It’s Not Rocket Science! Five Questions Over Coffee with Melitta Campbell (ep. 14)

Who is Melitta?

Melitta is Business Growth Coach working with Female Entrepreneurs

Key Takeaways

Melitta has written a book

If you’ve ever wondered how some people network so effortlessly, while you feel awkward and out of place, this book is for you.

Written from a shy girl’s perspective, you’ll learn everything you need to embrace your natural abilities as an introvert, grow in confidence and shine while networking.

In this book I share with you:

• My VICTORY Formula to help you network on your own terms
• The exact steps to master the three phases of networking
• How to build relationships that will support your business success
• The secret to networking online
• How to build your personal brand

Valuable Free Resource or Action

read more about Melitta’s book at https://www.melittacampbell.com/books/

Transcript

Note, this was transcribed using a transcription software and may not reflect the exact words used in the podcast)

Stuart Webb 0:35

Hi again, everyone welcome to it’s not rocket science five questions over coffee. This is a podcast for people who have got a growth hungry mindset or really wanting to push their business owner and you’re about new ideas to do it. And today I’m joined by Melissa Campbell, who is Hi, Melissa, welcome to the podcast. malita is a really passionate about helping women build and grow profitable businesses and communicate with joy and confidence, the fulfilment income and lifestyle that they desire from that. So I’m sure we’re gonna have a really, really interesting discussion today. But, Lita, thank you for joining us. I know you’ve been busy. And you can tell us about that as we go through that. So welcome to the podcast. Thank you. It’s great to be here. No problem. So let’s start by that, let’s just start by sort of understanding exactly what is that sort of problem that you’re helping the the your ideal client face and the challenges that you help them overcome.

Melitta Campbell 1:34

So when I started my business 13 years ago, I, I wasn’t sure exactly what to do. So I started with what I could do really well, which was communication consultancy. So I was writing and editing and helping large corporates, lots of Fortune 500, leaders, leaders UN to be more visible to create their plans, do their articles, speech, writing, all of that kind of thing, which was, which is great. But while that’s what I could do well, and it was an easy start point for me, because I already had a network that knew me for that skill. It wasn’t really my passion. But I didn’t quite know what else to do. So I kind of put those, those kind of thoughts of what else that this isn’t the right path behind me. And I just got started anyway. But then when I was out networking, I was coming across more and more women who had started a business. And they had a lot of corporate experience. They were very skilled. They were real experts, and extremely capable. But they didn’t know how to communicate their the value of what they did. They didn’t know how to communicate and connect with the right clients, they didn’t know how to market their business, they had no clue about selling themselves. And they weren’t charging their worth either. So although they had started a business, and they were getting a handful of clients, that wasn’t really sustainable, and they kind of felt stuck in this expensive hobby mode, rather than a thriving business that they really imagined themselves running. So I saw that as like, this is where all my skills can come together. Because my background was in communication, marketing, leadership, coaching, and then building my own business as well around a small family. So all of that can’t come. But combined, I thought, This is what I could do. And when I worked in corporate, I’d set up women’s Women’s Network there. And I’d been on the board of several other women’s networks. So I’d learned about what it takes for women too, to step into their leadership potential and really to learn and grow and feel confident. So that whole combination of things maybe as soon as I came up with an idea, I was like, yeah, this feels right. And I just went out to my network and settings. Now I’m thinking of doing this, I’ve got this framework of an idea of how I could do that. And instantly I got four clients, I was like, Okay, well, that’s, that’s kind of the sign I needed. So I pivoted And so yeah, that’s where I’m at at the moment and who I’m working with,

Stuart Webb 4:08

always a great way to start a business is to go out and suggest that you’ve got some ideas and you’d need some help fleshing them out. People you really attract people don’t need to sort of help you want to refine your offer because they become your clients. But also people will gravitate towards some people that are asking for help and and they become some of the best advocates you’ve got for getting out there and telling your story don’t like.

Melitta Campbell 4:33

Yeah, exactly. And I was just speaking with a lady called Mr. mink the other day and, and she was saying this idea and I I’d never thought of it that way. But as soon as she said it was like, yeah, that she’s right, that your first clients aren’t your first clients. They really co create your business with you. And as you say, they become your biggest advocates. They help you fine tune things, they will give you feedback and they will really support and push you forward. So yeah, I really like that way of Thinking that they’re not really your first clients, they’re really co creating your business,

Stuart Webb 5:04

I spend a lot of time with innovation leaders who are trying to create innovation in their business. And the one thing that I’m constantly reminding them of is, their customers could be their greatest innovators, because they’re the people that will provide you with that, well, if only you did such and such idea, you could then build that out into a new product or service. In fact, I did that with a with a customer not so very long ago, that the ideas that customers bring you are the most profitable because they’re the ones that have got the problems. And once you recognise the problem, all you have to do is come up with a solution and put it in front of them and say, if you’re interested, talk to me about it. And they become the greatest advocate you can get. I could talk for hours on this. So let’s, let’s move on to the second question before I dive into all of that. So what are the common mistakes? Certainly the people you’re working with try to solve on their own before they get help.

