#awinewith Ali Steffan
MEET Ali
Ali is the Founder of Suite Events.
Find Ali here:
Suite Events website or Instagram @suite.events.
Transcript
Danielle Lewis (00:10):
Oh my God, Ali, we made it. Welcome to Spark tv. Cheers. It's so fabulous to have you. I'm just so excited because I haven't talked to you for so long, and I just want to totally get into your brain and find out all of the things that have been happening. So welcome.
Ali Steffan (00:30):
Thank you for having me. And yes, it has been a hot minute, so it's very fun and great to be catching up.
Danielle Lewis (00:36):
So good. Well, the way I like to start is just by sharing your journey and then we can dive deeper. So obviously you own and run suite events. Tell us firstly what that is and then how you got there. So a bit of your career background, other businesses, how you actually landed at Suite Events.
Ali Steffan (00:58):
Yeah, of course. Well, yes, suite Events is a full service events company, so we look after everything from live music right through to event styling and catering and venues and just kind of a one-stop shop essentially for events. How did I get into it? Well, I spent most of my younger years performing, so singing and dancing, and it was kind of 50 50 whether I'd be a singer or a dancer, but then dislocated my knee, oh God, ballet exam in high school. So ended up kind of following that music path a bit more, and then studied music at university. Did a bachelor of music, majoring voice performance. And from there I just, I've always had a keen eye for detail organization.
Danielle Lewis (01:47):
I
Ali Steffan (01:48):
Naturally fell to the other side of the performing stage and just really loved the events, organization and planning, and that's kind of where I landed. So was booking a lot of artists that I'd been to university with and sung with in the past and performed with and just kind of already had a bit of knowledge obviously in the event space and really liked that space. So I guess when I was building the business, I worked in a few different administrative roles, one of them being for my husband's business, which he has a town planning business, and I helped him build that, and now he has a big team of staff, which is awesome. So yeah, I guess that's kind of how I landed there. But yeah, did a few admin roles leading while I was building the business, and now obviously really lucky to be able to pursue it full time, which is great.
Danielle Lewis (02:40):
How cool. That's amazing
Ali Steffan (02:44):
History there.
Danielle Lewis (02:45):
It's so good. But it's so interesting because I think where we left off, which feels like a hundred years ago now, I think you were booking a lot of artists, but it hadn't quite launched into the full events service yet. So I do kind of love that. It's just like it's built and built and built and you've, it wasn't like you had to be absolutely everything on day one. You kind of did what you knew, built your network, built your business, and then now you are an empire and amazing.
Ali Steffan (03:15):
Oh, totally love that. Thank you. Always should do an interview every day. This is great. Yeah, no, I have been actually doing it for 10 years now, which I forgot to mention. So kind of flew by. But I guess when you're doing little bits on the side as you go along, as you're building it, it does kind of, yeah, you just forget that that time has flown by. But yeah, have definitely built a really good network of suppliers that I use and artists. So I guess all of that comes with time and experience.
Danielle Lewis (03:43):
Yeah. And do you service a particular area or anywhere?
Ali Steffan (03:48):
Yeah, yeah, mostly Brisbane is my main clientele and I tend to focus more on the corporate scene and corporate clients, but definitely book a lot of weddings and work with people doing engagement parties or other private events. So it's not strictly corporate, but that's probably more my main client. Yeah.
Danielle Lewis (04:05):
Yeah. Amazing. And that's interesting. So that's kind of very different clientele in terms of corporate or wedding or smaller events. How have you actually grown? What's been your strategy to get new clients?
Ali Steffan (04:19):
Yeah, I was actually talking to my husband, Alex about this today because I've never been, even though I'm a performer and whatever else, quite confident and outgoing, just am not a salesperson. So almost all of my business is referral based. So I pride myself on creating really unique experiences because if you can do that for a customer, no matter what industry you're in, they'll remember that experience and they'll talk about it. So that's kind of like a selling point in itself. So referral creates
Danielle Lewis (04:51):
Great content as well.
