The truth behind a $500k business with Alisha Marfartia

Today’s episode of The Clare Wood Podcast is a very special one because I’m bringing on one of my long-term clients and now friends of mine, Alisha Marfatia, the founder of The Social Impact. In today’s episode, we talk about the incredible success that she has achieved in her business, but we also talk about some of the truths that come from running a business of this size. And a little spoiler alert, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows. This is a value-packed episode filled with truth and the ups and downs of business, so make sure you stick around.

Hello and welcome to The Clare Wood Podcast. This is your weekly dose of all things money to help you intentionally create a profitable business and a life you love. I have the difficult conversations about money so you can make more money with ease. Each week I share how you can use mindset and the practical foundations of finance to elevate your earnings without sacrificing the things that are important to you, because you can and should be making more money. A big warm welcome to the podcast, Alisha, the founder of The Social Impact and the queen from Rise with Reels. It’s so amazing to have you on the podcast. How are you going today?

ALISHA:

Oh, I’ll be honest. I’m a bit nervous because we’re going to have a real vulnerable chat and I’m here for it, but it’s a bit nerve-wracking.

CLARE:

Amazing. Well, if anyone listening lives under a rock and for some reason doesn’t know who you are, can you please introduce yourself to the listeners?

ALISHA:

My name’s Alisha Marfatia, also known as Reels Queen, and I am, as Clare said, founder of The Social Impact. I’m all about making an impact, making an impact with your socials, your marketing and I specialise when it comes to product-based businesses. So, that’s me. That’s The Social Impact. I’ve got my Insta Product Academy, my Reels management, and of course, I’ve got my biz partner where we launched Rise with Reels and we now have an epic community in there.

CLARE:

That was pretty good. You’ve got a lot going on, let’s be honest. I’ve actually had Alisha and her business partner in one of her businesses, Monique, on the podcast before. So I will put a link to that episode in the show notes because that’s a really cool chat. We chat about the whole Reels journey, but that’s a different podcast. Today is all about you and your business. And the reason I wanted to get you on was because I wanted to share a little bit about some of the lessons that you’ve had in business and the ups and downs of business, because you are running a global thriving empire. People looking from the outside are just like, “I want a business like Alisha.” And there are a lot of amazing parts to running our own business, but I thought we could have a bit of a chat about the truth, but the good and the bad. So what I might do, let’s dive right back to the start of your business journey. Where did it all begin?

How Alisha’s journey started from just $50 per week

ALISHA:

So it definitely was never planned. I genuinely thought I could never start a business because I didn’t study business. I just studied film and television, and everyone always said that’s not even a real degree. So I felt trapped. I felt really trapped. I felt really impactless working a 9:00 to 5:00 in the sports TV world and I just didn’t think there was anything else that I could do. I thought, “Okay, well, if there is, then it means I have to go back and study.” So it really just came from vlogging my smashed avocados on weekends and realising I’ve always had this love for videoing, capturing content through a lens. And when I started to do that, it all started to flow really, really incredibly. Not easily, but incredibly.

CLARE:

Okay. So you started out, it was on the weekends. You were doing vlogging, you were using video. And then at what point did you start to say, this is a business here? Do you remember your first paying client?

ALISHA:

I remember pitching for my first paying client. It was a cafe because I was like, “Oh my gosh, I could actually get paid for this.” And I didn’t really want to go down the creator route. I respect, I love creators, but for me it was more about really being able to help people. Ever since I was younger, I wanted to be a teacher. And so I think it sort of really started to come a bit more naturally. So for me, I pitched my first client and I remember sending it to my brother’s partner and I was like, “Can you please look through this? Can you tell me what you think?” And she was like, “Alisha, you’re asking them for $50 a week for eight hours of work per week. Come on, come on, do the math.”

Clare, you already know my brain works in funny ways and I don’t even know how I didn’t think that one through, but I genuinely was nervous about asking to be paid $50 a week from a cafe. I was putting eight hours into their socials, eight hours per week. So I was doing it before my full-time job. I was doing it after my full-time job. And so I just remember, I think that’s one of the biggest journeys in itself. And it’s not that I’m ashamed of it in a way because you’ve got to start somewhere. And I think it’s actually really empowering to look back, hey, I was nervous about charging $50 a week, and now I’m able to charge $5,000 a month for my really premium, high-end clients who value my time and everything I give them.

