Featured Member: Janice Campbell

Let’s get the basics out of the way. Who are you? Where are you from? Single or married? Children? I am Janice Campbell of Ashland, Virginia. I am married with four sons, a lovely daughter-in-law and an adorable granddaughter.

My websites are:

My work with writers and entrepreneurs:
National Association of Independent Writers and Editors http://NAIWE.com
Entrepreneur Blog: http:DoingWhatMatters.com
My work with homeschoolers:
Everyday Education, LLC: Making time for things that matter – http://Everyday-Education.com
Education blog: Taking Time for Things that Matter – http://Janice-Campbell.com

When and why was your business started? I began speaking and writing on non-traditional education in the early 1990’s and took my business online over 10 years ago. As my writing/speaking/publishing business grew, I found myself frequently speaking to creative entrepreneurs, particularly writers, who wanted to freelance or take their business online and create additional streams of income. I created the National Association of Independent Writers and Editors (NAIWE) as a way to answer questions and provide the services they need.

What do you love about being a female entrepreneur? There’s nothing better than being able to create a career that fits the family-centered life I want to lead. I love being able to earn a living with creativity and a large degree of autonomy, and I enjoy connecting with other creative women entrepreneurs.

Why did you start your business or why do you want to start one? I have an image of an old-fashioned lamplighter, traveling up a dark road, leaving pools of light behind so that those who follow can see more clearly. I tend to choose roads less traveled, and I want to be that lamplighter for others who may want to follow.

How did you launch your business and/or dream? Little by little, bit by bit . . . As the children’s song reminds us, “by the inch, it’s a cinch.” I began by walking through doors that God opened– invitations to speak, requests for help or information. Each step of the way, I researched and learned all I could so that I could share with others.

What is your mission statement? I want to inspire, to encourage, and to lead by example.

How do you stay inspired? The joy of creativity and seeing what comes next has always been a motivator, but the ability to build a great income is what keeps me showing up day after day.

Why do you feel Inspired Women Succeed? Vision and inspiration are things that keep us moving forward, even when life’s circumstances aren’t ideal. Vision and inspiration keep entrepreneurs focused on the big picture, rather than getting bogged down in petty stuff.

What are the biggest challenges you have overcome as a female entrepreneur? Like many female entrepreneurs, I began my business while raising our four sons. It’s not easy to cope with babies, toddlers, and teens while trying to build a business. In addition, we cared for my grandparents for many years, which added more excitement, to say nothing of diapers, dentures, and dementia, to the household. A lively sense of humor was necessary to keep it sorted out.

What is your BIG DREAM for your business – what do you hope will happen? My business has grown in ways I couldn’t imagine when it began, and I’m grateful. I want the business to become increasingly automated and efficient so I can spend more time in pursuits including travel, family time, art, music, literature, and so much more.

Looking ahead, I want the National Association of Independent Writers and Editors (NAIWE) to become the first choice professional organization for entrepreneurial writers and editors around the world.

For Everyday Education, I have several more books to write, and would like to reach out to homeschoolers internationally. It would be fun to see my Excellence in Literature curriculum win Reader’s Choice in the “Best Literature Curriculum” category from The Old Schoolhouse magazine.

I’d like to increase the coaching and consulting I offer at Do What Matters, Make it Pay (http://DoingWhatMatters.com) and to finish the books I’ve outlined on entrepreneurship and creating multiple streams of income.

I’d like to speak at more major conferences around the world and continue to build passive streams of income, while sharing life-changing information with others.

How do you incorporate your faith into your business? Faith informs every aspect of my life, from what I write and speak about, to the way I treat my customers. I want to be a light and a blessing to those who work with me.

What are your favorite biblical parallels and verses that encourage you? Why? I have been inspired by the parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30). Although the talents described in the parable are units of money, they can also be seen as a metaphor for the gifts and talents we’ve received. I believe I’ve been entrusted with valuable gifts, and want to be faithful to use them appropriately.

I also keep close the reminder that “pleasant words promote instruction” (Proverbs 16:21b), and the admonition to “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake has forgiven you” (Ephesians 4:32). I want people to leave my presence feeling encouraged and blessed.

