Everyone wants to improve their businesses.  This is true whether a business is struggling or successful.  Even the most successful ventures come from a place of constant improvement.  Unfortunately, especially in the light of just trying to keep a business going (a common challenge these days); it can be difficult to figure out what needs to be done to make these improvements.  Where, exactly, do you start?

First, let me ask you a question…Have you branded your business?  Branding can be defined as “The promise of an experience.”  Do you promise your clients an experience they will never forget when they work with you?  Is it part of your tagline?  Is it part of your mission statement?  It should be.

Let’s take a moment to look at someone who was a master at branding; Walt Disney.  His cornerstone business venture, Disneyland, is practically synonymous with having a great experience.  No one ever silently groans when they think of Disneyland (unless maybe they fell off a ride!) but rather instantly feels their heart leap a little bit at the most passing thought of “The Happiest Place on Earth”.  That feeling is a specific, planned result of branding.  From the spotless appearance of the grounds to the mood music piped throughout the park while being greeted by costumed characters that go OUT OF THEIR WAY to make sure that everyone has a magical experience; Disney exemplifies the art of branding.  But it doesn’t stop there.  Everything is done with genuine goodwill and a sincere desire to make everyone feel special and have a wonderful time. Disney requires every employee (called a cast member) to EXCEED expectations ALWAYS. 

When you brand your business and therefore make your tagline your motto, it’s a constant reminder to you and everyone who works for you what is expected as a MINIMUM.  With that expectation in place, it’s much easier to go above and beyond.  When you create “magic” that your clients will remember always they will be drawn back to you again and again as well as send more business your way.

Ready?  10…9…8…7…6…5…4…3…2…1  “LET THE MAGIC BEGIN!”

What’s your branding?  Your tagline?  Your Mission Statement?  Send me an email telling me and I’ll share it.  Don’t have any of the above?  I can help you find it.  Call me asap for a free consultation.

It’s time to improve you business NOW.

Call me so we can talk about it!

Angelina

 

 

©2010 Campos Coaching all rights reserved. No portion of this written material may be reproduced without the express, written permission of Campos Coaching

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This week I'd like to share a story about coaching from a different perspective that a friend shared with me recently

Five years ago my daughter made a decision to become Miss Hawaii.  At the time, it seemed to be a great opportunity to earn college scholarships so her father and I supported her completely.  What followed was an amazing journey for her and a time of great revelation for us.  Trust me, what you see on TV is only the tip of the iceberg!  Had I known fully what we were getting into, I’m pretty sure I would have advised her otherwise.  But we boarded the “pageant train” without looking back and suddenly we were in a world of high heels, high fashion and very high expectations.  Our daughter literally blossomed with confidence and it became evident very quickly that she had amazing potential.  It also became very clear that she would need the right coaching to achieve her goal.  Suddenly, she was surrounded by a small army of people—each with a different specialty—all doing everything they could to help her reach her goal.  She had a personal trainer, a talent coach, an interview coach, a dress designer and even a walking coach!  No kidding!  These people weren’t just anybody either—they were the very best in their fields.  She knew what she wanted and she found exactly the right people who could help her get there.  THEN, she studied and practiced and followed EXACTLY what they told her to do.  Wow!  Even now, I am blown away when I think back on that time.  In the end, she achieved everything she set out to achieve and completely exceeded even her own expectations.  How?  By surrounding herself with the right COACHING.

Great lesson for me. 

Great lesson for everyone.



Send me your stories -- I want to share them here!!

Cheering for your success!

Angelina

©2010 Campos Coaching all rights reserved. No portion of this written material may be reproduced without the express, written permission of Campos Coaching

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I’ll never forget a conversation I had with someone at a networking event that I was attending. It was quite eye opening and has remained with me as part of the foundation of everything I support in my life and my business. As we shared with each other about our respective professions he responded to mine in a rather surprising way by exclaiming that he “didn’t believe in coaching but found it to be a myth”. I appreciated the opportunity to discuss why I felt coaching was absolutely viable and necessary; and even shared some sports related analogies with him. In the end, I’m not sure if I convinced him to expand his perception about coaching; but it did expand my perception about how his representative part of the population felt about my profession. The reality is that coaching is far from a myth and is used in almost every profession but the question remains—“Who needs a coach?”

Who indeed?

Coaching is defined as: “impartial and non-judgmental feedback on performance” or “helping to identify the skills and capabilities that are within a person, and enabling them to use them to the best of their ability”.

Thoughts of coaching often conjure up images of sports to one’s mind. During the game, the coach is the person with the whistle who stands on the sidelines until he needs to blow it, then gathers everyone together in a huddle to figure out why he blew it and how to keep him from blowing it again. But along with this image is the understanding that no one who has ever achieved anything great; from winning the World Series to an Olympic Gold Medal did it without that coach. Without impartial, non-judgmental performance feedback and an outside person who can identify the skills and capabilities of greatness inside a person there is no way these achievements could have been possible. No such thing as a gold medal winner who didn’t have a coach. Never happens.

Ever see a baby learning to walk? With the possible rare exception of a child who may suddenly take off skillfully across the room to the complete surprise of everyone; even walking occurs with a lot of coaching. First the child is held in a wobbly standing position only to plop right back down on its diaper until it is held up again and appropriately cooed and cajoled to take that first step; then before we know it running at full speed just beyond our reach! Fact is, that baby had no idea that standing and walking was even a possibility for it to achieve in the first place. Amazing.

So, who needs coaching? Since the range for this need seems to be from learning to do the most fundamental things to the most incredible of achievements; I’d say the answer is -- pretty much everyone!

