Latest / Abundant + Aligned / $800k in 10 months. Let's talk about how it's done, with Niamh Whiley; Founder of Aligned Allied Health

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$800k in 10 months. Let's talk about how it's done, with Niamh Whiley; Founder of Aligned Allied Health · Abundant + Aligned

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: Hello everyone and welcome back to the Abundant and Align podcast.
• 0:03
  SPEAKER_00: I am so excited for you to listen to today's conversation.
• 0:07
  SPEAKER_00: It is the most perfect blend of mindset and focused work, the kind that's required to build a business to seven figures, but also the hard work.
• 0:19
  SPEAKER_00: And today's episode really does confirm what it takes to build a business with the kind of success that you're going to hear about today.
• 0:29
  SPEAKER_00: But we will get to that.
• 0:30
  SPEAKER_00: Today I am joined by a past client and a female founder.
• 0:35
  SPEAKER_00: Neave is the founder of Aligned, Allied Health, and Aligned and Well, which is a new online platform for physical and psychological well-being, giving women access to evidence-based tools, expert support, and weekly guidance from accredited therapists.
• 0:52
  SPEAKER_00: Neave started her business in July 2024 with only$2,000 in the bank and no clients and a brand new mortgage and scaled it to 800K in 10 months.
• 1:06
  SPEAKER_00: She is now in the second year of that business and is on track for seven figures.
• 1:12
  SPEAKER_00: That's what we call it quantumly.
• 1:14
  SPEAKER_00: And in this episode, in particular, we unpack what those first 10 months actually looked like in her business behind the scenes.
• 1:23
  SPEAKER_00: The uncomfortable moves that she had to make in order to create a success of that kind, the self-sacrifice, the pressure, and the personal cost that can be behind a vast success.
• 1:35
  SPEAKER_00: And what building a business from the ground up really takes.
• 1:39
  SPEAKER_00: As I've mentioned, I love the combination that we have within this episode becoming the woman you need to be, but also putting in the work.
• 1:48
  SPEAKER_00: So let's get into today's episode with Neve, and I know you guys will love this one.
• 1:54
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to the Abundant and Align podcast, a place where you will come to realize anything that you desire is possible.
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_00: I'm Jess, a mindset and business coach, and I'm on a mission to lead women to a life far from average.
• 2:07
  SPEAKER_00: In this show, you can expect conversations around manifestation, subconscious reprogramming, entrepreneurship, and the daily habits of a woman living a life that is both successful and fun.
• 2:18
  SPEAKER_00: Imagine a TED talk, but over wine.
• 2:21
  SPEAKER_00: My wish for you is that you experience an unlimited flow of money, a business that attracts your dream clients, and the freedom to spend your time how you choose.
• 2:30
  SPEAKER_00: And if you stick with me, that will soon be your reality.
• 2:33
  SPEAKER_00: I'm honored to be on the journey with you, so let's get into it.
• 2:37
  SPEAKER_00: I'm really excited for this one.
• 2:38
  SPEAKER_00: I feel like I say that about every episode.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_00: You know, you love your job and you're like, I'm excited! Here we go again.
• 2:43
  SPEAKER_00: I'm excited.
• 2:45
  SPEAKER_00: But I have a female founder with me today who is also a past client of mine.
• 2:50
  SPEAKER_00: We connected a few years ago, and she has been on absolute fire since us working together, and I'm really excited to have her in the studio today just to share about her growth.
• 3:02
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm really excited for this conversation because I was thinking about putting up a post this morning, and I'm gonna kind of direct our episode that way today.
• 3:11
  SPEAKER_00: We live in a very weird world right now.
• 3:13
  SPEAKER_00: People are either winning or they're losing, and that's the reality of it.
• 3:16
  SPEAKER_00: And of course, I want every woman in business to be winning, and I want you to be making money and celebrating your wins and feeling the momentum.
• 3:24
  SPEAKER_00: And this post is gonna say if you're not winning in your business, you need to get around winners.
• 3:30
  SPEAKER_00: And this episode is bringing you a winner because again, the growth that we've ex that we've seen in in this business is really going to show you that yes, the world's effed up right now, but people are still winning, and it's so beautiful to hear that inspiration and know that things are still working.
• 3:46
  SPEAKER_00: So, Neve, welcome to the Abundant Airline podcast.
• 3:49
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, thank you so much for having me on here.
• 3:52
  SPEAKER_00: I'm so excited to catch up with you today.
• 3:54
  SPEAKER_00: We'll before we hit record, we were just saying it's been a couple of years since we worked together, and Neam sent through a bit of a summary in terms of what the last two years has looked like, and you've been busy.
• 4:05
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, God, it feels like that too.
• 4:07
  SPEAKER_01: I wish well, it's a combination, isn't it?
• 4:09
  SPEAKER_01: It's like time flies to say that it's almost been two years.
• 4:12
  SPEAKER_01: You're like, surely not, but at the same time, I'm like, you know, it feels like I've packed in some bits there.
• 4:17
  SPEAKER_01: I feel like I've aged 10 years, so that's good too.
• 4:19
  SPEAKER_00: Well, to give you guys some some perspective, you launched your business in 2024 and within 10 months scaled the revenue to 800,000 and then went on to building out a seven-figure business.
