is not responsible for using or executing it. The typical CEO doesn’t have background in post-sale experience. The voice of the customer gets diluted.

“The biggest purchase most of us make is our home — 86 to 92 percent of home buyers, when asked if they have a positive experience with real estate agent, say yes. The percentage who actually use that same agent when they buy their next home — 9 to 11 percent.”

Although companies are faced with economic pressure to reduce conferences for their employees, Coleman said he is finding the demand for speaking at conferences is growing: “Companies realize their employees are dying for human connection. They now stare at an electronic box all day. I think there’s opportunity for live events to help people think, feel and act differently. If they don’t act differently, I haven’t done my job.”

Most members of his audiences have a mobile phone in their purse or pocket, and that puts pressure on him to deliver a riveting speech, Coleman said. “That being said, more than once I’ve seen someone on their phone during my entire presentation, only to have the same person come up afterwards and share that (a) they were live tweeting, or (b) they were taking copious notes.”

Coleman is the second born of seven children of Sharon (Sam) and Joe Coleman. His siblings are Lori, of San Diego; Danielle, of San Diego; Tommy, of Fort Dodge; Chris, of Springfield, Illinois; K.C., of Fort Dodge; and Callaghan, of Omaha. 

His life has taken him on a journey far beyond where he grew up, but Coleman says he still draws on lessons learned from his grandfather and his parents.

“From my grandfather, I learned the importance of giving back, of thinking of a life of service — What are you doing to make it a better place?” he said. “From my parents, I learned the importance of balancing work and family. Dad was an incredible attorney but he attended all the activities involved with their children. My mom was a great artist, and in the design business when I learned color theory, it dawned on me that I learned it from my mom, coloring with me at a very early age.

“We had favorite family mottos — and there’s one from my mom: If we knew the power of our words, we wouldn’t speak. For someone who’s a professional speaker, I take that to heart.”