CLARE:

And look, everyone starts somewhere. My first coaching clients, I wasn’t charging a cent to. I was coaching for free. I was getting runs on the board. I was building my experience, but you look back now and think, “Wow, what a long way we have come?”

ALISHA:

Yeah, it feels so long.

CLARE:

It takes a lot of courage though to get that first paying client, really. As much as you look back now and laugh at the price, don’t you think it takes a lot of guts to say, “I’m actually going to charge someone.” And that was probably the moment when you stepped into actually running a business.

ALISHA:

Yeah, absolutely. And I still struggle with still naturally, we’re still working on this and my mindset of, I have it on my ring. For anyone who can’t watch, because obviously you’re listening to the podcast, my bad, but a few months ago I celebrated my first launch. So I launched my first course, my first solo course under The Social Impact Insta product academy. And it was an incredible, incredible launch. And I rewarded myself with this love ring. So I went into Cartier and I got this ring and it wasn’t just this gorgeous ring. It is. But for me, I got it engraved as this constant reminder. And it says on it, I am enough. And that’s something I’ve struggled with my entire life, whether it be comparing myself to others, whether it be believing that I’m worth it. I am definitely. And just because I have it on my finger doesn’t mean it always goes away now, but it was a constant reminder. And I think in way of what we’re talking about today, Clare, lessons, I think the big one is just that I keep thinking I’m going to conquer something. I’m going to conquer a mindset. I’m going to conquer my imposter syndrome. I’m going to conquer this. And it just comes back in new outfits. It just comes back. You’re like, I’ve got that nailed. I’m confident enough to do this now. And then it’s this next level. And I just imagine me, in Mario form, in this PlayStation, and I’m jumping around and I get to this next level. It’s a new level. I’m like, oh no, this is difficult. And that’s what it feels like.

CLARE:

Yeah. And I guess when you sort of look back, I don’t know if you experience this, but I feel like we spend so much time looking forward and we’re always like, why am I not at this level already? And that person’s doing this and why am I not doing that? And sometimes it’s really hard to actually look back. I had a moment yesterday. I had a real gratitude moment where I’m launching a course at the moment and I was doing a live. And I said to my hubby, “Do you remember a couple of years ago that I could not even hold the camera and point it at myself.” So my first videos were me filming other things and talking because I was so terrified of being on camera. And I’m like, now I jump on, do a live with a couple of notes and talk for half an hour. And I feel super comfortable and confident doing that.

My first podcast, I was a guest on a podcast many, many years ago and had a panic attack and had to stop recording it because I couldn’t fathom the idea of people hearing me. And now I do not even get nervous at all when I’m doing podcasts. So I think that that maybe can be a lesson for the listeners as well.

You might look at someone like Alicia and think, oh my gosh, she’s got it together. But yeah, probably a lot of things back in the day, charging $50 a week were scary for you. And now you’ve conquered that, but you are facing new challenges.

ALISHA:

New levels, new challenges. And I think that in itself, it sounds just so corny and it sounds, and even I’ve got to jump back a little bit in the story because I remember, Clare, I came across you and I’m so glad that I did. I told myself I wouldn’t spend the whole episode just saying how amazing you are. So let me get it out now. You’re amazing. I adore you. You’re my lifesaver in business. Anyway, if anyone wants any more compliments about Clare, I’m here, come find me. But I came across Clare and I was definitely at this point where I went into my business and I started my own business. I had the freedom, out of the 9:00 to 5:00, the flexibility. No, that wasn’t the case. I all of a sudden realised that I had 11 bosses. I had 11 social media management clients and I’d actually replaced my one boss at my 9:00 to 5:00 with 11 of them. And I felt like I was reporting to them. I didn’t feel like I could take a day off. And I found you Clare. And I remember that I had a few people in my life at that time who were saying, “You don’t need her. Why would you invest this much in a coach?” It was going to be my biggest investment. And they’re like, “Why do you need that? You’ve got people around you who have experience in business. You have people you can turn to. Why do you need a money mentor? Why do you need a coach?” And I just stuck to my guns. I stuck to my gut because I really felt like this is exactly what I needed. And far out, I’m still with you, Clare, and I used to really poo hoo the idea of this mindset work. But I was really like, I need results. I’ll do a training, I’ll get the results. But it’s not like the most powerful work in this entire journey has been the mindset work. And, you’ve been reminding me lately because things have felt a lot harder, hit that ugly new level or ugly to start with. And you’ve reminded me to come back to just the gratitude and looking how far I’ve come. And I find so much more peace looking at that and just switching that mindset there.