• 4:34
  SPEAKER_00: That is what we call a quantum leap, and I'm absolutely here for this.
• 4:37
  SPEAKER_00: So I want to go back.
• 4:38
  SPEAKER_00: So you launched the business in 2024 and scaled the revenue to 800,000 in 10 months.
• 4:44
  SPEAKER_00: What did that 10 months look like in your life, in your business?
• 4:48
  SPEAKER_00: How?
• 4:48
  SPEAKER_00: How did you make that happen?
• 4:50
  SPEAKER_01: No, it's always interesting because I think even hearing it, it does sound amazing.
• 4:54
  SPEAKER_01: Like if I heard anyone else, I'd be like, that is the biggest manifestation.
• 4:57
  SPEAKER_01: Well done to them.
• 4:58
  SPEAKER_01: And I think for myself, I did.
• 5:00
  SPEAKER_01: Like I will be so honest, I'm very into that sort of thing.
• 5:03
  SPEAKER_01: So I put it down as a goal.
• 5:05
  SPEAKER_01: I think more from a self thing.
• 5:07
  SPEAKER_01: Like I thought, okay, if I can reach this, it means I'm good in business, it means I'm doing a good job.
• 5:12
  SPEAKER_01: It's a legitimate thing.
• 5:14
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but to be honest, I wasn't constantly thinking about that, I guess.
• 5:18
  SPEAKER_01: It it's kind of just one thing led to another.
• 5:21
  SPEAKER_01: I didn't even really want to start a business, as silly as that sounds.
• 5:24
  SPEAKER_01: Like, I really just I am a mental health therapist, really wanted to focus on being the best in my field.
• 5:29
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and the job I had at the time wouldn't allow me to.
• 5:32
  SPEAKER_01: And so I was like, oh fuck it, oh pardon.
• 5:34
  SPEAKER_01: I was like, screw it, like I'll that wasn't better.
• 5:37
  SPEAKER_01: I just decided I would take a leap and literally with no backing, I just signed my very first deal, like a deal house.
• 5:46
  SPEAKER_01: I just bought a house for like not my entire savings.
• 5:50
  SPEAKER_01: I had like two grand left in the bank.
• 5:51
  SPEAKER_01: I had lied to the bank saying I had this massive senior job that I just quit.
• 5:55
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and was like, cool, I have a month probably to make this work.
• 5:59
  SPEAKER_01: And at that time it was just trying to take on any work.
• 6:01
  SPEAKER_01: So I did a lot of contracting.
• 6:03
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and then I think it just kind of clicked like I will say that 10 months I was busy.
• 6:08
  SPEAKER_01: Like my business was everything, really.
• 6:11
  SPEAKER_01: My my relationships kind of took a bit of a back seat, I'll be really honest.
• 6:14
  SPEAKER_01: Myself probably took a bit of a back seat, but also to say that that was a bad thing, I can't.
• 6:20
  SPEAKER_01: Like it was I was so purpose-driven.
• 6:21
  SPEAKER_01: I loved it.
• 6:22
  SPEAKER_01: Like it was my everything as well, and I didn't care about anything else, too.
• 6:26
  SPEAKER_01: And I guess that's what the numbers show as well.
• 6:29
  SPEAKER_01: But I think one thing just led to another.
• 6:30
  SPEAKER_01: I created a as a company in August 2024, and then yeah, it's first financial year, it it hit 800,000, which is insane for a business to kind of make in its first year with a really great profit as well.
• 6:42
  SPEAKER_00: That's massive.
• 6:43
  SPEAKER_00: You mentioned before you went in with a bit and bit of an idea for a financial goal, but that wasn't what was really driving you.
• 6:50
  SPEAKER_00: And I would love to actually dive into that because I know there are a lot of women in business who want to be making more money in their business, but they are often wanting it way too much and making everything they do about the financial goal, and they end up suffocating it.
• 7:05
  SPEAKER_00: So, how did you balance?
• 7:06
  SPEAKER_00: Obviously, to make 800,000 in 10 months, money was on the agenda, whether it was a conscious decision or not, energetically, you were tuned into that kind of money.
• 7:17
  SPEAKER_00: However, how did you kind of balance that out?
• 7:20
  SPEAKER_00: How did you want it, but not to the point where you were suffocating it and being super attached to it?
• 7:24
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I think, as you said, it's still a goal.
• 7:27
  SPEAKER_01: I think having an abundance goal is a great thing, it aligns you with where it is.
• 7:31
  SPEAKER_01: But I think if we keep focusing on it, that's where that scarcity mindset comes in massively too.
• 7:37
  SPEAKER_01: And this is a new learning for myself as well.
• 7:38
  SPEAKER_01: I've just launched a new business and again have a goal for it, and I started seeing myself constantly checking it and then being like, oh my god, why haven't I hit it?
• 7:46
  SPEAKER_01: And then because of that, there's kind of that fear.
• 7:49
  SPEAKER_01: I'm not I'm not being excited and passionate about it, I'm not putting myself out there as much.
• 7:54
  SPEAKER_01: And so I think when I had that as a goal, it was very much a goal of where I wanted to be, but it was far away, like that was my 12-month goal.
• 8:03
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and then it was really around, okay, for somebody who is accessing this, what do they do?
• 8:08
  SPEAKER_01: And that's really what I focused on was more about like who is that person and what do they do?
