IAM1157- Business Coach Helps Clients Step up into Their Role as CEO

Melitta Campbell is an industry coach who is passionate about helping women confidently build and grow a profitable business that allows them to do work that they love while feeling proud of the difference they are making for others.

Through her ‘Dream Clients Blueprint' framework, Melitta guides her clients in clearly defining, communicating, and marketing their business; so they can stand out and win more clients in ways that align with their values and purpose.

She also helps them step up into their role as CEO as their own future, by helping them master their time and productivity, as well as guiding them as they upgrade their leadership skills and mindset.

Her expertise comes from 25+ years of experience working in communication, marketing, and leadership for a variety of businesses, from some of the world’s largest organizations to its newest solopreneurs – including a decade of running her own businesses.

Melitta is also the Best-Selling Author of ‘A Shy Girl’s Guide to Networking', an International Speaker, a TEDx Speaker Coach, and host of the Driven Female Entrepreneur Podcast.

• CEO Hack: An achievement planner
• CEO Nugget: ‘If it's no longer fun, stop doing it' Richard Branson
• CEO Defined: Opportunity to make a difference for you and other people

Website: https://www.melittacampbell.com/

Podcast: https://www.melittacampbell.com/podcast

Book: A Shy Girl's Guide to Networking

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MelittaCampbell
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/melittacampbellcoach
LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/melittacampbell
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melittacampbell
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHQUwm4-q-mgYWZ6pluBdXQ
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/DrivenFemaleEntrepreneur

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Transcription

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00:22 – Intro

Are you ready to hear business stories and learn effective ways to build relationships, generate sales, and level up your business from awesome CEOs, entrepreneurs, and founders without listening to a long, long, long interview? If so, you've come to the right place. Gresh values your time and is ready to share with you the valuable info you're in search of. This is the I am CEO podcast.

00:50 – Gresham Harkless

Hello, Hello, Hello. This is Gresh from the I AM CEO podcast and I have a very special guest on the show today. I'm Melita Campbell of Melita Campbell.com. Melita, it's great to have you on the show.

00:57 – Melitta Campbell

Hi, it's great to be here.

00:59 – Gresham Harkless

Super excited to have you on. And before we jump into the interview, I want to read a little bit more about Melita so you can hear about all the awesome things that she's doing. Melita is a business coach who is passionate about helping women confidently build and grow a profitable business that allows them to do work that they love while feeling proud of the difference they are making for others. Through her dream clients blueprint framework, Melita guides her clients clearly in defining, communicating, and marketing their business so they can stand out and win more clients in a way that aligns with their values and their purpose. She also helps them step into their role as a CEO of their own future by helping them master their time and productivity.

As well as guiding them as they upgrade their leadership skills and mindset. Her expertise comes from 25-plus years of experience working in communications, marketing, and leadership for a variety of businesses from some of the world's largest organizations to its newest solopreneurs, including a decade of running her own business. And Melita is also the bestselling author of A Shy Girl's Guide to Networking an international speaker, a TEDx speaker coach, and host of the Driven Female Entrepreneur podcast from one podcaster to another. Melita, it's great to have you on the show. Are you ready to speak to the I AM CEO community?

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02:03 – Melitta Campbell

I totally am.

02:05 – Gresham Harkless

Awesome. Well, let's do it then. So to kind of kick everything off, I wanted to rewind the clock a little bit. Here is a little bit more on how you got started, what I call your CEO story.

02:12 – Melitta Campbell

Gosh, where to start? It's been a long process. So I mean, I guess the final part of my journey, the part where I really started to step into my role as a CEO from a mindset point of view was when I moved from London to Switzerland. So in London, my career had been taking over nicely. I'd been working in marketing communications, I had a lot of credibility in that area. I was I've won awards for my work, which is great. But then when I moved to Switzerland, I had to not exactly start over, because my career was okay, I was working for the same company. But I had to start really networking and making friends and making it call it acquaintances for my business as well.

So I had to start networking for the first time ever, which I successfully avoided up until that stage. But then being a shy person and an introvert, it wasn't something I felt natural doing. So I really struggled for a long time, but the part where I just realized, I've got to get over this. I have to figure out how I can network, and how I can start making relationships that are gonna support my success in a way that feels right for me. And I think that was the moment where I stood into my CEO mindset by taking a step back and like, well, what is it I care about? What are my values? What do I actually offer people? What do I bring to the table here? What am I willing to fight for? And what can I let go?

And how do I support people around me? And so once I kind of started digging into all of that, I call it my victory framework, then I started to notice that I had people responded to me differently. I was working for a private bank at the time and I would speak up in meetings and people would start to listen to me and say, oh, that's new. And they would respond and it became this really great thing. And I became really known for my area of expertise and for my values. And I had several different promotions within the space of 12 months. So I ended up reporting directly to the CEO in a marketing and comms position, which was unheard of for a woman in private banking in Geneva, which was not necessarily at that time, at least the most forward-thinking community.

