"I quit my job and I'm working for you now."

This is how Scott Goodfellow began his career with CKG International five years ago.

He was speaking to his father, Ken Goodfellow, the successful realtor who had founded CKG International. The work that he had left was a career in retail management with a chain of men's clothing stores that began after he graduated from high school.

Mr. Goodfellow, Sr. had been in the real estate business for some 25 years before he began coaching agents for an Ottawa company. In 2001, he founded his own coaching company, focusing on dealing with already successful real estate agents and brokers. His son joined the fast-growing company two years later ("I saw it as a good opportunity to grow.") and took over as president when his father retired. CKG International now has 16 employees at the head office in Ottawa and 13 coaches across North America.

Now 30, Scott Goodfellow and his wife Alison have two children, a three-year-old and a one-year-old. As well as being busy with a young family, he keeps in shape lifting weights, playing hockey and competing in triathlons.

What are your main day-to-day responsibilities at CKG International?

Running day-to-day operations, strategic planning, staff leadership, communicating the company's vision and generally making sure that everyone is on track.

Who are the company's major clients?

Our major clients are the top one per cent of realtors in North America. They come to us from a number of different companies. RE/MAX and Century 21 are among our big corporate clients. We have also established partnerships with the Wall Street Journal and Unique Homes magazine.

Have you won any major awards?

CoachVille in the U.S. named CKG International the business coach of the year in 2005.

What are your most recent major achievements?

A personal achievement for me was finishing the Ironman triathlon in Hawaii in 2005.

In January, the company hosted a major event in Scottsville, Ariz., in partnership with the Wall Street Journal and Unique Homes. The top 200 luxury real estate agents in North America attended. This was a major growth in exposure and, consequently, a major development for our company.

What is the company's biggest success?

It is hard to pinpoint one thing, but I would say that it's starting at the top. We've been extremely focused on getting the top one per cent of realtors. That's significant because there's a lot of opportunity to sell out along the way. A lot of coaching companies will coach anyone. Keeping our focus on the top one per cent is what has attracted companies like the Wall Street Journal and Unique Homes.

The average income of our clients starts around $600,000. Through coaching, we have brought their average income up to $1.8 million. That is a mark of the company's success rate.

What was your biggest mistake?

Two years ago, we tried to do brand extension into Internet coaching and diversify into smaller niches. That wasn't successful, so we drew back and focused on what we do best.

Do you have a mentor?

My father. I frequently turn to him for advice.

What is your favourite book?

The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It by Michael E. Gerber. (HarperCollins Canada, 1995. ISBN 0887307280)

What do you like about Ottawa?

I really like outdoor activity, so I spend a ton of time in the Gatineau hills. From a business standpoint, Ottawa is pretty diverse, a government town that is into the high tech sector, too. We don't spend a lot of time in Ottawa, though we do have a few clients here.

What do you dislike about Ottawa?

The weather.

What is your business philosophy?

We want to work with the top people, to uplift the uplifted. It's always easier to coach the people who want to move to the next level and they're the ones who seem to be the most successful.

What is your life philosophy?

You're only limited by what you think. Think big.

What is the state of your industry?

Real estate coaching and training go through ups and downs with the real estate industry, especially in the U.S. It's now on the rebound. The real estate market was so good for seven years that people had all sorts of money to spend on training. Now they realize that they need help with running their businesses. We focus on running real estate like a business. A lot of people start as salespeople, but, once they get to a certain level, they have to start hiring staff and they're not used to being managers. We take those salespeople and turn them into businesspeople.

What is your advice to young businesspeople?

Don't settle for a job. Go after a career with a company or industry you really believe in and stick with it.