• 8:12
  SPEAKER_01: And if I already knew that that's what I was making, which now you know, like me as I am now, what does she do?
• 8:19
  SPEAKER_01: How does she feel?
• 8:20
  SPEAKER_01: And that was great because it became a little bit of an alter ego, and it still is today.
• 8:24
  SPEAKER_01: Like whenever I go into business meetings or into trying to do marketing stuff, I just kind of flip that alter ego on, and it's this person that walks in already knowing that she's kind of achieved it.
• 8:34
  SPEAKER_01: And so for me, it was taking taking the amount, I guess, off a pedestal and more thinking, like, okay, I've already achieved it, but like what does that really look like?
• 8:45
  SPEAKER_01: Because I do hate when people say this, like just act like she is, and I'm like, oh, how the fuck do I know what that is?
• 8:50
  SPEAKER_01: But you write out that list, and you were so profound in me understanding that.
• 8:54
  SPEAKER_01: Like, okay, what are those actual steps though?
• 8:57
  SPEAKER_01: Like, who is she?
• 8:58
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and those were the really strategic things.
• 9:00
  SPEAKER_01: Like, I was like, well, of course you'd be going out and doing business meetings, of course you put money into marketing, of course you would be going out and getting no's because again it's a numbers game for every 100 no's, I get one big yes, and that's awesome.
• 9:13
  SPEAKER_01: And so I think it it was so much less about the financial goal.
• 9:18
  SPEAKER_01: I put that out there, and it was so much about just aligning with all the actions to build a business.
• 9:24
  SPEAKER_01: And honestly, saying yes to everything, and I am doing that again.
• 9:27
  SPEAKER_01: I think when you really put yourself out there, you need to release the fact of knowing how it will happen because it just won't happen the way you think it will.
• 9:36
  SPEAKER_01: I think just going out there and being so open to opportunities and saying yes to everything, because even if that conversation that I had didn't lead necessarily to sales, the connection that drove it or the opportunity speaking with someone did.
• 9:51
  SPEAKER_01: And so, yeah, I think it's less about the financial thing, more about the embodiment, and then really just putting all those actions into place to the point that you kind of forget about the money goal, to be honest.
• 10:00
  SPEAKER_01: It's not until I reflected back and I was like, oh shit, yeah, like I've achieved it.
• 10:04
  SPEAKER_01: How awesome.
• 10:05
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but at the time I was just running rant with those actions.
• 10:08
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, which I want to split this apart because there is the mindset element to this, but then there's also the hard work that you poured into building a business of this size in the time frame that you did.
• 10:18
  SPEAKER_00: But when it comes to the mindset, you've absolutely hit the nail on the head.
• 10:22
  SPEAKER_00: When we pull it down from the pedestal and really start to show up as if it is done, there is such a big difference energetically, but also in terms of the action steps that we are taking.
• 10:31
  SPEAKER_00: And I think so many women haven't realized how much they have put any financial goal on the pedestal.
• 10:37
  SPEAKER_00: And when we do that, there is separation between where we are now and that financial goal, and when there's separation, we're still living in lack.
• 10:44
  SPEAKER_00: It doesn't matter how often you're meditating, how many reach outs you're doing, how hard you are working, if the goal is separate to you, there is a part of you that's still living in lack, and you'll manifest circumstances that are on the lack frequency.
• 10:59
  SPEAKER_00: So I absolutely love that you've really taken on this new identity when you come into your business and made every decision, every move, every leap, really in accordance with this is already done.
• 11:10
  SPEAKER_00: This is not something I'm pursuing, it's not something I'm working towards, this is already done.
• 11:14
  SPEAKER_00: And that takes a lot of courage.
• 11:16
  SPEAKER_00: I'm sure there were many scary decisions, financial decisions that you had to make, but also big leaps that just logically scared the shit out of you because on paper it was very it was a silly move, and I've done that many times in my business.
• 11:30
  SPEAKER_00: Often didn't even tell anybody about it because it was so ridiculous what I was about to do, but I just had to jump and trust that it would fully work out.
• 11:38
  SPEAKER_00: Um so what was the biggest leap from memory that you made, or the scariest thing you did in that moment in your business that really did pay off, and you fully just had to trust that it was going to work out?
• 11:51
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, I guess the inception of it was a massive leap.
• 11:53
  SPEAKER_01: Like I'd never own a business, had no marketing experience, had had nothing.
• 11:58
  SPEAKER_01: Like I grew up rurally, business background wasn't a massive thing in my family at all, or not successful ones.
• 12:05
  SPEAKER_01: The inception of it was massive.
• 12:07
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and then probably the next thing from there was also hiring, which again was so foreign for me.
• 12:12
  SPEAKER_01: And at the time I was hiring an employee one month after we became a company.
• 12:16
  SPEAKER_01: I had no clinic space, I had no idea how to do zero payroll, I had no idea about like any sort of employee benefits, nothing.
• 12:25
  SPEAKER_01: And again, I was like wait taking on somebody else's now being responsible for their livelihood as well.
• 12:30
  SPEAKER_01: And that means I have to, like, there was this component of me that was always like, you know, if the business doesn't work out, it's fine, it only impacts me and I'll try again.
• 12:39
  SPEAKER_01: But for me, hiring someone, I was like, right, it doesn't quite make sense yet, like I can still manage it myself.