But then I started, then I had children and here flexible working isn't really a thing. So I started my own business as a communication consultant. While at work in the corporate world, I studied a women's network there because once I reached the top effectively, I wanted to encourage other people. I told the CEO, I'd love to change the culture here and for everybody to think that okay just because they haven't followed a traditional path or they don't have this sort of qualification they can still report to the CEO or be the CEO they can step up and create that career the way that they want to and he loved that idea he was It was something that he'd been quite aware of. He was also from the UK, moved to Dinnebore, and was quite shocked by the culture.

So he's very happy to support that change. And when I started my own business, that's really what I wanted to be doing to continue that way of supporting people to believe in themselves, to back that up with a clear plan, clear goal setting, and the right mindset in place to support it. But I lived abroad, I didn't speak the local language, my baby was 5 months old and so I was like okay this is just I don't know how I'd do that. So I started as a communication consultant which was something I could do relatively easily. I did have a network in that area which is networking is so important which meant I got started very quickly and then that's evolved over the years and bit by bit, about I think 6 or 7 years ago.

I started being approached by women asking me to help them start their own businesses. And I go, I'd love to run my own business like you do, but I don't know how to start. I don't know how to communicate that. I've kind of worked with a couple of people, but I'm scared to charge the fees that I know I need to charge. And there are so many questions and doubts and skills gaps as well. So that was, at the time I was like, I couldn't do that. Then after about the fourth or fifth person asked me like, okay, maybe I do need to step up and do this. So I worked with a business coach myself to package up my experience from all the years before that. And actually, as soon as I did, I was so excited about that package because yeah, I really can make a big difference here.

And knowing that, I mean, the reason I work mostly with women is because in this particular region, it is really hard to find part-time work that is fulfilling around a family and so there are a lot of women who are super smart, have amazing skills, a lot still to give, but can't work in a corporate environment. But I do work with a handful of men, but that was really my reasoning there. And it's just been amazing since I started. So just to take women and to help them believe in themselves, create that goal.

As I say, really have that CEO mindset and do not treat themselves like the assistant, which I see a lot. And it's just been great seeing them achieve the goals that they didn't really dare believe they could do and start enjoying marketing that feels right and loving the sales process building their team and getting everything in place. It's exciting. You never quite know where your next client is gonna go or what you're gonna learn for that process as well. So yeah, that's my background in a nutshell.

07:31 – Gresham Harkless

I know you touched a little bit on how you work with your clients. So I wanted to see if there's anything additional that you wanted to kind of let us know there. But I also wanted to hear about your book and your podcast as well too and how you serve the clients you work with.

07:40 – Melitta Campbell

So well the podcast came out of my community. So as I mentioned in the old days when I had a corporate career, I set up this women's network and through that, I saw just how powerful access to role models was, particularly for women, maybe for men as well but women are kind of what I'm, I'm surrounded by and so I see that more. And that they learn so much more from the experiences of other women than they do from going to a talk or reading a textbook, that kind of thing. So those real experiences make a big difference. And, and I just kept hearing over and over and over again, men and women saying, you know, that it's that they kind of jumped in their business too soon.

I said they missed that early part of the puzzle and things weren't coming together for them. And they were they were always saying, oh, only I struggle with this, but I'm the only one. And I say, no, you are definitely not. Everyone has the same struggles. Everyone has these doubts. It's just some people find a way just to kind of move through them and not let them stop them. But you know, if this is how you're feeling, it's normal. And I really wanted to express that. So within my Facebook group, the Driven Female Entrepreneur Club, I started inviting other people to come and talk and share their journey and experiences. But then I got to the summer holidays and I stopped because it was just 1 thing, too many with the kids and everything.

But then it came to September and I wasn't starting it again. I was like, why is that? Because I love these interviews. And I couldn't understand why I just really didn't feel motivated to do it anymore. And then I realized that I just felt that I wasn't honoring the guests enough, but giving them such a small audience, I wanted them to have a broader audience outside the club as well. So that's when I thought, okay, well, podcasts would do exactly that. And the format lends itself really nicely to that, just interviewing people who have already been there about their journey, how long it really took them, if they really started with a complete plan, which is never, you know, just to reassure people that where they're at is perfect.

You know, there's no right or wrong path and everyone is so different. And it's really interesting to see the common advice that comes out of that experience. And it's always just go with it. Just trust yourself. Trust the process. You'll get there, you know, and surround yourself with other inspiring people. Build that network and don't do this alone. And that comes out just all the time, which is great to be on your show because I know you're trying to achieve something very similar to just help people understand what it really takes to get there and start building that self-belief that yeah, you can do this too. That's where the book came from as well because I started being asked to speak about networking because I was known for having a good network.

Every time people speak to me I say, oh, you need to speak to so and so or so and so, let me connect you over here. And they let you just know everyone. But well, I'm not convinced I know everyone, but I know who I know what people do, and how to connect with people. And so anyway, I was quite happy to talk but when I started speaking and I told them about my journey as an introvert how I managed to turn this marketing and networking and make it work for me. When I started to take it seriously, I read loads of books and they were great. They gave you lots of advice on how to work the room and that kind of thing. But none of them tackled this, this problem I had, but I just didn't want to be in the room.

