Benefits of Entrepreneurship (James Dooley Chats With Craig Campbell)

James Dooley: Benefits of entrepreneurship. Today I'm joined with Craig Campbell, and we are going to be talking about the advantages of being an entrepreneur.

Craig Campbell, let's jump straight in. What do you think is a benefit of being an entrepreneur?

Craig Campbell: Freedom. The freedom to be creative, do what you want and try different things is a big benefit for me.

You are always looking for new things, like yourself, getting involved in different stuff. You get freedom and the ability to do what you like, test things, get involved in things that go exceptionally well and enjoy the process. I think that is one thing we both probably like doing. We like trying unusual ideas, and I think it is a lot of fun. Freedom is a big part as well. I learned from a young age that I was not employable. People telling me what to do, when to do it and how to do it just rubbed me up the wrong way. Entrepreneurship gives you freedom and lets you control your own path. What about you?

James Dooley: For me, a massive benefit is innovation.

You are not stuck in a nine-to-five job being told what to do and forced to follow fixed processes and systems. You can create those processes and systems. You can push boundaries and decide how far you want to take things based on your own risk tolerance. The innovation side is huge for me, and it is one of the main reasons why I am drawn to entrepreneurship.

Craig Campbell: I agree. When people give you processes or answers, who is to say they are right?

There is always someone trying to do it better, quicker, faster or more efficiently. In the AI world now, we know we can create graphics quicker and build websites quicker. I enjoy all of that. We were speaking off air about Claude and what we are doing with it. You are doing it slightly differently to me. I do not know who is doing it the best way or the right way. I have learned my way, and you have learned your way. You can take ideas from each other, and I enjoy hearing how other people approach things. It makes me think about whether my way is wrong, whether someone else is doing it better or faster, and what the quickest way is.

James Dooley: In your example, I think both ways work well. There are so many ways to do it.

I am happy with my process and you are happy with yours. Both of us have scaled 10 times compared to what we used to be able to do. It is pretty scary what can be done now. Another massive benefit for me is networking. Being able to network with other entrepreneurs and see how they think is huge. Sometimes you sit there fascinated by how someone else’s brain works, and then other people say the same about you. Being able to network with other entrepreneurs and understand how they think is one of the biggest benefits for me.

Craig Campbell: I love it.

We have both been to many conferences and met people from different cultures, as well as people locally. Take Gary, for example. He sold up in marketing, took his marketing skills and applied them to a different niche. You see that and think it is amazing. In his industry, many people are dinosaurs from a marketing perspective. That is how he was able to go in and take it by storm. Something clicked in his head, and he saw an opportunity to generate a huge number of leads. I love hearing things like that. I also love hearing how you make money compared to how I make money, how Gary makes money and how other people we have met in America, Thailand and everywhere in between make money. Sometimes you hear an idea and realise you are missing a trick. Someone else is making money doing something, and you can either be jealous of them or apply that lesson to your own business. It might not even be the same business. You might look at what someone is doing in property and then apply that thinking to another niche. There is a niche I am in right now, but I do not want to say what niche it is on a podcast because everyone will jump into it. I am applying all my knowledge, skills and experience into another niche outside SEO, and it is moving really fast and going really well. I love hearing what other people are doing and what niches they are involved in. Every time you talk to someone, they are doing something and you think, “How did I not think of that?”

James Dooley: Some of the niches people are in are so funny. Sometimes you do not even realise something is a niche.

Craig Campbell: I know. I have asked people on podcasts before what the strangest niche is that they have been involved in.

In our industry, anal bleaching was one. I think Holly Starks was doing haemorrhoid cream before as well. You look at the search volume and realise there is a lot there. I love hearing things like that because my brain does not naturally think that way.

James Dooley: That was for you. I was doing the research for you.

Craig Campbell: I love hearing how other people do it and what niches they are in.

Years ago, Gary was doing affiliate, and I was doing affiliate too. I have told this story many times, but I did it in the golf niche. Golf was very seasonal. It did well from March to October, then sales dropped off a cliff. My average order value from Amazon was about £20. Gary was doing diesel generators, and I thought, “Why are you doing old generators?” Then he told me the starting price was around £1,200. It was a niche market with huge search volume, and I learned something from that conversation. Why spend the same money, content, links, time and effort promoting a product with a £20 average order value when you could promote a product worth £200 or £2,000? I was probably spending what I was earning on the golf site, so I was not growing fast. He was also involved in hunting scopes. I asked where he came up with these ideas because I had never been into hunting or generators. You just do not know what you do not know. That conversation changed my mindset. It taught me to look for higher-ticket items.