• 12:45
  SPEAKER_01: But if we want to grow this into something bigger, I need to start delegating already and focus on it as if it's kind of a CEO matrix in my head.
• 12:53
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but that was a really scary jump because I was also like, wait, what if I can't pay someone's wages?
• 12:58
  SPEAKER_01: Or what if they are responsible, like I'm responsible for them?
• 13:01
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so that was massive, but to be honest, then I did it, and that was exactly the point in time that my business started growing rapidly to like having someone there and then me focusing more on marketing and doing a bit more BD led to more clients, which led to more growth, which led to just helping people so much more.
• 13:17
  SPEAKER_01: And then probably the next thing after that was a clinic space, like a physical space that was, you know, a number each month that I was fixed to and locked into.
• 13:28
  SPEAKER_01: And at the time we were doing a lot of mobile community work, but something in me was like, this makes a lot of sense, move towards this, create a community space people can come into, and it's now something that all of our clients and our team just love being a part of.
• 13:42
  SPEAKER_01: But at the time made no sense.
• 13:44
  SPEAKER_01: But each of those steps each time have worked out, and I think that's the scariest bit is that it feels fixed, but each time I had to be like, okay, no, again, I'm not coming from where I am now, I'm coming from this point in the future, and now I just have to make that work.
• 13:59
  SPEAKER_01: And each time it's worked out better than expected and been so it's been such a great catalyst, I guess.
• 14:04
  SPEAKER_00: There's a bit of a theme coming out of your story, having moments where you've created urgency.
• 14:09
  SPEAKER_00: And I don't think that there's a lot of women in business who want more, but there's no urgency behind it, and often we do need to add some pressure into our lives.
• 14:20
  SPEAKER_00: When we have staff to pay, you have to get up and make the money to pay their bill, like to pay their wage because they have bills to pay.
• 14:28
  SPEAKER_00: When you have a clinic space or an office space, you have rent to pay.
• 14:32
  SPEAKER_00: When you're in an in uh a mentorship and that investment's coming out of your account every month, you've got to make sure it's there.
• 14:37
  SPEAKER_00: I think some people sit in the comfort zone for too long desiring change, but they're not coming into that desire with enough urgency.
• 14:46
  SPEAKER_00: And they're like, one day it will happen, it's inevitable, and they're kind of just still in this waiting energy.
• 14:52
  SPEAKER_00: So I think often we do need to make decisions that will add some pressure so that we have no choice but to make this work, and the bigger the pressure, the higher the standard, the bigger the revenue usually is the case.
• 15:05
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so I absolutely love this.
• 15:07
  SPEAKER_00: Now, look, I mean we've kind of gone between the mindset and what it actually looked like to start up a business and and reach that income level, but I just want to focus on you a little bit more.
• 15:17
  SPEAKER_00: The woman behind the brand, you've been a client in my world, you know this is something that I will talk about forever and a day.
• 15:25
  SPEAKER_00: Your business will only grow as far as you do.
• 15:28
  SPEAKER_00: And again, growing a company to 800k in 10 months says so much about you, and I'm never disregarding the amount of hard work that goes into creating success of that kind, but you would not have been able to attract that sum of money, grow the business in the way that you did, unless you were the person who could actually do something like that.
• 15:47
  SPEAKER_00: So I would love to pull back the curtain.
• 15:50
  SPEAKER_00: What do or did your routines look like?
• 15:53
  SPEAKER_00: What were you doing behind the scenes on your mindset?
• 15:55
  SPEAKER_00: What, yeah, what personal growth were you doing for that kind of income to come through?
• 16:01
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I think it's so interesting because I'm such a believer, obviously, why I was a student of yours too, that mindset is kind of the foundational element of anything, and especially in business, and I think as women as well, I there's a large amount of confidence and self-esteem attached to it.
• 16:19
  SPEAKER_01: For me, I actually never really experienced self-esteem issues or or confidence issues until I had my business, and even now I tie a lot of it to it, and so doing the work on myself means that I then am able to show up the best way in my business.
• 16:36
  SPEAKER_01: Um, the routine that I was having, like I've always had a pretty good routine, sometimes a little bit too regimented, but I am religious on starting the day intentionally just as you want to go out.
• 16:46
  SPEAKER_01: Like if you're snoozing an alarm, you're not putting yourself first to move your body, those sorts of foundational elements, you're not gonna bring that sort of energy.
• 16:55
  SPEAKER_01: You're not, you know, if you're not getting up with a winner mindset, you're not starting the day as a winner.
• 16:59
  SPEAKER_01: And to me, I think the biggest win is turning off an alarm when you don't feel like it, getting up, exercising and moving your body for yourself because you know even though the benefit isn't there today, it's gonna be there in a month's time.
• 17:12
  SPEAKER_01: Um, cooking healthy food, all of those sorts of things.
• 17:16
  SPEAKER_01: That's always been a routine.
• 17:17
  SPEAKER_01: I religiously get up at 5 a.m.
• 17:19
  SPEAKER_01: at the moment, I go to the gym, I do a quick walk with my partner, I then go have a healthy breakfast, and then I start my day at sort of 8:30.
