We were lucky to catch up with Paula T Webb PhD recently and have shared our conversation below.

Paula, appreciate you joining us today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

The mission of my approach is simple. Give people personal service, but more importantly, give them something of substance. Meaning, countless people today have a blog or comment on social media every day, many times using one- or two-liner statements. One- or two-liners that say nothing, except to get the people writing them more views. That in my opinion, hurts more than helps because once someone reads those short phrases, which initially sound very good, they try to use those quotes in their lives, but realize they are nothing more than marketing sound-bytes. There is nothing behind them, but more marketing written/spoken only to sell a product. Yes I am here to sell my products and services, but not everyone wants to buy something in that moment. You have to know when someone is simply seeking an answer to their question…and be willing to give that answer without any thought of repayment. This is how you build a business, but most importantly, your reputation in whatever field you work in. And that is my mission. To make sure everyone who contacts me walks away feeling better for having talked with me.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

When I was in grade school, my father and I would pick stocks each week in the newspaper, and then keep track of them. It was the original form of “paper” or “simulated” trading that traders today perform before they begin trading with real money. Paper trading was great fun to share this with my father who worked long hours at Mobil Chemical as one of their engineers; his time was valuable and I treasure the time he spent with me teaching me how to read the stock market. He was a self-taught man who also held several patents for his chemical lacquers which were used with all kinds of metals, whether for food or industrial purposes. That was my first exposure to trading. During my tenure at the University of Pittsburgh with my major in Liberal Arts, I got a smattering of education in business, but never felt that I wanted to be good at just one “business” job because I felt that would be too limiting. So I also took courses that had nothing to do with the business world per se, but gave me a more well-rounded approach to determining what I might want to do as a career. After college I moved to Chicago and my first job was as Administrative Assistant to the Vice President at the MidAmerica Commodity Exchange. The MidAm was the first exchange to offer mini contracts, and although it was a futures exchange (meaning versus a stock exchange), fundamentally, trading is trading. The main difference is that trading futures/commodities involves higher risk financially. So I began my career in the investment world learning how the exchanges work from the inside out. During those few years I advanced to managing the entire floor operations at the MidAm, and met quite a few traders as well. Some were very good, and some were, not so good. But what I learned from them was how to think for myself, and not just what anyone else, including any boss, told me. In the early 1980s I decided to try my hand at trading and took a job on the trading floor as a runner (taking orders into the trading pits), and then a phone clerk (taking orders via telephone from brokerage firms), while learning how to create a tic chart, analyze those charts, and learn a number of different trading systems (programs designed to help traders choose where to put trades on/off), and then learning how to trade for myself. It was a fascinating time for me, and it was then I knew this was where I belonged. Along the way, I listened to all the traders I knew, watched how they traded, and asked questions especially when they had losing days. What I learned most was when they had losing days, they were at their best. And that took a very specific mindset and unique set of mental skills. This led to a meeting with Mark Douglas who was a retail broker and was also trading for himself. Our two perspectives became the foundation for creating the field of Trading Psychology, a concept, rather a specific set of mental skills (unique mindset) for traders which previously never existed. Our new field moved forward with our first two books “The Disciplined Trader™” and “Trading in the Zone™” both of which continue to be the industry standards for all traders, Amazon all-time best sellers, and published in over 10 languages world-wide. I continue to host live workshops, one-on-one coaching to traders of all levels of expertise, write new books; all of which is my passion. When traders see the light and increase their equity after working with me, it truly is a magnificent feeling that I made a difference for someone. And isn’t that what all of us seek in life? I am very proud of my books, and my personal approach to educating traders along their path of self-realization to achieve their goals. Every single trader who chooses to work with me receives personal assistance, discretion, and a desire on my part to make sure they know what they need to do to achieve their dreams of financial independence. If you are seeking to increase your financial situation, whether you trade or not, feel free to contact me and get started on your path to personal security.

Can you talk to us about how you funded your business?

Even though we began our business in the late 1980s and grew it to a six-figure corporation by 1991, the way we began still holds for today’s new businesses. Here’s why. In the late 1980s there was no Internet. Everything was done via telephone, regular mail, fax, and in-person meetings. So, there was a connection to humanity that was a solid given. Most people still had a brick & mortar office, hardly anyone worked from home because there was no internet, so clients could really only find you at an office. With that said, we started our empire with the “bootstrap” method. This is an old-fashioned phrase from a time where men of lesser financial means wore a generally-sized set of boots (meaning not a specific size) that had straps to keep them from falling off/down because the boots were normally too large. Of course, those men with more money had their boots custom fitted, and therefore the straps were not needed. The phrase comes from an attitude that people with wealth who could afford custom boots were the only ones who could succeed at business. Anyone with bootstraps was considered poor and not as educated. So to build a business with the “bootstrap” method means you did something outrageous, preposterous, and what no one else thought could be done. Even in today’s world of instant communications/connections, anyone, anywhere in the U.S. can still become wealthy with even the most modest beginnings. That’s what we did in the late 1980s – we took an unknown idea/concept and built it into a worldwide reputation. After my business partner/husband Mark Douglas passed away unexpectedly in 2015, I had to do it all over again because I lost everything we had built, to theft of our intellectual property through internet piracy. Today, almost eight years later, after a few years of struggling, I can say that 2022 was the best year I have had so far financially. So, you can start with nothing, and you can build an empire – more than once.  I am living proo!  That mindset, still works today.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

That’s easy. Personal service. I am one of the very few people in my industry – that continue to answer their own phone and talk directly to potential clients. Of course I have staff including a receptionist, but all potential client calls are managed by me. Why? Because I am the only one who knows, intrinsically, what I provide and how. And there isn’t really anyone else (yet – although we are ramping up our new Trading Psychology franchise department), that has the patience and experience, to be able to answer the myriad of questions that any potential and current client may have. Many people/traders today have no idea of what it’s like to speak with a real person who cares about their product, and not just talking to staff giving a sales pitch trying to make a sale. A lot of times a potential client will not make a purchase, but I know they went away feeling good because I took the time to speak with them. And that is how you build a brand, expand your client base, create good will and a top-notch reputation in any field of business.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.paulatwebb.com
• Instagram: Trading Mindset Guru
• Facebook: Trading Mindset Guru
• Twitter: _tradermindset_

Image Credits
Paula T Webb, Canstock Photos