CLARE:

Yeah. I remember that you were, and to be honest, you still do. You are a very hard worker. And I think that sometimes having that mindset, having someone look in from the outside and say, “Hey, what does the next level look like?” Because we can get so busy in the doing that we forget to stop and step back and say, “What did I get started for?” And it’s always one of the first things that I do with a new client is we sit down and say, “Well, what does success look like?” And then constantly coming back to making sure that we’re staying on track towards that.

So you started out having all these clients. What sort of happened from then going to having 11 bosses to how did you reach the point where you are like, I can’t keep doing this. And then what did that next level look like for you from there?

What the next level looks like for Alisha and having gratitude for the journey

ALISHA:

It was so uncomfortable because I’d started my business, I’d lost all my clients thanks to the pandemic and I’d built it back up. And it was so uncomfortable. I remember we spoke about it, spoke about what my dream life looked like and what I was working with. The 11 different bosses, clients. Yes, I was making a really nice revenue, monthly revenue with that system, with that structure to my business. And it was so uncomfortable and it felt so wrong to let go of that, to say, no, I’m going to stop this entire service that brings in, it was bringing in about 20K a month. It was comfortable. It was safe. But again, that’s what I was doing in my 9:00 to 5:00. I was comfortable. I was safe. Definitely wasn’t making that amount of money per month, but I was comfortable and safe and I was enjoying myself.

So it was really when I started to practice what I preached, I showed up on my own socials. I marketed myself. I became the face of my own brand and I realised that I did have more to give. And it wasn’t instant. Far out, it’s still not there exactly. I’m still working it up. I’m still building the foundations. But I just realised, I’ve really realized, pun intended, really realised that over the past few months I’ve got so caught up in hitting that seven figures, in hitting that number, and for what? Yes, I want to build my dream life. Yes, I want to build my freedom. But one, something that I’ve literally been playing in my mind every day at the moment, Clare, it’s you who put this in there. Good thing. Don’t worry, it’s not a bad thing. But I’ve been saying it to friends. We are already rich. We’re so rich with friends, family, opportunities. We’re so rich with our wealth, with our money. If we went to another country, you were telling me the other day, Clare, when you went to Bali and you were getting your nails done, was it?

CLARE:

Yeah, yeah.

ALISHA:

Yep. Getting your nails done. And lady said, “Oh, you are rich.” And you’re like, “Oh no, not really.” And she’s like, “You came by a plane. You are rich.” And it’s just that perspective. And so I’ve really been trying to sit into this idea that I’m already that rich. I am already at that place where young Alicia would be so proud. But what’s more important to me now is sustainability. I’ve been in this horrible cycle of burnout. And I think if anyone watches my socials enough, they can kind of tell when I am. I have a few really lovely people in my community who check up on me and they’re like, “You’ve been a bit quiet. Are you okay?” But it’s just been this shift in realising what’s more important to me, becoming a millionaire before I’m this age, or still being in business and still loving it in five, 10 years time?

CLARE:

Yeah. And this is a side that I think that a lot of people don’t talk about, right? There’s very few business owners that I know that haven’t tiptoed that line many times. I think too, I do believe that people can run a business without working like crazy, 100%. But it’s very, very rare that you find someone that hasn’t done a lot of grunt work, particularly in the early stages, to get to that point. And not a lot of people talk about that. The challenge is though, when you’ve been operating at that level of output momentum, it actually is really hard trying to slow down really, isn’t it?

Using the pandemic to redefined her business

ALISHA:

Oh my gosh. I’ve literally got a sticky note somewhere here reminding me that this is not a sprint, because I have always been at a fast pace. That’s me running. I don’t know what that was, but I enjoy the sound effects.

CLARE:

I might need to release the video of this so that people can watch the actions as well.