• 17:28
  SPEAKER_01: And for me, all of that is so important because one, it's not rushed, two, it's intentional, it's doing some hard things that are commitments to myself that don't have immediate returns but will later in the future, and it's sticking to my word because I said I was gonna do it and therefore I have.
• 17:42
  SPEAKER_01: And all of those things I then bring into business.
• 17:45
  SPEAKER_01: So it sounds so silly, but I am always like, well, if I snooze the alarm, then it means you know, in business I'm also not showing up.
• 17:51
  SPEAKER_01: Like if I'm so easy to do that to myself, then I would be easy to do that to a client or a business meeting.
• 17:57
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but that routine also allows me to then have an element of time that I am.
• 18:02
  SPEAKER_01: I'll admit at the moment when I'm a bit busier, I am not always taking the time and space that I need to for my self-development growth in terms of I love visualization, I love writing out those limiting beliefs that pop up, and I can already see them starting up again for myself.
• 18:18
  SPEAKER_01: And so now I'm going back to that mindset of okay, sitting down and creating space for 20 minutes is so important.
• 18:24
  SPEAKER_01: It's like as important as a business meeting because I need to get on top of these shitty beliefs that are rearing their head, so that again, when I'm in my day in work, I am doing all the things so confidently rather than procrastinating, rather than hesitating on sending that email, rather than not putting all my energy into new marketing and being so shameless doing it because I have those limiting beliefs coming up.
• 18:49
  SPEAKER_01: And so I think that's why it's so important as well, it's managing ourselves so that we feel so worthy and so confident, and then the way that translates into our everyday is that we don't procrastinate.
• 19:00
  SPEAKER_01: We do that thing with so much joy.
• 19:02
  SPEAKER_01: One of your teachings that I absolutely love, and I now also spurred it, but it's kind of like, for example, if you're sending an email to a prospective person you want to be in business with or you want to do something with, rather than being there like, oh my god, I wonder what they're gonna respond, or send the email being so excited, like holy shit, yeah, we're gonna work together.
• 19:21
  SPEAKER_01: This is amazing, send it.
• 19:23
  SPEAKER_01: And I think that's been so profound for me is really trying to create that joy and that mindset from anything that I do, starting with my morning routine all the way through to when I'm in work mode.
• 19:34
  SPEAKER_00: I love this so much, and you spoke a lot there about self-trust, and as you've mentioned, trusting yourself to follow through on the things you said you were going to do, and that does compound in so many ways.
• 19:46
  SPEAKER_00: It could be I said I would get up at 5 a.m.
• 19:49
  SPEAKER_00: even though I was tired, I followed through and did it.
• 19:52
  SPEAKER_00: That follows through to sending that email and put pitching yourself or going to that BD appointment, even when you didn't feel like it just has this flow-on effect when you trust that you will show up for yourself, you show up for yourself, and when you show up for yourself, things do show up for you, and that's just how this gets to unfold.
• 20:10
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so I absolutely love that.
• 20:12
  SPEAKER_00: And you're speaking there too about the habits that compound.
• 20:16
  SPEAKER_00: You mentioned waking up at 5 a.m.
• 20:18
  SPEAKER_00: and going for that walk and you know, cooking the nice meals may not have an immediate effect on your business there in that moment, but it's going to create the vessel that's required in order to have the business that you want, and I think that's so underestimated.
• 20:33
  SPEAKER_00: We live in a world where we want instant gratification.
• 20:35
  SPEAKER_00: It's like, what is this going to do for me in this moment?
• 20:38
  SPEAKER_00: And the reality is, most of these habits we're talking about, and the person you are going to have to be, you're not going to see that win straight away, but it will compound for sure.
• 20:49
  SPEAKER_00: And when you look back and talk about your story like you are today, it is going to be because of those micro moments, and because you continue to show up in those moments, it's the reason you're here today.
• 21:01
  SPEAKER_00: Now, tell us before we move through to the seven-figure part to your business, just going back to building to the 800k in the 10 months, what did the business element actually look like?
• 21:12
  SPEAKER_00: Because there's so much more than just posting a couple of reels online and hoping for the best.
• 21:17
  SPEAKER_00: You've mentioned in there that you were getting into that you were going to BD, um, you know, meetups and you were sending emails.
• 21:23
  SPEAKER_00: So I would love to know what did the hard work element look like in that phase in your business?
• 21:28
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, definitely.
• 21:29
  SPEAKER_01: Linking it back to being shameless.
• 21:31
  SPEAKER_01: And I think that sense of urgency.
• 21:32
  SPEAKER_01: I put myself in a position where there was no other option and I didn't want there to be one.
• 21:37
  SPEAKER_01: And so I was completely shameless in everything that I was doing.
• 21:40
  SPEAKER_01: I was dropping off marketing flies in person to GPs, schools, getting doors shut in my face, getting told no, coming back the week after just in case.
• 21:50
  SPEAKER_01: I was relentless and I sent so many emails, I commented on so many Facebook posts, I posted myself relentlessly and still do to date.
• 21:59
  SPEAKER_01: Then I started.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_01: Social media just as a way to have a peek behind the brand.
• 22:02
  SPEAKER_01: It's not always done in allied health and in mental health.
• 22:05
  SPEAKER_01: People don't tend to always put up people behind behind the scenes, and so that's what we've really focused on kind of giving information on our socials, but also getting people to understand us as a platform.
