An Interview with Angelina

It is difficult to give a simple answer to this question; let me start by sharing why I became self-employed.

At age eighteen, just a few months after graduating from high school, I became self-employed.  I had a natural sense for business, a lot of energy, tons of ambition, and great mentoring from others in the business; enabling me to build a full clientele in just one year.  Life was pretty good.  I was young and I was content.

After six years of building a thriving business, I moved from California to Hawaii.  I decided that I did not want to start from scratch to build up another business; it was a lot of work and I was ready to take what I thought was going to be the easy path--to be an employee.

After nearly a year of being an employee; one of my sisters was about to give birth to our first little one in the family so I made the trip back to California to help welcome the baby.  Well, as often happens, the baby was late in arriving!  I had exhausted my week of paid vacation and my week of unpaid vacation when my employer told me that I had to get back to work or I would no longer have a job waiting for me. So I flew back to Hawaii, and shortly after my arrival back at home, Lauren was born.

This was a defining moment for me; I was so upset that I was not there for my sister and that I was not there to hold Lauren when she was first born.  It was a very emotional time for me.  I decided that something had to change so I quit my job and vowed never to allow someone to tell me what experiences I could or could not be a part of, especially when it comes to the people that I love the most.

I realized that my value of family significantly outweighed my value for a simple life, and I decided to become self employed again and to never turn back.  Lauren is now a teenager and I have been there with my sister for the birth of her two other children and for many other events in the lives of my family members.  

I have been self-employed ever since making that life changing declaration and I have never been happier with a decision I have made.  

 

How did you get into coaching and how long have you been a coach?

As far as becoming a coach, that is not a simple answer either!  In addition to having sixteen successful years in the beauty industry, I also had my hands in a few other areas.  I have been a tutor, a mentor, an educator; and the list actually goes on.  I was also naturally good at organizing that others would hire me to help them organize their businesses.  Bookkeeping was another skill I had so I decided to get my accounting degree and I opened up a consulting business.  This became a mixed blessing.  Between the two professions, I had more clients than I could handle!

I was making good money, I was enjoying the fruits of my labor by traveling, buying anything that I needed and wanted for myself, and treating my family to nice things as well.

Then, ironically, a bicycle accident made me change gears a bit. I could no longer work in the salon as much so I had to figure out how to leverage my time, my resources, and my income. I had no choice but to rely more on my consulting business for my income and I found that there was a learning curve that I had not experienced before.  

It was an accounting client that suggested that I become a coach.  She said that she felt I was a natural coach; I had not only helped her with structuring her business, I had been, in essence, coaching her in her business as a whole. She pointed out that everything in which I already had experience was making me a great coach without my even knowing it.  

I took her words to heart, (thanks Erica!) and to make this long story a little less long, I enrolled in a year and a half coaching certification program in California and voila!  Angelina Campos, CPCC (Certified Professional Co-Active Coach) was born.  

Who do you coach?

I only work with those who are solopreneurs; meaning they are self employed solo-practitioners, independent agents, and owners of small businesses.  After nearly 23 years of being self-employed, this is where my passion and my expertise lie.

What professions do you coach?

I created a coaching program that covers the fundamentals of being a successful solopreneur, which allows me to work with solopreneurs in just about any industry.   Every business, regardless of the industry, must have the right business fundamentals in place in order to create success.  I teach those fundamentals.  

How does coaching work?

I have several coaching program structures to fit the needs of my clients.  Most of the coaching is conducted over the phone in either a private or group session.  Some programs offer in person sessions if a client wishes to do so.  Phone sessions are convenient and easily accessible for clients out of my area.  

What makes your coaching different from other coaches?

I have created a systematic approach that I call “The 7 Layers to Building a Successful Business.”  I am not aware of any other coach who is coaching these particular topics with this kind of structure and implementation.  In addition, I have completed a coaching certification program, which is not the case with all coaches.

Because I am a certified life coach with years of entrepreneurial experience, I bring my life coaching skills into my business coaching model.  This mixture gives me the skill set to be able to help my clients work through "life" issues that get in the way of their business success.  It is an advantage for my clients to be able to work out and work through their inner roadblocks and then catapult their personal and professional success.