James Dooley: Another thing people talk about with entrepreneurship is financial freedom.

A lot of people list financial freedom as a major advantage, but there is so much risk involved. It can take years to reach financial freedom. Sometimes I would say the finances and the risk are almost one of the negative parts of entrepreneurship. What are your thoughts on it being seen as a major advantage?

Craig Campbell: Overall, if you are secure and have some money, you can relax more and you are not under as much pressure.

So there are big advantages to it. But there are disadvantages too. In the niche I am in now, I am probably losing money at the moment. A lot of people are not prepared to do that. They do not want that level of risk. I am unknown in that niche. Nobody knows who I am or what I do. I have to build my profile again in a niche I do not fully understand yet. The only way I can build that following is by losing money at the start. I need to be present, consistent and visible. People say I am crazy, but that is how you build an audience. There is a big risk involved, but I know from marketing that the long-term goal is to build a big following and then monetise it properly later. Some suppliers in that niche think I am out of my mind because I am doing high-value giveaways. But I am giving things away because it attracts more people. There is always a risk. We could all fall flat on our faces, but in my head, I know how to grow it quickly. You have to put out before you get back. Experience allows me to do that, but there is still a big risk in cash, time and effort. Generating more cash, more cash flow and more exposure turns into more money, but everything in life is a gamble.

James Dooley: What about job creation, job satisfaction and helping clients grow?

For me, that is probably the number one benefit of entrepreneurship. I love seeing clients grow to another level and being able to create jobs that were not there before. You can innovate, create a new system or enter a new industry and take it to the next level. For me, that is the biggest benefit. I love being able to create something, see it come to fulfilment and feel proud of it.

Craig Campbell: I am also doing something that I have not really shared publicly.

I am involved in an AI company. There is a younger guy involved who is the AI specialist. I do not claim to be that guy. I am helping him grow, and we are also helping companies grow. We do not just want to sell a service. We can be a growth partner. That might involve automation. It does not have to be SEO automation. It could be invoicing automation, AI receptionist automation or other business processes. I want to see businesses grow, and I know how to help businesses grow. We can reduce spend on staff using automation, and I think it is a great time to be doing that. The long-term goal is to help businesses and also help younger, hungrier, faster and more efficient partners grow. We are getting on a bit, and our brains probably cannot absorb as much anymore. I love helping younger people and helping businesses grow. In that business, I will leverage the following and experience I already have. I am not saying I am going to leave SEO completely, because of course I am not. But I want to help other people and businesses grow using technology. It is not just about SEO, website creation or graphic design. There is so much more to it. You are doing podcast distribution and everything else. If you were doing manually what you are doing now with podcasts, it would probably take five staff members. That is what we want to take to other businesses. Even in 2026, some businesses are still in the dark ages. Some do not even have a website or a Google Business Profile. They do not have the basics in place. Applying what is available now through automation is what that business will be about. There is money on the table, and it is a massive market, but it is also about helping younger people grow too. I want to make money, but I also want to help other people along the way. It is not just about cash for me now. It is about the right opportunity at the right time. When I was negotiating to become a partner in that business, I said it was not just about money for me anymore. We are all at a crossroads. In the SEO space, we do not know whether we have five years, three years, one year or six months before things change heavily. You have to embrace change and use it to your advantage. For me, I am trying to use it to supercharge existing staff and take things to the next level. If you do not innovate, you evaporate.

James Dooley: Between us two old dogs, we need to make sure we are innovating.

Craig Campbell: Exactly. We are trying to keep up and hanging on to other people’s coattails.

I enjoy that. Our whole lives have been about trying to learn, keep up and adapt. It is no different now. You have to embrace it and not be scared of it.

James Dooley: For sure.

I hope you liked the video about the benefits of entrepreneurship. Make sure you check out the link in the description. We also go through the disadvantages and negatives of entrepreneurship. It is good to have a balanced opinion and see both sides. Craig Campbell, it has been an absolute pleasure.

Craig Campbell: Thank you.