ALISHA:

I’m burning some calories. But I’ve always been fast paced. I’ve always liked to have a lot on my plate. And for me, we were in lockdown. We were in this really weird stage of the world where we were actually able to switch off these things that we thought we had had to worry about. Oh, I’m 26 and I want to travel. I’m 26, and I want to save up for this. I’m 26 and I want to have the job, the friend, the lifestyle, live while you’re young. There’s so many things that really made it all sound and feel so heavy. And through the pandemic, it was kind of a really cool opportunity in a sense, because it was like, hang on a second, turn that all off. We’re in lockdown. Just focus on these one or two things. And so I was able to make it to this speed, to this pace in my business. And I’m at the point now where I am grateful. I definitely don’t think I would be where I am today if I didn’t put in those hard work, that really hard work. And even a part of me is like, well, I’m still in the early stages so don’t I still have to go really hard? But there’s another part of me now where it’s like, I just physically cannot keep up with all the other things that have come into play these days and do what I was doing a year and a half ago.

CLARE:

And let’s talk about that. I mean, for anyone that doesn’t know, you’re in Melbourne. And Melbourne endured, and I’m using that word endured, the longest lockdown, I believe, anywhere in the world, wasn’t it?

ALISHA:

Yep, spot on. And I’m still not recovered. It sounds really odd and I think I’m really harsh on myself as well, but I get horrible social anxiety. Just even this week on Monday, I had my beautiful, we call it modern family dinner, and we get my brothers, their partners, our extra modern family. That’s what we call it. And they were all over. And I don’t know why. Usually I’ve got a lot better at it, but it just, my social anxiety kicked in and it was literally just my family. So I’m sure you can imagine if it’s that case, when it comes to being at events, when it comes to catching up with a big group of friends, I have really shut off from a lot of it. And I’m comfortable these days behind my phone and talking on a live, whether it be 100 people, whether it be 10, whether it be whatever, I’m fine with that. But as soon as I start to actually be in a social environment, oh my gosh, I’m still struggling with being around people these days.

CLARE:

Oh, 100%. Someone I follow online, Lisa Cordiff, she talks about the trauma that a lockdown of that long it really does create. And she’s been talking about how the impacts of it carry on. And she’s going through exactly the same thing. I have to say, we were really blessed where I live, we didn’t have anywhere near that, the period of time that you did in Melbourne. But even I experienced that after leaving lockdown. I’m such an extrovert. I’m a heavy extrovert. And I remember the first time I went out. I was like, what’s going on here?

And I can’t even imagine what it must have been like for you. And I definitely think that yourself and perhaps few other people threw themselves into work during that period of time, and it can kind of create this safety net or this pattern or habit where it’s like, it’s safe just to keep busy because then you don’t have to think about what’s going on. So that was a really, really challenging time. And obviously even coming out of, it’s been a challenging time. But let’s have a bit of a chat about some of the amazing success and cool things like, yes, there’s been all that crap going on, but what’s some of the cool stuff?

Reflecting back on the last sort of 12, 18 months, what are some of the really mind blowing cool things that have happened for you?

The AMAZING things that have happened in Alisha’s business

ALISHA:

Oh my gosh. And that’s the part, and I got to say a lot of the amazing, amazing things happened because of the way I leveraged or took my approach on the things that were pretty shit. Things would happen and I’d be like, oh, that was a really awful time. And I’ve been able to actually utilise that to empower others and become stronger because of it and share the story and the message behind it. And that’s actually what’s led to a lot of the incredible things that have happened. I started to put myself out there more. And through my Reels, sharing myself. So not the trending Reels, not just doing the silly things that doesn’t really share you, right? Love me some silly things, love me a boogie. But when I started to actually share me talking to camera in Reels, a really crazy unbelievable thing happened. And I’m sure anyone can relate to this.

We don’t really like the sound of our own voice, I never imagined having my own podcast. But I actually got a message one day, I thought it was spam. I thought I’ve got this wrong. And I got this message from Nova, this awesome leading media house here in Australia. And I got this message from them asking, we’ve seen you, found you through Instagram, found you through your Reels, and we’ve got a new show we think you could be really great for. And I didn’t tell anyone because I just thought, oh, no way. No way this is going to happen. So anyway, I went ahead with it. I was like, oh hello. Please don’t Trojan horse my computer, please. Anyway, spoke there and because of lockdown, I didn’t get to actually go into the studio to do an audition, but I just did it here in my room. And they messaged back the next day and they’re like, we love it, done done done. And this is probably maybe a month and a half after I got that first message. And I was like, it’s real. It’s real. And oh my gosh, I can’t even. Where do I start? It’s been two seasons of just things that I never thought I would be able to do. Speaking and connecting with people, I can’t even imagine. Holy moly. So that’s one part. And that all came from actually coming in front of the camera.