What types of personalities are a good fit for your coaching and what is expected of me?

Because I am a high achieving proactive go-getter, I work well with other high achieving proactive go-getters!  I have a lot of content to share with my clients and not only do we create traction in the very first session, we hit the ground running.

I work best with professionals who are tired of hearing themselves say the same old "I need to.. or I should..." story.  Instead, they are ready and excited to make some permanent changes in the way they handle their business. They are absolutely going to take a no excuses approach and do whatever it takes to create success.  This attitude with help them embrace the process and appreciate the value of coaching. I thrive as a coach when my client is passionate about their vision and is willing to invest in themselves as well as their business.  

This is a co-active learning course.  You will be expected to show up (on the call) prepared with your material, to engage and collaborate on your business, and to consistently complete the "Accountability Exercise" assigned for that particular week.  You are expected to treat this course as your business development project.  There is a direct relationship with the amount of effort you put into the program and the results you get out of it.

Is there someone who is not a good fit for your coaching programs?

I am selective with whom I work for two reasons; I want to be sure that they are suited for my program so that they will achieve the results for which they are looking, and I limit the number of clients I coach so that I have adequate amount of time and energy to devote to them.

To be completely honest, I do not work well with chronic complainers because they will always have an excuse for not completing the assignments and will therefore not achieve the results intended; nor do I work well with chronic skeptics because they want to challenge every aspect of the program.  If this is you, please know that we will not be a good fit and you will be wasting your time and money; I wish you well, and gracefully request that you do not make an appointment to speak with me.  

My program is also not a good fit for someone who is desperate to make money in an instant.  Although you will implement changes immediately and will soon experience significant results, and many clients do make more money right away, my programs are not a quick fix or a bandage system.  It is a structure that will become a part of your business and it takes time to process and implement all of the components.

What will I be working on in your program?

We will be creating the infrastructure for your business.  The system will empower you to:

• Take personal ownership and responsibility. You will step into being an entrepreneur. You will learn to strategically manage and organize your business so that it reflects who you are and what your business is about.

• Develop effective communication skills. You will learn how to effectively communicate with others so that you create a strong team of employees, virtual teams, strategic alliances, referral and JV partners.

• Identify real and perceived hurdles and doing something about it. A positive and proactive mindset creates confidence and is a magnet to those around you. A sabotaging mindset leads to sabotaging behavior.  Being that your attitude dictates your behavior, we will ensure that you have a positive and proactive attitude.

• Market to the right people at the right time.  You will create an effective marketing plan  that will be crystal clear on which marketing strategies will be best for your business so that you effectively communicate your message, attract your ideal clients, and create a consistent revenue stream.

• Organize, structure, and systematize your business. A lack of organization shows during presentations and consultations; a lack of structure causes inefficiency and ineffectiveness; a lack of systems means that clients fall through the cracks and your credibility and revenue falls with them.  You will learn how to organize, structure, and create systems for every part of your business so that it runs like a well oiled machine.

• Outsource and delegate so that you have more time for other areas of your life and business. Strengthening your strengths and accepting your weaknesses will allow you to be more effective in your business. Knowing what to delegate and outsource will allow you to focus on the areas of your business that are effortless for you.  You will have the freedom to work in the area of your business that you love the most.

• Be in alignment with your overall purpose and goals. Your professional and personal life must support one another.  You will create the "balance" that you need so that you enjoy being self employed.

OK, Angelina, I know we are a good fit and I would like to get started, but I have some questions.

I am happy to work with you and look forward to being an active participant and a humble witness to your success.

If you have not already done so, please fill out the "getting acquainted" questionnaire by contacting us through our website (click here), and send it back to me.  My assistant will contact you to schedule our getting acquainted phone call and this is where you can ask me any other questions that you have and where I can help you determine the best program for you.   

I feel that your coaching is right for me but I don't have any extra money right now.

Don't give up, you have options.  Virtually all of us have been there at one point in our lives and certainly in our business.  I take credit cards and I offer payment plans.  Let's talk and go over your options. We can still come up with a plan that will support your goals.

See you on the call!

Angelina