So, why not ask yourself if you are achieving what you’ve set out to achieve? Are your “gold medal dreams” within your reach? Do you even realize how far you are able to reach? What you are capable of achieving? If you haven’t asked yourself these questions, now is the time.

Here’s your assignment: write down at least one goal that you have for your business (or your life) and one step you have taken to achieve this goal in the comment box below my blog or send me an email.

You may be surprised where this small step will take you!

 

 

©2010 Campos Coaching all rights reserved. No portion of this written material may be reproduced without the express, written permission of Campos Coaching

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Like it or not, unless we live in a cave, our actions as entrepreneurs are watched by others. People watch us for different reasons.  If we’re successful they want to know how we did it and perhaps model after what we do, follow in our footsteps, listen to our advice, or buy our products/use our services. If we’re not, they would be wise to see what we didn't do well and how they will do it differently; but they will certainly stay away from our products or services as a result.

The perception of these actions determines how successful our businesses ultimately become.  Successful entrepreneurs know that the reputation their business gains is many times more valuable than present or future income. They also know that they must be perceived as a leader in their area of expertise.  A great business always has a great leader at the helm.  It has to be this way.

Entrepreneurs who don't know this typically have poor customer service and reputations.  These businesses ultimately don’t do well.  These entrepreneurs don't realize that they need to be a leader, they expect more of a team effort with everyone on equal ground; but in reality this just doesn’t work.

So how do entrepreneurs; even those with relatively “solitary” or “simple” businesses become leaders?  They must first become the very best “followers” they can possibly be. 

There are many ways to do this.  Read.  Study others who have succeeded.  Practice before preaching.  Listen twice as much as talking.  Most important of all; stay absolutely humble.  Arrogance in business is the greatest turnoff of all.  And finally, be a great student.  Find a teacher or coach who will keep you always learning and growing.

Be the best possible follower and others will clearly see the Leader in you. 

Tell me about how you are going to do this?  I can’t wait to hear about it  and share your success!!!!

Waiting to hear from you!

 

Angelina

©2010 Campos Coaching all rights reserved. No portion of this written material may be reproduced without the express, written permission of Campos Coaching

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Ever Wonder.......

Why I created "Campos Coaching"?

Ever wonder if you might want to try coaching for your
business?

Why not "interview me" and find out!!!

 

Why did you become self-employed?

 

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 work with those who are solopreneurs; meaning they are self employed solo-practitioners, independent associates, and owners of small businesses. I also coach individuals who are in a corporate setting who have an entrepreneurial spirit and want to incorporate that spirit into their corporate life. 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 go-getter and an implementer, I work well with other high achieving go-getting implementers!  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 road 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:

 

1.       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. 

2.       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. 

3.       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.

4.       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.

5.       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.

6.       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.

7.       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.

 

Angelina

OK, so now that you've taken the time to "interview me"  I want to hear from you.  Would you "hire me"?  Why or why not?  Did this open up any "doors to your business" that you want to examine?  Tell me what they are!  I'm waiting to hear from YOU!!!!

©2010 Campos Coaching all rights reserved. No portion of this written material may be reproduced without the express, written permission of Campos Coaching

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We hear a lot about being "green" these days.  In fact, you can be pretty much guaranteed that any product on the market today that's touted as "green" is going to sell.  There are lots of reasons for this, hope for the future, bad economy, saving the earth, etc.  The fact of the matter is that most people completely miss the whole point of what it really means to be "green".  Environmentalists take credit for the green movement that stems completely from their dire predictions (quite possibly true) that the Earth won't sustain life beyond a certain point if we don't do something about our wasteful ways and FAST.  Point noted.

 

So what does that mean to an entrepreneur?  Bottom line:  waste in our businesses costs us.  This cost translates into lost time and money but perhaps the most important thing we lose when our business practices are wasteful is something we rarely even think about--PEACE.  This is what we are striving so hard to ultimately achieve through financial security, a feeling of personal accomplishment and the knowledge that we have built and are maintaining the absolute BEST business practices and ethics.  It is that magnificent feeling of peace that allows us the luxury of blissful sleep and waking up to face the day with excitement and a great desire to spend another day doing something we absolutely love. 

 

So, how can you be a "green" entrepreneur?  What areas of your business are draining your resources in a wasteful way?  How much time are you wasting through lack of direction?  What areas of your business do you find that you are unable to focus upon for even a minute due to work requirements that you would rather not be doing?  How many times are you going to wish for a "magic wand" to wave and take away all the stress?  

 

We live in an uncertain and challenging world but our businesses can actually be the one place of refuge in our lives.  We have the power to make that happen.  Outside circumstances only have the power to affect us if we let them.  

 

Being green is much more than choosing "paper or plastic" or turning off the lights (or riding a bicycle!)  Being green is about peace and joy and, guess what?--when you find that in your own life and business; you'll find that everyone else feels it, too!  As a result, they will want to work with you, spend time with you (trying to figure out what your secret is, if nothing else) and even secretly BE like you.  

 

Yup, be green.  Have peace.  And see how bright the future can be!!!! 

Cheering for your success!

Angelina

©2010 Campos Coaching all rights reserved. No portion of this written material may be reproduced without the express, written permission of Campos Coaching

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Tip for the day: if you've been putting off an appointment for whatever reason (usually it's fear or procrastination), today is a good day to contact that person. Who have you been putting off? Commit to making contact today. Make a great day!

Hi folks! I am starting a free teleseminar, it will take place the second Thursday of every month at 10am and will go from 45-60 minutes. I will be sharing what I call the 7 layers to building a successful business. This call is for those who are self employed, independent agents/associate, and owners of small busin...esses. Let me know if you or anyone you know are interested and I will be sure that you have the number to call in for the session. You can also direct people to my website www.camposcoaching.com Make a prosperous day!