The other insane thing was I was getting ready for a holiday and Instagram reached out to me and they asked, they paid me to create a Reel for them. And so here I am about to board a flight. I know, board a flight after pandemic. That is a crazy thing to do. But I was about to board a flight to Fiji. It was crazy. Anyway, and here I am dancing around the empty Melbourne airport, because I just got a notification from Instagram Creators saying my Reel is live. It was just like, it felt like my star had just been put on the Hollywood walk. It was very exciting.

So look, these incredible things, they keep coming. And I pinch myself so hard. And despite the difficult days, it’s the stuff that I’m just like, this is my life. What?

CLARE:

And I love to be able to celebrate with you. Sometimes, I’m like you just made a couple of hundred thousand dollars off your latest product launch, whatever it might be, and really reminding you how fricking incredible that is seeing all this speaking opportunities. You are now a sought after speaker, people coming to you saying, “Can you speak at our event? Can you do this?” And so many other awesome things that are going on. But I love that you kind of share and you do this on your Instagram as well. You celebrate the wins and you inspire people and you show them what’s possible. But you also say, “Hey guys, it’s not sunshine and lollipops over here all the time.” There are challenging times and challenging things that you do go through. So anything else that you wanted to add to that?

ALISHA:

I think really just again, I’m pretty much bringing back what Clare shared with me and has really impacted me, but it’s just a reminder that it’s your business. If something isn’t working, if it doesn’t feel aligned anymore, I’d created a service and I’d pay for a copywriter. I’d pay for the page to be done. And I felt like I was locked into something. And Clare reminded me, it’s your business. You get to create what this feels like. You get to change it. You get to have fun with what you’re doing. So I think that’s just a really big thing. If now doesn’t feel really exciting, you don’t feel aligned with it, then that’s a big, big thing that I’ve taken from you as well.

CLARE:

Oh, 100%. And it’s okay to change your mind. I mean, I think about what I thought success looked like. I remember when I first got started in coaching. My coach at the time, she was telling me she did 30 hours of coaching a week. And I’m like, oh my gosh, that’s my goal. And now the thought of doing 30 hours of coaching a week, that is not what success looks like to me. So it’s okay if it changes. Sometimes, you get to a benchmark and you’re like, oh my gosh, this is what I dreamed of. And then you’re like, actually, do you know what? The money isn’t worth it if I’m feeling exhausted all the time, or being that busy is actually not what I want. I want to create a bit more time freedom.

So you do get to change and tweak as the journey goes along. So if people are listening and they’re really inspired by you, can you share your biggest learnings that you have had on your business journey to date?

Alisha’s biggest business lessons and the boundaries she set as a result

ALISHA:

Look, I think I’ll start here because very relevant to Clare, but I have had a really interesting journey with money. And a big, big lesson that I have recently learned. Again, fallen down, picking myself back up again, learning from it, is not being in charge of my money. I thought I was still working on my money mindset so it was all okay. But being in charge, knowing your numbers, holy moly, am I Clare Wood or am I Alisha? But that is something else. That right there is knowing your numbers, being in charge of your money. That’s a big, big learning.

Another big one is if you lost your business tomorrow, who would you be? And that really scared me when someone said that to me. And it was such a big lesson. They said, if there was no The Social Impact, tell me about yourself. Don’t include The Social Impact, don’t include Reels. Who are you if you cut that all out? And I’m like, I don’t know. Yeah, I’m a friend. Yeah, I’m a girlfriend. But I realised that I had started to let my life be my business. And my partner came second, my friends came second, my family came second, and I’d started this to have more time with all of them, yet I’d let my business become the driving force, that priority number one. So yeah, that’s really a second big lesson. Just anyone listening. I want you to ask yourself, if your business wasn’t here tomorrow, who would you be? And that’s something that can really help bring a really nice balance back into your life.