• 22:17
  SPEAKER_01: That's really helped a lot as well.
• 22:19
  SPEAKER_01: I really focused on being an aesthetic brand as well.
• 22:22
  SPEAKER_01: It didn't make sense at the time.
• 22:24
  SPEAKER_01: Everyone's like, why are you caring so much about what the website or the brand looks like?
• 22:28
  SPEAKER_01: But I was always ahead being like because in the future, that's what's going to put us ahead as well.
• 22:34
  SPEAKER_01: That's what people are going to be drawn to, and where I want the clinic to be in five years.
• 22:38
  SPEAKER_01: That's exactly that's such a core component.
• 22:40
  SPEAKER_01: So it has to be from the from the inception as well.
• 22:43
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so that took a lot of my time, and and honestly, all of this, like I will be so honest, I was working close to 70 hours a week.
• 22:50
  SPEAKER_01: My whole weeks were something, like 10 hours, and and I'm not saying on the ground with clients 10 hours, but I'd do an eight-hour back-to-back client day.
• 22:59
  SPEAKER_01: I'd then switch off and I'd be marketing on Canva, I'd be on Facebook, I'd be emailing people all the way until 10, 11 o'clock at night.
• 23:06
  SPEAKER_01: Um, then after that, it was really just doing a lot of meetings as well in terms of on the ground, going out to people.
• 23:13
  SPEAKER_01: Then it started taking those steps.
• 23:15
  SPEAKER_01: Like, you know, I had a little bit more backing financially from those actions.
• 23:19
  SPEAKER_01: It was then taking those steps that didn't make as much sense at the time.
• 23:23
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but I got a really great financial advisor who was able to tell me what to do.
• 23:27
  SPEAKER_01: I got a really amazing accountant.
• 23:29
  SPEAKER_01: I then hired a VA to help with a lot of that social media side of things and posting and looking at the comments that we could reply back to if they were appropriate for us to provide help.
• 23:40
  SPEAKER_01: Um, we then started looking at automations, you know, you start your MailChimp series, then you start having things that are paid but really are supportive for you, and I think all of those then started compounding and and are still to this date, to be very honest.
• 23:54
  SPEAKER_01: Some of those basics are still what I do today, and then it's just as the financial side of things have grown, maybe I'm able to delegate those across a little bit more so it doesn't all just fall on me.
• 24:05
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and I'm able to know what I'm good at and what I'm shocking at, and then delegate all the stuff I'm really shocking at to other people who are insanely amazing at it too.
• 24:13
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but yeah, that's probably more the real-time sort of stuff, all that really unsexy, really annoying work, which was emailing, calling, showing up in person, door knocking, um, and continuing it that way.
• 24:24
  SPEAKER_00: I love that you've just spoken about that because I think we we're in this phase at the moment where women work too much and then question maybe I'm working too hard, maybe I'm trying too hard.
• 24:37
  SPEAKER_00: I've seen a lot on the internet lately this soft girl error and this soft error that people are stepping into.
• 24:43
  SPEAKER_00: And I think it is skewing what is still required in order to build a multi-six-figure, seven-figure business.
• 24:50
  SPEAKER_00: It's not to say that your entire life needs to be about your business and you need to be burnt out to the point where you are a terrible human because you just feel like shit.
• 25:01
  SPEAKER_00: However, you've just painted the picture of what is actually required in order to build a business of this size.
• 25:07
  SPEAKER_00: And the reality is there is a lot of work involved, and usually women love that.
• 25:13
  SPEAKER_00: They love their work, they're passionate about what they do, and they generally want to pour themselves in.
• 25:18
  SPEAKER_00: But I see a lot women almost then start to pull themselves back.
• 25:21
  SPEAKER_00: They're like, Oh shit, I almost worked a huge week then, or I almost worked at night, and I said I wasn't going to.
• 25:27
  SPEAKER_00: It's like they're catching themselves out for working too hard, but you've always got to come back and ask yourself the question: do I want to be doing this?
• 25:34
  SPEAKER_00: And usually they do, they have a goal, they have a dream, and they're like they're so lit up by working hard.
• 25:40
  SPEAKER_00: In which case, it's not always bad to be such a hard worker and just be on the ground and and just doing the most.
• 25:46
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I completely agree.
• 25:48
  SPEAKER_01: I actually have a bit of a course coming out on our digital side around this from burnout and for women, because I think it's such a word at the moment, it's like burnout.
• 25:57
  SPEAKER_01: And truly, I don't believe that being purpose-driven equates into burnout.
• 26:03
  SPEAKER_01: I think also the opposite, like when I'm really passionate and I love what I'm doing, if I want to do 10 hours a day, I want to do 10 hours a day.
• 26:12
  SPEAKER_01: It would shit me to tears if someone says don't do that more.
• 26:15
  SPEAKER_01: So, do you know what I mean?
• 26:16
  SPEAKER_01: Like that frustrates me when someone's like, you're working too hard, and I'm like, no, I'm not.
• 26:20
  SPEAKER_01: I love what I do.
• 26:21
  SPEAKER_01: This is actually really what I do want to do.
• 26:24
  SPEAKER_01: Me slowing myself down will make me feel worse off because I know that that's what I want to do.
• 26:29
  SPEAKER_01: But I have this thing around burnout, which is often that we experience such burnout because we're not delegating away the things that we don't align with.