Ali Steffan (04:53):
Great content. Yeah, so that's the thing, yeah, if you can create an event that people want to take photos of and talk about, then that's my main growth, I suppose. And obviously keeping my socials, trying to keep my socials maintained is another thing. People often say they popped up in their Instagram or something. So yeah, just trying to stay present there as well seems to have been working for my growth over the years as
Danielle Lewis (05:18):
Well. How cool. And you also have boss ladies as well, so tell us about that. I think that would also lead to a little bit of sales referrals as
Ali Steffan (05:28):
Well. Yeah, of course, of course. So yeah, one of the other big growth points would be hosting my own networking event, which you spoke at one of the very first ones, LY lunch back in 2017, so it was a while ago now. But yeah, I basically created that event to celebrate the incredible women in my life and amazing women achieving amazing things. So the whole purpose of that lunch is just to get women together in a room, collaborating, sharing, just sharing some real truths overall, vino, only good things can come of that. So that's really grown over the years too, and I'm always really humbled by the people that attend those events and every time there's new people, and it started just with people that I knew, and now it's really built something a lot bigger than that in terms of the people attending and just who I don't even know I haven't met before, and they've just got fascinating stories. So yeah, it's great.
Danielle Lewis (06:23):
That's so cool. I love that your mom comes to every event.
Ali Steffan (06:26):
Oh, mom, number one supporter. Am I right?
Danielle Lewis (06:29):
Totally. My mom came to my last event and I was like, she's my favorite person here.
Ali Steffan (06:33):
Yes. I actually for the first time in a million years, went out on the weekend. She feels old now,
Danielle Lewis (06:40):
Mom lives,
Ali Steffan (06:41):
But the girl that was DJing, her mom was there in the front row just getting down. I was like, oh, love you mom. Love you, mom
Danielle Lewis (06:49):
Are the best. Moms are literally the best, right? I don't know if my mom knows what I do,
Ali Steffan (06:54):
That's fine. She's not to be enthusiastic about it, whatever it is.
Danielle Lewis (06:58):
Totally. It's so good. Well, I mean, so speaking of mom life, obviously in your business journey you became a mom.
Ali Steffan (07:05):
Did. Yes.
Danielle Lewis (07:06):
Did that have an impact on your business?
Ali Steffan (07:09):
Molly? Sure did. Hormones, goodness me, just getting through that in life. What's
Danielle Lewis (07:16):
My excuse then? I don't have a bloody excuse.
Ali Steffan (07:19):
No. Well, I mean, we all go through hormones, but they're definitely more heightened when you have a baby. But no, it's obviously been a big impact. I guess one of the biggest struggles I've had in my business to date was Covid.
Danielle Lewis (07:35):
Oh my God, of course.
Ali Steffan (07:37):
Yeah. It coincided with me having Stevie, which was kind of a blessing in disguise because I obviously got to spend some really genuine time with her and just focusing on her and not being too caught up in trying to maintain everything business-wise outside of that. So as unfortunate as Covid has been for everyone's businesses, it did fall at a convenient time for me in the sense that I was able to just kind of regroup, focus on Stevie, and kind of focus on my business and where I wanted to go, because obviously a bit more time poor having had when I had Stevie and figuring out what I was going to do next and how much time I could invest and what I was going to do. So yeah, just refocused, revisited who my clients were going to be, what my brand was going to be, what my values were, and how I really wanted to spend the time that I was investing into my business. So yeah, kind of gave me a moment to reflect in a good way. Yeah,
Danielle Lewis (08:37):
That's such a good attitude too. I feel like obviously Covid was horrendous, but I feel like people kind of took it in different ways. Some people totally pivoted their businesses, some people took the time to plan and chill and reflect and regroup. Other people lost their mind. Oh,
Ali Steffan (08:58):
I think there was a bit of all of the above at times, wasn't there? Yes,
Danielle Lewis (09:02):
Totally. I went through every emotional rollercoaster Nolan to man. That's so cool. So what changed for you then? So what did you plan and strategize and update in your moment of reflection?