CLARE:

Yeah. Oh my gosh. That’s huge, isn’t it? My mind was just ticking over then reflecting on that question myself. Especially when we have personal brands, the two can feel very intertwined.

ALISHA:

Especially when your brand is called Clare Wood.

CLARE:

Yeah. Well, that’s it. Okay. Let’s keep going because I’m sure you’ve actually got many, many more that you would like to share. So, what have been the other big pivotal moments on your journey that have made you go, oh my gosh, okay, lesson learned?

ALISHA:

So I think another big thing is trying to be everyone’s friend.

CLARE:

Oh my gosh. I was just thinking that. I’m like, I hope she shares this because Alisha is the kindest soul. You just have the biggest, biggest heart. You want to look after everyone, you care about everyone so, so much. And I can totally see how this affects you. Sorry, I totally cut you off there.

ALISHA:

No. That’s just hilarious that you’re like, oh, I was just thinking the same thing. But no, it’s both a strength and a really harsh weakness, because it’s got me in some really ugly places. It’s allowed me to get into positions where I am burnt out because I put everyone else first. And I think one, as women, we want to put other people first, we’re giving, we’re caring. And for me, I started this to help other people, I started this to help others to make their own impact. And I was giving, giving, giving, and I wanted to be approachable, I wanted to be friendly. But then, because I was approachable and friendly, people were coming to me and saying, “Oh, look, I can’t pay you because of this and this and this.” And I’m sitting there being like, oh, I can be, yes, I may be that approachable, friendly person right now, but well, my business is suffering for it. Which do I want to be? Worried about offending people, worried about being a bitch, or do I want to have a business in a few years? So I think that’s a really harsh one that I’m still learning and setting aside the people pleasing habits and putting my business first.

My accountant, he said something to me, because when I made my business a company, I was really overwhelmed. I was like, what does this mean? And this is so scary, so official. And he’s like, look, the way I like to think of it is just, it’s like you’ve got a child. Your company is now a child. What I did take from that was if you had your child and you had somebody who had owed your child something, would you be too nervous to go up to them and say, look, you owe my child this. They’ve given you this, you owe them this in return. So that really helped put into perspective.

It’s taken me out of the picture a little bit more and just see that if I don’t do what’s the right thing for my business, if somebody’s come to me and I think this is a big thing. There’s that line between having empathy and being understanding, and then also realising that you’re not a charity. That’s been a really hard thing and far out. But again, if I just, oh, that’s okay, if you’re having a hard time, don’t worry about paying. Oh, that’s okay. Let’s reduce it. My business wouldn’t be here anymore. And everything I’ve done wouldn’t still be here, and I can’t help more people if I don’t let my business continue to grow. So I think that’s a really big lesson there.

CLARE:

Oh, 100%. And I have been through a very similar experience recently too, bending over backwards to help someone and then literally getting taken advantage of. And I’ve kind of learned that you can be kind and empathetic, but also have really solid boundaries in place because what you just said, like we are running a business here, not a charity. And I think sometimes, you can extend empathy to people and they completely take advantage. And it’s just a lesson that you need to learn in business.

Hopefully you can hear Alicia’s and my experience and you don’t have to go through it, but there’s ways that you can do things and you can be firm, have your boundaries, but also be a kind and empathetic person. And I love that. That’s a really good way of positioning it is saying, well, actually, the more money that I make, the more impacts that I can create. And that looks like donating to causes that you care about, it looks like hiring people. The more successful that your business is, the more ripple effect that has because you are hiring more people, you’re using more contractors, you are inspiring more people, your content’s reaching more people, and that’s only possible because you are running a successful business. So that’s a really great way of looking at it.

ALISHA:

Yeah, absolutely. And I think that just sparked one more is just recently, I heard someone say I’m really bad at boundaries. And it was kind of looking in a mirror because I think that I’ve said that quite a few times myself as well. But you just spoke about this a little as well. And it’s kind of like, what you allow from others, that’s a really big thing. And saying, oh, I’m not good at boundaries. It’s sort of like you’re allowing yourself to not be good at boundaries and things. But I realized that whenever I’ve been really unhappy in business, because somebody’s done something, and it’s really easy to be like, oh, it’s so unfair.