Melitta Campbell 5:54

Yeah, I think one of the, there’s, there’s so many, and it’s all the little things, it’s all the little things that they miss, because, you know, and with my podcast, I really wanted to draw the curtain back on what it takes to build a business in the early stages, because you only ever see people out there with a business who are in business already. So when people are starting out, they’re thinking, Oh, I need a pod, I don’t need a website, and I need to do my marketing. And I need to be doing all of these things. Before they know what they’re selling, or they have a message or they have, like they’ve tested their client, their their offer with real clients. So it’s it, they jump in too soon, is what I think and, you know, there’s a lot to be said by about trying things out, figuring things out yourself, making your mistakes, learning from those, but it’s so much easier, when you just get the framework and the support you need from the beginning. And YouTube is an amazing resource. There’s some really, really valuable information out there. The trouble is, you don’t know if that’s the right information for you. And if it’s the right time for you to be implementing that in your business. So I think if you can supplement the sum of these three tools, and I am a big advocate, as you can see from all the books on my shelves of, of continuous learning, I think that’s so, so important. And as I know, you’re a big advocate of this idea of a growth mindset, that’s essential. But at the same time, I think asking for help and get it getting the kind of tracks around can really make that whole process so much easier and less painful you I’ve had conversations and people say, Well, I owe it to myself to figure this out. Because I know you owe it to yourself and to your clients to get out there and start making this work. Otherwise, it can really destroy your mindset, if it’s feels too hard. And you’re just coming up against the brick wall after brick wall. So I think there’s there the the free stuff is great. But you also need some help to help find that framework. And what’s the right thing? What’s the next step for you to be doing right now. And I think that’s where business coaches and strategists can really come into their own and they are really an investment that will help you get advanced much, much quicker.

Stuart Webb 8:12

You know, you’re absolutely right. And I could I could wax very lyrical for very many hours on the on the subject of how very important is to practice as well as to continuously learn. And you know, I often use for for my own thinking about this is that too many students will sit there and go, Well, I just need to be perfect before I get out and do something. And you often turn around and say, Well, if a baby took that attitude, they’d still be sitting on the floor at 21 saying, I still don’t get this putting my foot in front of the other. And what happens if I fall over? You know, a baby gets up, tries it falls over. Mum, Dad picks them up, sets them off again. And eventually they get it and you’ve got you’ve gotten free. So I keep saying for goodness sake, take the baby step. Just Just accept that you’ll fall over. And you know that the thing that worries so many people about falling over in that respect is they totally take that fail again. No, no, that’s not a fail. That’s just another opportunity to learn. You know, that’s just one more lesson that you’ve been you the universe has taught you take it on board and move it forward.

Melitta Campbell 9:19

Yeah, absolutely. And what the other thing which I think is kind of linked to that idea of it has to be perfect has to be good. Is this idea of people waiting for permission? Like, am I allowed to do this? Is this the right decision to be making? When it comes back to your idea? Well, it doesn’t really matter because if you get it wrong, then you fail but you don’t fail. That’s information. that’s valuable information that helps you to succeed. So it doesn’t matter which way you go as long as you’ve always got your your vision in mind and you your goal in mind and you’re you’re acting in accordance with your values, then there is no wrong you just there’s just different paths to success and you learn and grow When, and this idea of growth mindset, I think it’s so important for all business owners to embrace because it’s not just about learning. It’s about feeling and learning through that and thinking, Well, that was interesting. Why didn’t that work? Or why did that work? I didn’t think that was going to have the impact. It didn’t really take a moment to absorb this information. And then we’ll move forward, take the lesson and leave the failure behind.

Stuart Webb 10:25

Absolutely. Right. Well, we could talk for hours on this, but I guess the best thing to do is to move on to that question that I always like to pose at this point, which is, so there is a valuable free resource that I’m sure that you got that you could offer to the audience that would really help them to understand some of what you’re talking about.

Melitta Campbell 10:41

Yeah. So with this idea that a lot of people don’t realise what it takes to build a business because they they miss that stage is the hidden part of entrepreneurship. I’ve put together a document called six steps to dream your dream clients. And it’s really highlighting those things in the journey that people miss, like, get the value of getting your value proposition in place, and what that really is, I see a lot of people think, oh, valuable proposition is telling people what, what I do is like, no, it’s, it’s telling them what, what you do for them, it’s the other way around. So it really breaks down what what value proposition is, it helps them to understand how to build a client journey, how to have that growth mindset, how to do the follow up. The idea with marketing that. And other things people miss is two strands of marketing, there’s hunting and farming. And most people will invest their time in farming, because that’s creating content it’s doing videos is being out on interviews like this, which is great. But it’s a slow process to get clients and you need to hunt as well, which is getting out there, which is perhaps the feeling that people don’t feel so comfortable with. But it’s really essential. So it shows you those two strategies as well. So it’s really bringing together those six steps and giving you a bit of a taster of how they work together to help build a solid foundation for business and a well rounded business that you can then take forward with more confidence.