Ali Steffan (09:16):
Well, I guess before Covid, my main client base wasn't focused. It was just events in general. I'm your one-stop shop for all your events needs. And then I sort of took a moment, I thought, well, weddings are a pretty big one and it's a big market and there's some people doing it so incredibly well. So I thought, well, maybe I just want to move towards that less emotional kind of event, go more to the corporate side where the corporates have a little bit more time poor and a little bit less emotionally invested, which is better for me because often there's a bit more trust there for me to just take the reins, get the job done, and it's usually a quicker, more efficient job just when someone says, this is what we need.
Danielle Lewis (10:04):
We
Ali Steffan (10:05):
Trust in your judgment, not that weddings and private events, I'm still very happy to do those. It's just a little bit more of a time consuming job in the sense that you really need to take into account people's personal preferences and ideas, and you really want to tailor something specifically to them, which is great, but when you don't have as much time, it's a little bit easier doing something where someone's just happy to go, here's what we need, get the job done. Boom.
Danielle Lewis (10:34):
Totally. How much money we have, make it happen.
Ali Steffan (10:38):
Yeah, here's my budget. Bye. See you when you
Danielle Lewis (10:41):
See you on the night,
Ali Steffan (10:43):
Right? Yeah. So yeah, kind of just refocus who my client base was, and also for Boss Ladies lunches. I used to kind of pop around Brisbane and explore all the different venues across Brisbane, which was kind of fun when I had a bit more time in my hands and I didn't have as much responsibility at home. And then kind of just decided, look, let's get one main venue. So we do them at the Kal every lunch now. Their service is amazing. I just found a really reliable menu and just refocused what I was doing with those as well in terms of, we used to have two speakers every event, and now we're doing a bit more of a personal and professional development. I actually put it out to a lot of the women and asked what they wanted to be getting out of the lunches. So just trying to make it more beneficial for everyone involved and more efficient for me in terms of how much time I was investing in organizing. Yeah. So yeah, that's kind of where I pivoted to in that reflection time.
Danielle Lewis (11:40):
I love that. And it's really funny because I guess you hear all of these buzzwords things that you have to optimize and automate and blah, blah, blah inside your business. But I think that is such a good thing to actually sit down and do and go, okay, who am I catering for? What are all my products? What are all of the things? And do I actually need to do absolutely everything or is it actually focusing in on one particular market or one particular product going to actually save me so much time and still be as profitable as if I had my hand in every pie?
Ali Steffan (12:12):
Totally. And that's something I actually did before Covid hit. I was really trying to just find my niche, find my little spot in the event scene, because there's just so many people doing great things, which is awesome, but it's kind of like, where do I fit in all of this? And I was trying to create packages and things that, and I do have some packages online for private event stuff, but it's so personal, so it's very hard to go, here's a little package, whatever you want to do in terms of these things. But it's just so broad. I was finding it really hard to find that sort of click and personalized, these are the options and services when it's such a broad kind of array of things that you do. So yeah, I found going a bit more corporate, but still offering that personalized service to private events, but just less often better way for me to go.
Danielle Lewis (13:05):
So did you go through a particular process to actually nail that down, or was it just a whole lot of thinking
Ali Steffan (13:13):
It was just 10 years. I'm like, is
Danielle Lewis (13:14):
There a
Ali Steffan (13:14):
Secret? No, no secrets. I'll tell you if there were no, it's just a long time of experiencing both style of events and as exciting and fun and creative as some of the private events can be, which is why I still do them occasionally. It just takes, it's a lot more of an investment and there's some people that are doing it so well and that's all they're doing, so they're nailing it every time, and they may have their packages a bit more refined, but you're kind of on the edge doing both. And I kind of fell onto the side where it was a bit more time efficient for me with having Stevie to focus on the corporate stuff.