And that was a big gap that I saw. And so that's what I addressed in, my speeches. And then often the person that invited me to speak was like, I had no idea that you, you were shy and an introvert. I just thought you were being really confident. So I was really happy to share that process. But then I thought, you know, if there's, and every time I speak, there's always like people lurking in the background and I can see them. So that used to be me. I want to say something, but I don't know what to say. I don't know if I'm allowed. And it just feels really awkward. So I make a point of going to the corner groups that are kind of aren't ready to step forward and they always appreciate that.

So I thought, well, I'd really like to, like with the podcast, I want to share these lessons further. So I put them together in a book. And it's going to be part of a series of books as well, because I think people who are introverted or feeling shy in their business, so they're not necessarily just introverts, but a lot of people who are starting out with something completely new are holding back. You know, If you have a business and you have a Facebook page, for example, and you're not talking about your business if you don't give people information about it and the opportunity to learn more about it, then I feel you're being shy in business.

And if you're not charging your worth, you're being shy in business. So I really wanted to start tackling that from an introverted point of view, about how to really start to get confident with marketing your business your way in ways that really generate lots of value and feel right, and how to do the sales process in ways that you're just going to really enjoy it and start building up that series and they're just little mini books because that makes it possible for me to write them. And also it means that people can get their information quickly as well.

12:42 – Gresham Harkless

Yeah, that makes so much sense. And would you consider that to be what I like to call your secret sauce, the thing you feel kind of sets you apart and makes you unique? Is it your ability to sometimes, I guess, maybe it sounds like obviously you're able to do it for yourself, but it sounds like you're able to kind of do that in others as well too, has helped them to look at things in a different way and maybe see that there's another path or a side door that they never thought even existed.

13:03 – Melitta Campbell

Yeah. And I think that kind of comes from getting a business degree from an art school. So we did all the usual finance, leadership, marketing, and everything. But from a very different perspective, always with this idea of how could this be different? What already exists and where are the gaps? Where can you put them, where do you fill them? And it's not just about creating something gimmicky or any waste because it was really at a time, that was in the nineties when green design was really coming up. So it was really the whole life cycle. So whatever you created had to be really valuable and meaningful. So, having that education so young, I think really helped me to stand out in an office environment, but also it's something that I can, a different perspective I can bring to my clients as well.

13:44 – Gresham Harkless

I wanted to switch gears a little bit, and I wanted to ask you for what I call a CEO hack. So this could be like an Apple book or a habit that you have, but what's something that makes you more effective and efficient?

13:52 – Melitta Campbell

One thing that I created for myself and now I share it with all my clients is an achievement planner and it's a one-day, it's a bit like a to-do list, but on a grid. So, I've always put my goal and who I'm becoming at the top. So I know where I'm going with my business and I'm going to know where I'm going with my mindset. And then once you have that at the top, You can really clearly see if there's anything on your to-do list that doesn't belong there, that isn't going to help you grow into that person or achieve that goal. So that's really helped me.

14:26 – Gresham Harkless

So I want to ask you now for what I call a CEO nugget. So this could be a word of wisdom or a piece of advice. It might be something you would tell your best client, or if you were to happen to be a time machine, you might tell your younger business.

14:36 – Melitta Campbell

So there was a quote at that point where I realized I really had to change something in my first business and do things differently. There was a quote from Richard Branson that I came across and it was just perfect. And it just got me to drop things instantly and pivot literally overnight. And his quote was, if it's no longer fun, stop doing it.

14:56 – Gresham Harkless

Awesome. Awesome. Awesome. And I want to ask you now my absolute favorite question. You might have already touched on this a little bit, but it's the definition of what it means to be a CEO. And we're hoping to have different quote-unquote CEOs on the show. So Melita, what does being a CEO mean to you?

15:06 – Melitta Campbell

CEO is the opportunity to make a difference, not only for other people but also for yourself. So I think for me, balance is so important.

15:15 – Gresham Harkless

Awesome, awesome, awesome. Well, Melita, truly appreciate that definition. And I appreciate your time even more. What I wanted to do is just pass you the mic, so to speak, just to see if there's anything additional that you can let our readers and listeners know. And of course, how best they can get a hold of you, find out about your books, your podcasts, and all the awesome things that you're working on.

15:30 – Melitta Campbell

So you'll find me if you type into Google, Melita Campbell, or Driven Female Entrepreneur, you'll find the podcast and their Facebook group that way. And I'm at melitacambell.com. And I think there, I just really want to encourage people to take that courage to start believing in themselves, giving themselves the permission and the space to work things out their way. And if that's something that excites you, but you're a bit scared about, then come and speak to me, because that's definitely what I'm all about helping people really define business their way.

15:59 – Gresham Harkless

Awesome, awesome, awesome. Well, we'll definitely have the links and information in the show notes as well too, so that everybody can follow up with you, find out about the books, the forthcoming books as well, and even the podcast as well. But I love that last piece. I always say, like, if you run your own race, you can't lose. And I think so many times we get caught in running other people's races, doing it the way that it quote unquote should be rather than the way that we kind of see it and would potentially help out so many other people. So thank you so much for reminding us of that and helping so many people, you know, live in that and run their race as well too. So I appreciate you and I hope you have a phenomenal rest of the day.

16:29 – Outro