• 26:38
  SPEAKER_01: And sometimes women in business, I think we get this pressure that we need to show up as this massive feminist woman, which I so believe.
• 26:46
  SPEAKER_01: Like I love femininity and masculinity, but I do think it's being smarter around that.
• 26:51
  SPEAKER_01: I think as women we tend to take on so much.
• 26:53
  SPEAKER_01: We think we need to be the best businesswoman out there making the most money.
• 26:57
  SPEAKER_01: We need to be challenging all the other men in the space.
• 27:00
  SPEAKER_01: We then also need to be the best homemaker, we need to be the best partner or wife, we need to be the best mother.
• 27:06
  SPEAKER_01: Like, by the time we're done, we've got six or seven roles we think we need to be the best at, rather than realizing each thing's seasonal, and okay, at the moment my business is my forefront.
• 27:15
  SPEAKER_01: So, what can I delegate away from those other roles that don't fill me up?
• 27:19
  SPEAKER_01: Because as soon as the things start to create tension, that's where that burnout comes from.
• 27:23
  SPEAKER_01: I noticed it myself recently.
• 27:25
  SPEAKER_01: Like I was back into a period of my life where my business is everything at the moment again.
• 27:30
  SPEAKER_01: I'm so passionate about a lot of aspects of it, and I was getting so overwhelmed, but it wasn't because I was busy at work, it was because I felt like I then got home and I had to cook and clean and tidy, and then I had to go to the gym and do it this way, and none of that had to do with anyone else but myself.
• 27:46
  SPEAKER_01: And so then it was like, okay, well, let's bring in a bit of an AGM to my life, see what I can delegate away or what I don't actually have to do, and then that gives me more time back to myself and to my purpose and the things I love, and automatically that took away so much overwhelm and that burnout feeling.
• 28:04
  SPEAKER_01: And I think as women we're just not doing that.
• 28:06
  SPEAKER_01: We feel like the first thing we need to give away is work without kind of being strategic about all the other things.
• 28:12
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I love that you just said burnout isn't always because you're working too much, it's because you're working in the wrong areas and you're showing up in a way that isn't aligned with your strengths, your soul's purpose, your talents, what lights you up.
• 28:26
  SPEAKER_00: And the reality is there are things in our business that we aren't the best at, as you've mentioned.
• 28:31
  SPEAKER_00: So it's finding ways to outsource it if you have the financial backing to do.
• 28:35
  SPEAKER_00: So delegating it or asking yourself a question is this actually necessary for me to grow my business?
• 28:41
  SPEAKER_00: And I don't believe in a cookie-cutter approach to growing business, and I truly believe everybody has their own unique unique way to grow a business, and it won't look the same as everybody.
• 28:52
  SPEAKER_00: And so, again, if you are kind of newer in your business or you don't have the financial backing to grow a team, ask yourself the question: is this necessary for me to grow my business, or is there another way that I'm supposed to do this whereby I can lean more into my talents and lean more into where I'm passionate and just trust that that's the way that will grow my business to the point where I can then you know delegate and hire staff and things like that.
• 29:18
  SPEAKER_00: Um, absolutely love that.
• 29:19
  SPEAKER_00: I talk a lot on my show, as you would know, the difference between attracting success and holding on to success.
• 29:26
  SPEAKER_00: And I would love to open that conversation up with you.
• 29:28
  SPEAKER_00: Growing a business two seven figures requires you to hold a lot.
• 29:33
  SPEAKER_00: Hold a lot energetically, but hold a lot physically in terms of competing priorities in your life.
• 29:39
  SPEAKER_00: Talk to me about what that has felt like for you being a woman who is holding a business of the size that you are, and if that has ever created some resistance internally for you, and if so, how do you work through that?
• 29:54
  SPEAKER_00: Um, yeah, like what's your take on holding success and making sure that it's the new standard?
• 30:00
  SPEAKER_01: I think well, when I can speak about this, maybe also as someone so fresh to it, and like firstly for anyone listening, like we talk about you know seven figures, and that sounds so impressive.
• 30:11
  SPEAKER_01: That's a revenue in business that doesn't mean that's what you're pocketing all the time.
• 30:14
  SPEAKER_01: And I think I used to listen to these podcasts and be like, oh my god, like that is live.
• 30:19
  SPEAKER_01: You were in Italy all the time living the dream.
• 30:22
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but that isn't the case, that's not the reality.
• 30:24
  SPEAKER_01: We're talking revenue here, which is still amazing.
• 30:27
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but there are so many more responsibilities and a lot of expenses that come with it, and this is a very new reality for me, so I can speak to all of those things like I have then grown and grown again, and my business is not even yet two years old, and again, the ability to hold on to uh business making a revenue in the sevens, it it's huge because I think again I've hit another identity crisis.
• 30:53
  SPEAKER_01: You you do get busy, you do have to take those bigger steps, things grow, and you can't control it all.
• 30:59
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm somebody that grew up with my own limits in terms of I'm very oh, I used to be very anxious and I love to control things, and that's such a shortcoming in myself and in my business, and for it now as it is, it is about delegating and hiring the right people into things and realizing I'm not going to have oversight and control on everything, and I need to believe that I have the best people in the places that they need to be to manage that, and that's been huge for me because that has been such, and we talk again and again about this.
