SELF EMPLOYEED

Coach

US Navy

Special Operations Medic

I help high-achieving professionals achieve peak performance in high-stress situations without falling victim to stress and burnout. From college dropout to Special Operations team, I share my lessons learned.

Hey, I'm Joel.

TLDR people

I spent 12 years on a Marine Special Operations team. I have dedicated my life to mastering the art of discipline, mental toughness, and resilience. I help clients to harness their inner warrior to conquer life's challenges and emerge stronger. 

The long story. 

I spent the first 22 years of my life lost. Dropped out of college, and worked dead-end jobs. No direction in life. Through finding discipline and mental toughness I was able to enlist in the military and build a career in Special Operations.

Mental toughness and discipline have allowed me to do things I never thought possible: 

- 50-mile runs
- 10 mile swims
- 20 Mile ruck runs

Plus much more.

Most people go through life never realizing what they are capable of. 

Come learn with me. 

You can find me on X here : https://twitter.com/TheSuccessCycle

Joel Blades

Business & Sales Strategist for Solos & Service Based Entrepreneurs | You know your craft, I help you close it at higher rates | Elegant Client Acquisition | Grow from $5K to $30K+ months | Company Training

Imagine a business that grows with ease, because your sales system actually fits you.

Clients you’re excited to work with.
Content that sparks real conversations.
Offers you can confidently sell without pressure
And consistent revenue that doesn’t depend on hustle or hacks.

That’s what I help coaches, consultants, fractionals and founders build, with The Elegant Sales System™ method.

Telling your business' story through right content 
Driving engagement that results in interest, engagement, messages and requests
Market in a way that warms an audience and places you at the front of mind
Keeping ROI in mind with a focus on conversion rather than views

→ You’re posting, but not converting
→ Getting DMs—but not decisions
→ Sales calls stall out or ghost
→ Your offer isn’t landing like it should
→ Leads feel random or hard to qualify

It’s not that you’re mediocre at sales.
You just don’t have a system built around how real people buy.

That’s what we fix inside The Client Acquisition Club.
I teach a no-pressure, sales process that combines:

✔️ Warm outbound
✔️ Buyer-led conversations
✔️ Follow-up flows that don’t drop the ball
✔️ AI to speed things up, not water them down
✔️ Real messaging that speaks to your client’s actual pain points
✔️ Scaling your business beyond $10K a month so you can focus your energy on what matters

Even if you're a consultant with big B2B cycles that are complex, we help you navigate the buyer matrix.

- Generate more leads, clients, and business without relying only on referrals or networking
- Create different income streams with courses, speaking + brand deals
- Magnetize your brand & build trust with premium buyers
- Consistently hit $20K+ months without working harder
- Shift from 1:1 to scalable hybrid group programs
- Sell with confidence & sell as you

I also work 1:1 with consultants and coaches who want deeper support and accountability as they grow into consistent 5-figure months (and beyond).

If you’re ready to build a sales process that finally matches your skill set and values…

I open 5 spots a month for a client acquisition audit: 

📩 DM me “CLUB” to get started or book a call here: 
https://calendly.com/charlotte-lloyd-sales/client-acquisition-club-introductory-call

🎧 Listen in or catch interviews here: https://linktr.ee/charlottelloyd

Charlotte Lloyd

Most people never invest because they’re waiting to feel “ready.”
 
I used to think that was smart.
 
This year, I deployed $47k into my business.
(Yes it felt a little scary!)
 
It wasn't because I felt confident.  
But standing still was costing me more.
 
The version of me that hesitates over numbers?  
She doesn’t grow.
 
The rule I use now:
 
If I can’t see a clear 3x return within 6 months, I don’t invest.
 
That filter alone killed most of the opportunities that looked good but wouldn’t move the needle.
 
What I invest in:
 
– Systems that buy back time  
– People who compound faster than I do  
– Tools that shorten decision cycles
 
This isn’t about hustle or mindset. 
It’s about knowing what outcome you’re buying.
 
Belief follows commitment.  Not the other way around.

So the real question isn’t  “Can I afford this?”
 
It’s:
 
What is waiting costing you right now?

Tell me in the comments what you've invested in.

Helping high performing solos, coaches, consultants and SMBs win premium B2B/B2C clients with buyer-led selling and AI | Top 100 Sales Demandbase Top 5 Sales Favikon | Social Selling for Teams

'I've been watching you build this,' my old client said in Madrid.
We hadn't spoken in 8 years or more.

Back then, I was the one flying to them.
(Well, met one of them in South Africa). 

Charleston, South Carolina and Karen.
Working with their regional development team.
Helping them attract international investment.