But for example, I’ve got my clients on WhatsApp. And if I went to them and I responded to them at 12:00 at night, well then they’re going to think, okay, well Alicia’s okay if I message her at 12:00 at night. And really, that’s a big one as well. I used to be at the point where I would drop anything for my clients, I would drop anything. I was on a public holiday, I was away on holiday, I was in the middle of family dinner. I would drop it if my clients needed me. I wasn’t performing heart surgery. They would be fine tomorrow. But I would drop it. I’d be like, oh, something’s happened in my family. Is everything okay? I’m like, no, it’s fine. It’s something that just didn’t post.

And what I started to allow, then people just expected. And that was a really slippery slope. And I think that everyone sort will go through this themselves and they’ll realize this. But when you’re dealing with clients, when you’re dealing with people in business, it’s so important. What you allow them to do to you, the way you allow them to talk to you, the way you allow them to treat you, the way you allow them to contact you, that’s a really big part. And what you allow them to do, they’ll continue doing.

CLARE:

Oh my gosh. So, so much in that. Something that was coming up for me as well was boundaries around Instagram. And I bet you get this all the time. People message you and they’ll be like, again, because you’ve got a big heart, they’d be like, Alisha, can you help me with this? And it must be really challenging drawing that line between supporting people, adding value, and being like, well actually, I’m someone you follow on Instagram. I’m not your free Instagram coach. So it’s always really, really hard defining these boundaries.

But a big thing that I always say is I am responsible for my own boundaries. And if you are going, oh my gosh, people message me all the time. It’s because you’re obviously allowing that to happen. And you then get to reset that boundary and you get to say, actually I’m not going to reply to that. On my Instagram, I sometimes don’t reply to messages. And I’m like, I don’t have an obligation to reply to every single person who sends me a message on Instagram. I try to, and there are times when I’ve got a lot more bandwidth to do it, but it’s just not feasible. And I’ve got a tiny audience compared to you. I can’t imagine how challenging it must be for someone with an audience size like you.

ALISHA:

Yeah. And that in itself was really hard. I got to the point where I realized I was spending hours per day just going through DMs. And I didn’t get a message, I didn’t get paid to be there. And again, something that you said to me, Clare, gosh, you’re a wise person, but you sort of said to me, those people aren’t paying you, yet you are helping them like you would clients who do pay you. And even that mindset shift, I actually wrote up a quick reply. So I now have a quick reply. So when someone asks me for advice or help, or just a quick question, I have this reply that I write up and I adapt a little bit, and it’s pretty much saying, look, I would love to help you, but it’s just not fair to my clients who do value, who do pay for my time, for my expertise.

So here’s some ways that I can support you. My YouTube, my newsletter, whatever, or my paid offer. But at the end of the day, if I keep giving free advice, again, it’s a charity. I’m not going to have a business in a few years. Every time I say no, cliche, but every time I say no to someone else, it’s saying yes to me, it’s saying yes to my clients instead.

CLARE:

Yeah. Yeah. Love that. Okay, last final question. If someone was relatively new in business, they are looking at what you’ve been able to achieve, and they’re like, how can I grow my business as quickly as possible, what would be your advice to them?

ALISHA:

I think the biggest thing is who you surround yourself with. Far out. It’s just, if you really want to see that epic quantum leap that people are like, wait, how many years have you been in business? How have you been able to achieve this much? It’s definitely who you surround yourself with. So whether that be, and I bring that down to having an incredible supportive partner. Family’s great. The friends I’ve met in business on Instagram itself, they’ve helped me. Being supported, investing in you Clare, I wrote down yesterday, I actually wrote down saying what I’m grateful for in my business. And I’ve had people supporting in my business and it’s not been great. I’ve had bad stories. I’ve outsourced, whatever, bad stories. But the most consistent people in my business have been my life changers. So it’s you, it’s my hypnotherapist. And so surrounding yourself with people you trust, who get you, who want the best for you. It’s truly the ones that challenge you. My best team. Far out. That helps you achieve the most and be the best in business, I reckon.

CLARE:

It’s very, very true, but it’s funny because I thought you were definitely going to say Instagram. That’s what I would say to people. I’d be like, get on Instagram, get out there, share your message with the world. Go and work with Alisha.

