Welcome to this month’s Success Sessions, where we have the pleasure of Joyce Campbell’s company.

Hi Joyce! Thanks for joining us. Tell us a little bit about you and your business.

I’ve always had a real fascination for how business works, and why some entrepreneurs do well, and others, who on the surface have similar resources, never progress past the hobby stage.

I realised that successful people generally seem to be more willing to do the things that less successful people are not. They tend to find out WHAT to do, then they do it consistently, and they are agile in terms of not being married to their initial concept.

Your Amazing Business aims to help entrepreneurs, especially those in ‘helping’ industries such as coaching, discover what they need to do, and lock success strategies into their business, so that they not only get more clients and make more money, but actually serve the people they are meant to serve.

What inspired you to start your business?

I’ve had a number of businesses, but the current one very much grew out of the frustrations of running an NLP and Coach training school. We were turning out amazing therapists and coaches, but I realised that most of them didn’t understand how to get clients. It really frustrated me, as not only were they not achieving their dreams, but the clients that they SHOULD have been working with weren’t getting the opportunity to work with these great people.

The Get More Clients System was initially developed as a series of face-to-face workshops for our own students, but like Topsy, they just grew. In 2010 I started to take that arm of the business online, and deliver group training through a virtual learning environment. I started to get demand for one-to-one coaching, and have worked with clients not only here in Europe, but in Australia, South Africa and the US. I recently rebranded The Get More Clients System as Your Amazing Business.

How would you describe your journey and how has having your own business changed things for you?

That’s hard, as I’ve never really NOT had my own business, although I grew it alongside a ‘real job’ as my mother would say, for a good number of years. I definitely think though that it has made me a bolder person – when you run your own business, you don’t have a big, well known name that will open doors for you – at least not initially. It’s also made me more creative and resourceful.

What has been your biggest success so far?

My biggest successes are always about the successes of my clients and students – that has always given me a real buzz. Plus every new client feels like a success, and I get insanely excited about working with new people, and really digging into their business. I think once you lose that sense of wonder and excitement, then you are no longer in the right business. My very first business funded me through university and post grad – but the last year of it was VERY hard work, simply as it had lost that sense of excitement, and solely became a way of earning money.

Would you share with us the biggest lesson you learned?

That success takes consistent work, and that you need a blend of flexibility so you can grab opportunities, plus a long-term strategy for growth.

What keeps you motivated and engaged with your business?

Part of this is down to my clients, and part of it is about my commitment to my own professional development, so that I can serve my clients better. I invest heavily in coaching and mentoring for myself, and I’m always trying to work out ‘the difference that makes a difference’.

What one piece of advice would you give other small business owners and start-ups?

It will almost always take longer than you expect. In the first few years, your business is a baby – don’t put too much expectation on it, and don’t expect it to carry a lot of debt unless you can afford to lose it. Never be ashamed of your transitional job – it can be a huge support and take a lot of pressure off. Avoid all the bright shiny objects – you don’t need to invest heavily in branding etc in the first year or so – you probably aren’t really sure what your brand IS at this point, so go with functional initially. You don’t need all the fancy software straight out of the gate. Invest in mentoring and coaching – it really can make all the difference. Sorry – that was a lot more than one thing, wasn’t it?

What’s next for you and your business?

My big vision is to help 1000 coaches get 1000 clients. I’m moving more into a phase of leveraging my time better – my diary is pretty much consistently full with one-to-one clients. My aim for 2014 is to reach more people with lower-priced offerings – so more group coaching, information products etc. I have a second book in the pipeline, and through working with my own coach, I’ve developed a real interest in money mindset, so I will be putting together a programme around that.

Joyce Campbell cut her business teeth on knitting needles, and her first business venture ‘The Sonsie Lass’ financed her through university. That business taught her a lot about leveraging her time, managing outsourced workers, getting the product right, and a massive amount about good customer service.

She is now an NLP and Coach trainer, and is the creator of The Get More Clients System. She works with clients worldwide, helping them to get more clients and serve more people. She is also the author of ‘How To Get Off Your Backside and Live Your Life. 

Joyce can be found at http://YourAmazingBusiness.com