"The only difference between the successful solopreneur and the not-so-successful is this: The successful person is the one who does what the unsuccessful doesn't feel like doing". - Will Craig

ACCPOW: What is your professional background?

WC: Marketing - in one form or another - has been my focus for the past 21 years. I have an extensive background in advertising, public relations, and entertainment production. Twelve of those years I was writing and producing film and television projects in Orlando and did a stint as the president of the Florida Motion Picture & Television Association.

I earned my Master's degree in Education and Human Development from the George Washington University and undergraduate degrees in Organizational Management and Computer Science from less prestigious, but equally challenging schools.

ACCPOW:  When did you get online with your business, and how did it help your bottom line?

WC: I first got online in 1997 with just a personal website… more of an electronic brochure than anything else. In 1999 I formed a company called Fill Your Practice (www.FillYourPractice.com) and wandered into the wonderful world of eCommerce. I was green as could be but I had to start somewhere. Now, 100% of my earnings come from sales of products and services sold on the Internet. 

ACCPOW: Who are your target clients, and how exactly do you help them?

WC: In the beginning, my target was one-on-one coaching clients. I have since diversified and now operate a virtual university (www.CoachTrainingAlliance.com) that teaches individuals from the “helping professions “ (counseling, therapy, social services, consulting) how to become life coaches.

The courses and classes range from self-paced, self-study software programs to weekly mentoring groups that meet by telephone from all over the world. These condensed courses provide participants with the best training, in the shortest amount of time, for the smallest investment.

ACCPOW: What was the biggest challenge of taking your business to the Internet?

WC: Traffic. Bringing qualified prospects to my sites has been the biggest (and most expensive) challenge. “Build it and they will come” does not apply in this business. I started out small with the pay-per-click search engines ($400 monthly budget) and I now spend 20 times that amount. There are less expensive ways to do it but they take much longer to produce results.

ACCPOW:  If you were you working for another company before you started your own, can you tell us how you transitioned into your own business?

WC: Before entering the online business world I was a marketing strategist and media consultant. I worked with individuals from all walks of life, as well as entertainment giants like Walt Disney, Up with People and Universal Studios.

When I made the transition to coaching I kind of just threw myself to the wolves. The last thing I wanted to do was spend two years and $4,000 to learn how to do something I instinctively knew I could do well.

I held on to one consulting client and forced myself to fill the "pockets of ignorance" I had about my new profession. There were no condensed, short-term coaching courses or software programs. So, I hired a coach and with her experience in coaching and my background in marketing I filled my practice in just 21 weeks.

I figured there were others like me who could benefit from the principles and techniques I learned in my apprenticeship. They are all laid out in the training courses and certification programs my school now offers. In addition to class notes, supporting documentation, and client tools there are forms, templates, and worksheets to help launch a viable and sustainable professional coaching practice.

ACCPOW: What is your business structure from the marketing stand? (selling products online, offline, consulting, backend products, etc.)

WC: 100% online

ACCPOW: How many hours a day do you work on your business?  Do you hire help?

WC: I work from my home office -on and off- for about 10 hours a day. I’m most productive in the mornings so I get to my desk at 6am and work till lunch at about 1pm. I take the afternoons off and put in a few casual hours in the evenings. 

I also have five course facilitators (independent contractors) and a virtual administrative assistant that work with me. I structure it so that they are all in business for themselves. This way I don’t have to supervise them and they have the motivation to excel. 

ACCPOW:   With all the challenges and responsibilities of your own business, would you ever go back to having a full-time job?  Why or why not?

WC: I could never go back to a full-time job working for someone else. It’s too much work and not enough fun. 

ACCPOW:  What have been your most successful marketing tactics?

WC: The main thing in online marketing is to capture your visitor’s contact information. After all, you’ve made an investment in getting them there. This must be done in a way that provides added value to them and, in my opinion, in a way that enables them to interact and spend more time on the site. 

I provide them with a fun way to discover if coaching is right for them in the form of a quiz… “Do You Have What It Takes to Be a Coach?”  When they take the short quiz they receive a free subscription to my weekly Coaching Compass ezine and a free evaluation based on their test score.

ACCPOW: How much offline promotion do you do, compared to online, and which brings more profits into your business?

WC: I do not do any offline marketing.

ACCPOW:  What has been your biggest challenge in keeping your business successful?

WC: Finding the right people with the proper skill sets who understand the demands and the discipline of working for oneself.

ACCPOW:  Do you maintain your own web sites, or do you outsource?  Why?

WC: I build my own sites and do all the maintenance. This is not something that came naturally for me. With my need for things to be done right and done quickly, however, I knew I needed to learn these technical skills. I’m sure –at some point- I will delegate these responsibilities. Right now, I like the control it gives me. 

ACCPOW:  How do you handle competition?  Are you worried about losing business?  What do you do to keep your business apart from your competitors?

WC: My strategy on competition is to get the prospect to my site first. If I can satisfy their needs, they won’t have to go anywhere else. And even if they do, I am able to stay in touch with them and provide additional value through my ezines, free reports, and autoresponders. 

ACCPOW:  A piece of advice to new solo professionals in business, please?

WC: The only difference between the successful solopreneur and the not-so-successful is this: The successful person is the one who does what the unsuccessful doesn’t feel like doing. It just comes down to doing the hard work and pushing through the barriers… both real and imagined.

ACCPOW: Will, thanks so much for taking your time to answer questions for ACCPOW members.