Conference rooms. Business cards. Formal follow-up emails.
And some zoom calls. 

That was 2016 and 2020. 
Before I'd even heard the term "personal branding."

In October in Madrid, same people, same warmth.
Completely different conversation.

"I've been following your journey," Brian said.

"Watched you leave corporate, build your business, share what you were learning."

We'd never really interacted on LinkedIn.
But he'd been there.

Karen and I connected when she became a client.
I prospected to her via LinkedIn.

Reading. Watching. Understanding who I'd become and what I now help people do.

The meetings I used to chase now come to me.

The credibility I used to establish over multiple touchpoints gets built before we ever speak.

The "are you the right person for this" questions get answered by months of posts they've already read.

Your content is selling you to people you haven't met yet.

And it's re-selling you to people who knew you before.

That's it. That's the whole game.

♻️ Repost if you believe in relationships and LinkedIn.

I don’t start my year on January 1st.  
I start it on December 1st.
 
December is when I get clear.
 
Clear on what actually worked.  
Clear on what drained energy without paying back.  
Clear on what I’m not taking into next year.
 
By the time most people are “starting fresh,”  
My goals were decided in the quiet.
 
December is quieter.  That’s the advantage.
 
What are you cutting before 2026?

📸 - hint at what was past and is coming

I stopped trying to fix my daughter.

And it changed how I run my business.

My daughter is autistic.
She feels the world in a way most people don’t. 
Deeper. Louder. Sharper. 

Sometimes it floors her. Sometimes it floors me.

Every time I watch someone try to squeeze her into a box she was never built for…

…I think about how often founders do the same thing to themselves.

Especially around year two.
Year one is survival mode. 
You’re just trying not to drown.
Year two hits differently.

You suddenly realise the things you were told you “should” do don’t actually work for you. 

Not because you’re lazy. 
Not because you’re doing it wrong. 
Because you’re trying to run your business in a way your nervous system can’t stand.

That offer you dread delivering? 
That marketing tactic that spikes your anxiety? 
That “scalable” model that just scales burnout?
Yeah. That.

You’re allowed to walk away from the stuff that doesn’t fit you.
We forget this: 

Most of us left corporate because we couldn’t breathe in the tiny box they gave us. 

Then we go build… another box.

Watching my daughter move through a world that wasn’t designed with her in mind taught me something I didn’t want to admit:

Difference isn’t a flaw. 
Building around how 𝘺𝘰𝘶 work is a strategy, not a compromise.

Stop copying business models that drain you. 
Stop chasing goals that never felt like yours. 
Stop squeezing yourself into shapes that look “marketable” but feel awful.

What if you built the thing you actually need? 
The way 𝘺𝘰𝘶 need it?

Because the wild thing is… 
The more you honour how you’re built, the more everything else starts lining up.

On your terms. At your pace. No box required.

What did you let go of in year two that didn’t fit anymore?

Helping high performing solos, coaches and consultants win premium B2B/B2C clients with buyer-led selling and AI | Coaches, Consultants, Solos | Social selling for teams |

I stopped trying to build a group program like everyone else.
After 85 live coaching sessions in 
The Client Acquisition Club

It's time to showcase the brilliant work our members do.

And a membership it is, but in the spirit of empowerment and helping others.

I want to put the spotlight on them. 

Often group programs: 

Focus on results .
Promise connection, deliver surface-level interactions.
Are built for engagement, not transformation.

The Client Acquisition Club was designed differently from day one.

No endless networking events. 
Live coaching.

Sales and deal making strategy.
Actual solutions.

Here are just a few of them

Graham - 3D Motion Director
Steffan - Executive Leadership
Evi M. 👣  - Innovation Strategist
Briony - Sustainability Consultant
Joselina - Supply Chain Consultant
Jeff-  Leadership Coach for B2B Teams
Christoph - Executive Mindset Strategist
James - Leadership Coach for Engineers
Phyllis  - AI & Business Strategy Architect
Siobhan - Transformational Business Coach
Angelina - Marketing & Brand Visibility Strategist
Todd - Executive Coach for 8 & 9 figure businesses

All committed to growing their businesses.

All I ask: tag someone in the comments who might be looking for these services.

When we lift each other up, everyone wins.
♻️ Repost to amplify their expertise.

5 myths I stopped believing and everything changed.

1️⃣ "I need more experience before I can charge what I'm worth."

Your corporate background already proves your expertise. Stop underpricing yourself while you "build credibility."

2️⃣ "High-ticket clients expect me to chase them."

Wrong. Premium buyers want to feel chosen, not hunted. Scarcity sells better than availability.

3️⃣ "If I raise my prices, I'll lose all my clients."