ALISHA:

Let’s redo that.

CLARE:

Rewind.

ALISHA:

Okay. Great question Clare.

CLARE:

Maybe I was trying to lead it.

ALISHA:

I know, I know. My bad, my bad. But still, I still stick with that. But also I wouldn’t have any of these incredible people. Other than my partner, other than my family, I wouldn’t have any of the people I do today if it wasn’t for Instagram, if it wasn’t for getting out there, if it wasn’t for sharing myself. If I didn’t share myself, when I reached out to people like Mon, she wouldn’t be able to see who I am. She wouldn’t be able to connect back with me because I’m a faceless brand. The people I’ve met today, it’s all because of building my own brand, humanising my brand, being vulnerable, sharing value, giving back and putting a strategy in place that not only helps my business to grow, not only does it help you know me to make sales, need to get you clients, not only bring in speaking opportunities, but my network. It’s that my network would not be here today if it wasn’t for Instagram. So yeah, it has come back to Instagram. So glad you said that.

CLARE:

Look, Instagram is such a powerful platform. And it’s one of the things that I say, maybe Instagram isn’t your jam, but to be showing up and to be marketing your business, that is, to your point, it’s how you grow your business. And the relationships that you make, it’s because people get to see you. They get to connect with you. And honestly, I love Instagram for that reason. It’s one of the most powerful marketing tools that I use in my business. I feel like I could talk to you for another hour, but I know we both have to go. So Alisha, if people are listening, how can they connect with you? How can they work with you if they are loving your vibe?

ALISHA:

So definitely come say hello to me. I would absolutely love to know where you’re listening right now. So take a snap, whether that’s of you, whether that’s you walking wherever, tag Clare, tag myself, and then we can connect that way. But come find me on the Gram and say hello @TheSocialImpact.co. But if you are wanting to really up level your Instagram, you want more clients, you want more sales, you want more product sales, then I have two incredible options that I absolutely would love to share with you. And that is, I’ve got my Reels management and that is for anybody who wants their Reels done for them, right? You’re busy, you’ve got things on, you’re already making good money in your business and you’re like, I want to see this absolutely soar. I know it can if I did Reels, but I don’t have the time. Then our Reels management is absolutely there. That’s the resistance. I don’t know how to say it. That’s the one. I don’t know what I said.

CLARE:

I don’t think I said it properly either.

ALISHA:

No, you sounded better than mine. But then the second option, and this is specifically for product based businesses, which I just haven’t seen out there. I haven’t seen done right, I haven’t seen out there. And that is updated, it is current strategies that are actually going to get results, and it’s without making it complex without going through hashtags that don’t matter anymore. Things that are wasting your time. No, I’m here to help you make a incredible Instagram with, in a good way, a cult following who love and cherish everything you do, but also then who buy from you. And that’s Insta product academy, which is my one stop shop Instagram course there.

CLARE:

Oh yes. I am obsessed with your Reels. Honestly, even if you aren’t a product based business, go over and give Alisha a follow. Because if you watch, she shows behind the scenes of how she actually creates these Reels. And it’s just so clever. And I think that your background in film has just served you so well coming into this next chapter because watching the way that you do things, you have one of the most creative minds I have ever encountered in my life. You’re always thinking of new, different ways of doing things. And it’s such a joy to watch your online.

CLARE:

And if you don’t have a product based business, please tell everyone that does to go and give Alisha a follow, check it out and to jump into Insta product academy. Her signature course, it’s really, really incredible the results that you get for people. And yeah, it’s such an honor being in your world. It’s such a bright light and bundle of energy. And it’s such a pleasure having you as a client and having you as a friend. So thank you so much for coming on the podcast today. Look forward to chatting to you soon.

ALISHA:

All the feels. Thank you.

CLARE:

Thank you again. And we will share all of Alisha’s details in a link in the show notes, in the show notes for today’s episode. Oh dear. Too much laughing. Thanks, Alisha. I hope you are feeling inspired and excited about what is possible for you when it comes to money.

It takes a lot of time and energy to create a podcast so I’d be very grateful if you could take the time to hit subscribe, write me a review, and share any of your favorite episodes with your audience on social media. The more people that we can reach, the more people we can empower to earn more in their business. Because you can and should be earning more money.