Danielle Lewis (13:55):
I love it. No, but it's so good. I think sometimes I think we hope there's this magic solution or magic process, and I was secretly hoping that you'd have one. But I think that's probably just a good thing for people to acknowledge is that sometimes it takes a bit of experimentation to get there.
Ali Steffan (14:16):
But if you ask that question, I had lunch with a girl yesterday that is just doing really amazing stuff in the event scene, and I think most of what she does is private events, but incredibly elaborate and amazing. But if you asked her that question, she'd probably have a totally different answer to me. So I think it's everyone's personal journey and everyone's kind of gets there in their own way eventually, but I don't think there's any secrets for anyone. You just figure it out.
Danielle Lewis (14:43):
Yes, exactly. Oh my God, I know. Do all of the courses, have all of the tears over wine? It's all a process.
Ali Steffan (14:51):
Well, that's what Boss Ladies lunch is. That's what we all just get in a room and go, yep, this is what's going on. It's not very pretty sometimes, but we look like we're doing a great job. So let's keep doing that.
Danielle Lewis (15:04):
If we can just keep up the Instagram life be fine. Oh my God,
Ali Steffan (15:07):
Instagram best reality.
Danielle Lewis (15:09):
Yeah, it's so good though, because I feel like it's very easy. I mean, I just obviously shared with you at the beginning that I live in the middle of nowhere right now, a new phase of life, and it's so easy to just be trapped in your home office and looking at all of these shiny things on Instagram that you're missing out on and kind of go, oh my God, I'm really fucking this up.
Ali Steffan (15:32):
100%. I'd say one of my biggest, and I'm so conscious of it and so aware of it now, but one of my biggest hurdles that I have to get over just daily is the negative self-talk, the negative narrative. Like, oh, but this person's doing this and Oh, am I getting enough done? What did I even do today? It's just a constant, and then you do have to reflect and go, well, this is what I did. This is where I'm going. And just constantly reevaluate and remind yourself that you are doing a great job because everyone's doing the exact same thing. Everyone's posting some people more than others, posting the very pretty pictures on Instagram and whatever it is, but you're trying to sell your business. You're trying to sell the dream. So of course we're going to put good stuff up there. But yeah, it's important to just remind yourself that you are doing good things. I feel like it gets very unproductive, the more negative narrative that going on. So trying to stay aware of that.
Danielle Lewis (16:32):
It's so true. And I love that We've just kicked off the last, sorry, 12 week sales course for 2022, and we had our first kickoff call yesterday, and the biggest thing that came up for everybody, literally everyone, was I am not worthy. And I'm like,
Ali Steffan (16:51):
That was the theme at the Last Boss Lady's Lunch by Accident. Oh, really? By accident. Because we do an intro around the room and everyone, and then we do a few different interactive activities. And I was emotional, and obviously I was hosting the events. I was like, come on, pull it together. Oh my God. See, actually emotional and human. But yeah, that was the main thing everyone was saying. They just don't like, oh, I don't think, I haven't come to a Boss Lady's lunch yet because I don't feel like I'm a boss. And I'm like, oh my God.
Danielle Lewis (17:21):
Wow.
Ali Steffan (17:22):
Yeah, it's crazy.
Danielle Lewis (17:23):
It is so crazy. I was thinking about it and I'm like, worthiness is such a weird word as well. I'm, there is no life manual or checklist that is like if you don't tick these five things, you are not worthy. It is literally a made up concept, but literally something that we've all convinced ourselves of. So weird.
Ali Steffan (17:45):
And I think it's when we are looking at what someone else is doing or thinking about what someone else is doing or what someone else is achieving, and then comparing ourselves to that. But then I think if you think about the fact that they're probably doing the exact same thing with you, it's like, well, we should just cancel both of these out. Totally. Great. Good job.