You'll lose the wrong ones. The right clients were waiting for you to value yourself properly.

4️⃣ "I need to say yes to every opportunity to build momentum."

Desperation repels high-ticket buyers. Selectivity signals expertise and creates demand.

5️⃣ "Good work speaks for itself."

Silence doesn't sell. 
Your expertise needs a voice, a process
A clear path to transformation.

This isn't about sales tactics.

It's about:
→ How you position your value in the market
→ The boundaries that protect your energy and profits  
→ Systems that turn expertise into predictable revenue
→ Shifting from order-taker to strategic advisor

The gap isn't your experience or your network.

It's the courage to charge what you're worth and the systems to deliver it consistently.

Success is built one confident conversation at a time.

Which myth do you still catch yourself believing?

💾 Save this if you're ready to shift your mindset
♻️ Repost to help other consultants break through
➕ Follow Charlotte Lloyd for more high-ticket strategies

Post inspo from Jay Rahman

I just watched a $400K-a-year coach get 11 views on her last post.

She's brilliant. Her clients get results. 
Her calendar used to be full.

Now she's invisible.

Your biggest competitor isn't another coach. 
It's not even AI.
It's obscurity.

AI can deliver the theory. 
It can write a decent framework. 
It can even mimic your voice if you train it.

But it can't read the room.

❌It can't hear the hesitation when someone says "sounds good" but means "I'm not sure."

❌It can’t catch the moment a premium buyer leans in because you just named the exact thing they’ve never said out loud.  

❌It can’t make another human feel understood in a way that shifts their entire decision.

It can't make someone feel genuinely seen.

That's what premium buyers actually pay for.
Your presence. Your ability to hold a room. 
Your lived thinking.

But none of that matters if nobody knows you exist.

Right now, experts with a decade of mastery are getting ignored…
while AI-generated fluff gets thousands of impressions

Use AI for the heavy lifting. Show up as yourself.

AI can write your content. 
Only you can make people care.

Your expertise means nothing if people scroll past it.

PS. Have you tried OpusClip yet?

We’re in a trust recession. A connection crisis 
Yet you’re still hiding behind text posts? 

Most founders think they need to “learn video.” 
They don’t.

Part 2 with Nausheen in this OpusClip who says
If you’re already posting on LinkedIn, 
you’ve already done the hard part.

Smart entrepreneurs, execs, and consultants hiding behind the keyboard.
They’ll happily use AI to write their posts but won’t show their face.

We’re not just in a trust recession. 
We’re in a connection crisis.
People don’t know what’s real anymore. 

They don’t trust filtered content. They trust 𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘴.
And yes, video 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 get less reach than text. 
But it builds 𝟭𝟬𝘅 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁 with the right people.

Because video isn’t just content. It’s 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗳.
📌 Proof of how you think 
📌 How you speak 
📌 How you handle challenges 
📌 How you carry yourself under pressure

Your clients aren’t buying your words. 

They’re buying 𝘺𝘰𝘶.
And if they can’t see you? 
You’re hitting a ceiling on your credibility, your conversions, and your growth.

Video isn’t optional anymore. 
It’s the fastest path out of the trust recession and into real connection.

Everyone wants inbound magic.  
Few want to master the middle.
 
We’re in a season where “content that sells for you” is the promise.
 
I see it with founders and consultants every week.
 
The desire is real. The content is there. The leads exist.
 
But when you zoom in, the magic breaks in the middle:
 
Leads that say “this looks amazing” and never book.  
DMs that turn into free consulting, not decisions.  
Calls that end with “let me think about it.”  
Follow-up that stops after one polite nudge.
 
And still, the answer everyone sells you is:  
post more, post louder, post everywhere.
 
The part no one markets:
 
Inbound only works when the middle of your sales process is tight.  
That’s where revenue is quietly leaking:
 
→ How you qualify before the call  
→ How you run the conversation  
→ How you handle objections  
→ How you follow up without begging  
→ How you hold your pricing when it gets uncomfortable
 
When you master the middle, content doesn’t have to be magic.  
It just has to be consistent.
 
The result?  Fewer leads.  Cleaner pipeline.  
Higher close rate.  Calmer nervous system.
 
So if you’re posting your heart out and still not fully booked,  you don’t need more reach.
 
You need to fix the middle.
 
What’s the “messy middle” you’ve been avoiding?
 
♻️ Repost if you know someone who doesn’t have a marketing problem
They have a sales system problem.

taplio

The Battle

Joel Blades

Charlotte Lloyd

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance ScoreCharlotte Lloyd's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

taplio

The Battle

Joel Blades

Charlotte Lloyd

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Charlotte Lloyd's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreCharlotte Lloyd's LinkedIn Performance