• 31:29
  SPEAKER_01: What does mindset actually mean for business?
• 31:31
  SPEAKER_01: Like, that's the mindset, and that's the actuality.
• 31:34
  SPEAKER_01: Like, I need to be okay with releasing control, and the actual action is hiring the right people and not micromanaging to the point that they want to leave the business because you're annoying to work with.
• 31:44
  SPEAKER_01: Um, that sort of thing.
• 31:46
  SPEAKER_01: And so, again, it's actually been something I'm actively working on at the moment.
• 31:51
  SPEAKER_01: Like having that amount of people in our company as huge, having that many clients that trust us.
• 31:56
  SPEAKER_01: Working in health, I always find really difficult too because it's really taboo talking about income and things like that.
• 32:03
  SPEAKER_01: It's not a business model ever.
• 32:04
  SPEAKER_01: That's not what we see it as.
• 32:06
  SPEAKER_01: But we see it as the bigger we can grow, the more backing we have to support people, to build things that matter, to help more and more people.
• 32:14
  SPEAKER_01: And so I find that very frustrating in health that people are very quick to pull you down as seeing it as just a business and exploiting people, and that is so not the case.
• 32:23
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so I think all those things have been stuff that I've really had to take on and manage myself.
• 32:28
  SPEAKER_01: And to be very honest, consistently, it's funny what Rares said, you think you'll get to this time in your business or career, and you'll be like, cool, I've made it and I wouldn't have any concerns.
• 32:38
  SPEAKER_01: I think it's gone the other way for me.
• 32:39
  SPEAKER_01: Like, I think I probably had better self-esteem and self-trust and self-confidence when I was back at zero dollars and just starting my business than right now.
• 32:47
  SPEAKER_01: Like, I have been really actively trying to work through a lot of things that are popping up for myself about being concerned about not having enough money to build to that next thing, or okay, God, we're hiring a lot of people to grow systems.
• 32:59
  SPEAKER_01: And is it right?
• 33:00
  SPEAKER_01: Which of course it is.
• 33:02
  SPEAKER_01: It's just those things that pop up again.
• 33:04
  SPEAKER_01: And so when we talk about that physical toll, I think actually it's the mental toll, and that mental toll of them being able to manage it yourself and do the thing that is required without kicking it down, procrastinating because all those things are gonna physically impact your business.
• 33:20
  SPEAKER_00: 100%.
• 33:21
  SPEAKER_00: I agree.
• 33:22
  SPEAKER_00: I think that's the scariest time in my business was when I was making money, and financially the business was becoming more successful, and I felt like I was shrinking myself more, and that's why a huge component of my work now is let's not focus, let's not just focus on creating success, let's talk about holding on to that success and what that actually does to your nervous system, that different identity crisis that you will go through when it's no longer about pursuing something but actually normalizing and holding it and showing up every day like this is safe, it's here to stay.
• 33:54
  SPEAKER_00: Because that's a that's such a common fear that comes up for women.
• 33:57
  SPEAKER_00: What if it was a fluke?
• 33:58
  SPEAKER_00: What if we lose it all?
• 34:00
  SPEAKER_00: What if we're at the end of our lucky streak and these stories begin to rear their head and it comes out of nowhere and it feels so weird because on paper things are fine, clients love you, revenue's great.
• 34:12
  SPEAKER_00: Why am I starting to sabotage this?
• 34:14
  SPEAKER_00: And that's why I love to have these conversations because it really does come up, and unless you have the tools to work through it, the unfortunate truth is a lot of women do end up sabotaging their growth because they're just not sure what to do from here.
• 34:26
  SPEAKER_00: I am absolutely devastated.
• 34:27
  SPEAKER_00: I'm sitting here listening back to the recording, and we have had some tech issues, and the rest of the episode has cut out Neve's audio, which is so sad because there was so much value still to come in this episode, but unfortunately it's gone and I don't know how to get it back.
• 34:48
  SPEAKER_00: So I am going to wrap up the conversation here.
• 34:52
  SPEAKER_00: Ultimately, what we did talk about towards the end was Neve's new business within the online space and what that involves.
• 35:01
  SPEAKER_00: But I did mention that in her introduction, and what I'm going to do is link everything in the show notes.
• 35:07
  SPEAKER_00: You can go and find Niam on the social media, in particular, her company.
• 35:12
  SPEAKER_00: You can see what she's up to within the online space, and if any of her services land with you, and you feel like that is something that you want to step into, I will leave her details for you to reach out and take that next step within your life.
• 35:28
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you so much for tuning in to another episode on the Abundant and Align podcast.
• 35:33
  SPEAKER_00: I'm so sorry we had to end it like this.
• 35:35
  SPEAKER_00: Technology drives me nuts, but I know there was still so much value in that episode that you guys will be able to take away and implement within your own business.
• 35:44
  SPEAKER_00: So utilize everything that Neve shared.
• 35:47
  SPEAKER_00: She's walking proof of the kind of success you can create when you believe in yourself, you put in the work into yourself, and you show up with so much passion and fire to create something massive.
• 36:01
  SPEAKER_00: We'll leave it there for today.
• 36:02
  SPEAKER_00: Again, thank you for tuning in, and I will speak to you guys in the next episode.