Danielle Lewis (18:03):
I know. I feel like we need to have a meeting. We need to all have a
Ali Steffan (18:07):
Meeting. World meeting. You're all doing a great job. Keep it up. Okay.
Danielle Lewis (18:11):
Yeah, that's it. Scrap this worthy crap. We're okay. We are all okay. You all now have permission to be amazing. Yes.
Ali Steffan (18:19):
Oh, I've seen your little notes popping up on Instagram too, your little
Danielle Lewis (18:23):
Oh, my love notes. Yes.
Ali Steffan (18:26):
Yeah,
Danielle Lewis (18:26):
They,
Ali Steffan (18:26):
That's fun.
Danielle Lewis (18:28):
So fun. And that's kind of why. So this is the little book?
Ali Steffan (18:31):
Yes, there it is. Okay, good. I couldn't remember what it was called. Yeah.
Danielle Lewis (18:34):
So yeah, 101 Love Notes of Female Founders. I was like, you know what? This is the whole thing. How many courses are there on the planet? How many eBooks, how many download, how many fucking things to add to your, to-do
Ali Steffan (18:45):
Million, million when we're supposed to have read them all. Oh,
Danielle Lewis (18:47):
Totally. And actioned them all as well. And I was like, you know what? It's just really hard. I just want something where you can be having a crap afternoon and pick it up. And so the idea is that you scan the QR code with your mobile and I talk at you. Well, that's
Ali Steffan (19:05):
Bit made it, isn't it? Very forward.
Danielle Lewis (19:09):
So fun. But But the whole thing is I'm like, I don't want to add anything more to your, to-do list. If you want things on your to-do list, buy
Ali Steffan (19:18):
A course, walk around the house and you've got them. Yes.
Danielle Lewis (19:20):
Right. That's fine.
Ali Steffan (19:22):
Oh, that's really cool. I like that there's a little QR code there that's fun.
Danielle Lewis (19:26):
I just make it a bit interactive, but it's so interesting how you think you do. You look around at everyone, you think, well, every ideas taken, people are doing so well in my industry, where do I fit in? But it's like everyone has their own little thing and no one's you, the experience you bring and your personality is what sets you apart and what makes you different in your industry.
Ali Steffan (19:54):
Yeah. I'm glad that we're on the same page here and we just happen to fall onto that worthy topic. It is. It's a big one, and it's definitely very prevalent and important to be aware of it. And then just, I don't think we're ever going to get rid of it, in all honesty, not feeling worthy. Or you go through ups and downs where you're just like, oh, I'm getting it. And then you're like, oh, I'm not getting it. And then I think, yeah, it's just important to always just have a good support network and remind yourself that you're doing a good job and the people you're comparing yourself to are probably comparing themselves to you anyway, so
Danielle Lewis (20:27):
It's all good. Yeah, that's so true. So in that vein, so being an epic business owner, an awesome mother, do you have time for you? Is there an alley sexual equation?
Ali Steffan (20:43):
We're always making time for that. My husband thinks that's all I do, but very,
Danielle Lewis (20:47):
It sounds about right.
Ali Steffan (20:49):
You're in appointment every other day. It's like once every three months, but that's fine. No, I do. One of my big things I do is I've been going to a facialist forever for more than 15 years or something. She's amazing. Nat at Kind. Oh,
Danielle Lewis (21:05):
I love her. I met her at one of your events, I think.
Ali Steffan (21:08):
Oh, did you? Yeah, yeah,
Danielle Lewis (21:09):
Pretty sure.
Ali Steffan (21:10):
Really just I'll have to link her to this and be like, yes, tag
Danielle Lewis (21:14):
Aama.
Ali Steffan (21:15):
Yes. But yeah, she is so good. I feel like whenever I really am feeling a bit just all over the shop, I get in there, get my facial, and she has a meditative kind of
Danielle Lewis (21:26):
Talk because she's a bit more holistic vibe. Right.