Stuart Webb 12:12

Great, great, great, great resource. Thank you, Melissa. So what’s that concept that that really brought you to to forming some of this that you think’s been most impactful for for you or for the audience?

Melitta Campbell 12:24

I think it was that point where, as I said, I had my communication consultancy, which was doing great, yeah, I had a waitlist, I was earning a lot of money. And so it was kind of looked at like a successful business. But it didn’t feel like a successful business. Because I wasn’t loving what I was doing. It wasn’t lining up and filling me with energy. And that’s a point where, as I say, there was a moment where I didn’t dare to think differently, what else could I be doing? And then I saw all these women were in this position that I could really help with. I was like, maybe I could do that. But the moment that really pushed me to contact my network and actually be a bit more public about thinking, could I do this was a quote from Richard Branson. And he said, if it’s no longer fun, stop doing it. And as I Yeah, actually, that consulting isn’t fun. It really feels like a chore. It’s really, I was forcing myself to do my work, which isn’t really a good position to be in the middle of had a job. And but so that idea of bringing fun into business and always thinking, Okay, this is hard, because entrepreneurship is hard, right? But, and that’s okay. As long as it’s fun. If it’s something you’re enjoying, if you’re learning through that you’re growing. And you’ve got this great work culture around you. It doesn’t matter that it’s hard work. So it’s got to be fun. So I wanted to that really helped me to pivot my business. And I think it’s a concept that we don’t talk about enough. Save. Yeah.

Stuart Webb 13:56

Yeah, brilliant advice. Brilliant advice. If you were, if you do a job you love you never work a day a day in your life. Do you think that was that was that? I think it’s an old Confucius phrase or something along those lines. So what’s the what’s the question that I should have asked you? bolita, which is always my get out of jail free card, which means I don’t have to do any more thinking on this?

Melitta Campbell 14:17

Um, well, maybe. We talked a bit at the beginning that I’ve been very busy this week. So maybe the question was why I’ve been so busy. And, and is linked to building a business because I think one of the things that people miss in terms of what it takes to build a business and almost the easiest way is to have that solid network in place. And as an introvert, and someone that grew up labelled the shy girl. That was never something that was very easy for me. So I’ve written a book called a shy girls guide to networking, which is out on preorder and Amazon right now and it came out last week, and within three days, it was a best seller. So I’m delighted that even just the title is really rare. resonating with people, and excited to get that out there because it really, it shares a different perspective on networking. So it gives you the exact steps of how to how to excel how to build a strong network. But also, the piece I found missing when I was going on my own journey was a lot of the books I was reading, assume that you are quite happy to do networking in the first place, which I found really, the struggle is just walking in the room. So I developed a victory framework, which helps people create their vision, build intention, get understand how to build their courage and competence in a way that feels right for them to create their own rules of engagement, and really start to break things down differently and go about it in a way that feels right for them. And I think that victory pro framework, although in this book, it’s it’s related to networking, you can use it in so many different aspects, particularly as you’re building a business, and there are some parts of that you’re going to think I can’t do that. But using this victory framework, you can really start to break it down and realise that Yeah, actually, why not? If anyone else out there is doing it, and then succeeding, Why couldn’t it be possible for me to?

Stuart Webb 16:12

That’s great. And I look forward to getting getting a copy of that. Immediately after this later, I think you’ve used one word in there, which really resonates with me, which is the word intention. You know, intention is a really important word in business. And too few of us, I think, have intention. You know, I know, intention is something that you’ve just been talking about there, which is really important. Having that intention, the desire the drive, to work out what you need to in your business in order to move forward. But it’s been a real pleasure spending the last sort of 1520 minutes with you, I sincerely hope that you continue to grow the business and you get that book out into the world. Thank you so much for for spending a few minutes with me. Guys, if you want to hear more about what’s going on in it’s not rocket science. Why don’t you subscribe at this link, and then you’ll get notifications about when we’re going live with these things. So if you go to https colon forward slash forward slash TC a dot FYI, forward slash subscribe, you can get to see it here about whenever we’re doing the meet interesting people later and hear interesting discussions about how to grow your business. malita Thank you so much this morning for spending some time. I appreciate everything you’ve done, and wish you very well in the future. Thank you. Likewise,