How do you promote/market your business? My primary promotions have been online through my own website and blog, joint ventures, and social media. Speaking and writing have proven to be my most effective tools for marketing, and I love doing both. I’m always willing to consider traveling to speak, because I know that connecting with people is what creates what Ken Blanchard calls “raving fans.”

What is the biggest risk that you have taken in your business? Has it paid off? I participated in a year-long, high-level coaching/mastermind group in 2009, and while it was a huge investment for what I was making at the time, it’s been worth every penny. I learned so much during that year about mindset and marketing. The investment has paid off in many ways.

What risk do you need to take now? I either need to automate my systems further, or find a good assistant. Maybe even both.

What media opportunities have you had?

Several radio interviews linked to NAIWE’s sponsorship of Words Matter Week
An interview on Sheri McConnell’s online radio show
I’ve recently recorded a few things that haven’t been aired:
One week’s worth of episodes for Homeschool Heartbeat
(http://HomeschoolHeartbeat.com)
An interview on Hannah Keeley’s radio show (http://HannahKeeley.com)
An interview for a film documentary on homeschooling (scheduled for 2012)

What one woman epitomizes for you a model of Christian entrepreneurial leadership? Why? I love the Proverbs 31 woman. She models a full, creative, well-rounded life as a woman, wife, mother, entrepreneur, and homemaker, yet there’s no sense of hurry or stress in her description. She wears beautiful clothing, and creates beautiful things for her home and family. She seems overwhelming at first glance, but I believe that the passage describes her in all her seasons of life, rather than implying she was doing everything at once. She obviously knows how to delegate!

What 3 tips would you share with a friend setting out on her own entrepreneurial adventure?

1. Have a vision for your destination, but be flexible about how you get there. God has much better ideas than we do!
2. Learn twice as much as you need to know, and always be willing to share what you know, ask good questions, and delegate when possible.
3. Understand when good enough is good enough, and maintain a sense of humor because no matter how hard you try, you’ll never make it to perfect.

What resources and books would you recommend—the ones which have best helped you? It’s hard to narrow down the books that have been most helpful, but here are a few that have shaped the way I think and do business:

Getting Business to Come to You by Paul and Sarah Edwards
Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen
Smart Women Know Their Why by Sheri McConnell
BookLife: Strategies and Survival Tips for the 21st-Century Writer by Jeff Vandermeer
From Book Idea to Bestseller by Snell, Baker, and Baker
The Well-Fed Self-Publisher by Peter Bowerman
The Creative Entrepreneur by Lisa Sonora Beam
Write it Down, Make it Happen: Knowing What You Want–and Getting It! by Henriette
Anne Klauser

What do you have coming up? Events? Book Signings?
Winter is my quiet season in which I prepare for the convention season that begins in spring. I will be creating new handouts and slides, writing articles for magazines, and writing at least one new book and updating an older one, if all goes as planned.

Tell us about your family and your support group? My husband Donald has been a solid supporter from the earliest days of the business, and our four boys have helped in various ways. We have a lovely daughter-in-law, and in 2010 were blessed with an adorable granddaughter. After 18 years in our home, my 98-year-old grandmother moved to a nursing home just five minutes away, and enjoys regular visits. Family is central to my life.

I am blessed to have a solid core of lifelong friends. We share faith and many life experiences, and even though we’re not all geographically close, we remain close in heart and in touch.

Who were/are your mentors? Sheri McConnell modeled the creation of a smart, successful business with a feminine touch, and has been generous in sharing her knowledge through the Smart Women’s Institute. I’ve learned from many others on the journey, often through books.

What else would you like to share with us? Two quotes that inspire me:

Not to do just anything, but to do what is right, and to dare;
not to float about in the possible, but to bravely seize the real.
Freedom is not in the flight of thoughts, but only in action.
Move out of anxious hesitation into the storm of events,
borne only by God’s commandment and your faith,
and freedom will receive your spirit with exultation.
~ Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Freedom is not in doing what you want to do, but in becoming what you want to be.
~ Ardis Whitman

Janice Campbell has been writing and speaking about things that matter for over two decades.She’s Director of the National Association of Independent Writers and Editors (NAIWE), the author of the Excellence in Literature curriculum and other resources, and Grammi to Imogen Violet. Whether teaching writers and entrepreneurs how to create multiple streams of income or high school students to love literature, Janice’s focus is on lighting lamps so that others can more easily find their way.