Ali Steffan (21:29):
And it just grounds me and brings me back. But yeah, I always take a minute and do my hair or do my brows or do something. Definitely take those moments and always, I always say yes to coffee with girlfriends. That is like, if you're not doing that, you're not even productive.
Danielle Lewis (21:48):
Yeah. Well, and I mean, it's interesting though because like, well, if you don't have time to do that stuff, why do you have a business? Because it sounds
Ali Steffan (21:55):
Like your
Danielle Lewis (21:55):
Business is your,
Ali Steffan (21:56):
That's the whole beauty of it is you set your own, I mean, this is the beauty of it, but also can become major procrastination, bill. You get to set your own boundaries and set your own timelines and timeframes and yeah, definitely good to be able to get out and have that flexibility and have that support network there and leave the house or do whatever you need to do when you need to do it and not kind of set for someone else's rules and politics in the office and things.
Danielle Lewis (22:28):
Oh my God, the biggest thing I struggle with is just like, I feel like if I'm not working, I feel guilty.
Ali Steffan (22:34):
Oh yeah. Well, I don't think you're going to get rid of that ever either do it. If I'm not working at the computer, then I'm like, oh, I feel guilty because I'm not doing the washing or the dishes aren't done because I work from home too. It's kind of like,
Danielle Lewis (22:50):
Oh my God, what
Ali Steffan (22:51):
Whatcha doing right now? I don't really know.
Danielle Lewis (22:53):
I know. I also struggle with that in terms of just because I'm home doesn't mean I'm not working. It means I can't do all of the washing and cleaning and cooking. Oh,
Ali Steffan (23:02):
I'm looking around like, oh God, I sometimes have to have a little visor or something on. Don't look anywhere, but,
Danielle Lewis (23:09):
Well, I just had an inspection and got in trouble. The stove was dirty from our landlord, and I'm like, are you kidding me? I'm building an empire here.
Ali Steffan (23:20):
I know I do right after I've wiped it maybe once a week, but not, wow.
Danielle Lewis (23:25):
I know you've
Ali Steffan (23:26):
Got person that checked up on you. You got short straw there.
Danielle Lewis (23:30):
I know. Tell me about it. Anyway, you,
Ali Steffan (23:34):
Have you seen how great my business is going? Do you care about that?
Danielle Lewis (23:38):
Would you like a book? Will that help me get out of this problem?
Ali Steffan (23:41):
Oh, that is weird. I haven't heard that one before. Stove Top
Danielle Lewis (23:45):
Stove.
Ali Steffan (23:45):
I'm going to go clean mine after this.
Danielle Lewis (23:48):
Someone's probably watching. Let me tell you.
(23:53):
So, okay, back to business chats before I rant about my landlord. So challenges. So you kind of went from obviously being a performer to starting to build a business, to having, I love actually that it's like you were building a business and your jobs were your side hustle. You're like, nah, I just had other things going on. I was building the business whole time. Most people are like, oh, I had a job and I was kind of working on my side hustle, but I love that you reverse it and you're like, no, no, no. I was building the empire and I had these things that were stepping stones. But obviously totally different mentality along the way, having the admin jobs, building the business, and now full-time into the business. Have there been challenges along the way? How have you gone from just starting out being a performer, being an employee to now being a business owner? Has there had to be a mindset shift? Have you had to learn things in business? How did you do it? Yeah.
Ali Steffan (24:55):
Well, I started with the NIECE program, I think it was all of those many, many years ago where I sat down and I did the business plan and I did all the things, but I feel like I was so young then and I feel like I just need to redo it now. I feel like it's just a constant journey of challenges. I think one of my biggest challenges is I do actually respond well to having a to-do list or a, let's get this done by this date, deadlines and timeframes and things. But I think my biggest challenge is when I give them to myself, I put a lot more flexibility on it than what I would if I was at a nine to five and there was someone else watching over me. So I think that's been one of my biggest challenges and struggles to date, is that I don't hold myself accountable enough and I'm just constantly wanting to be achieving more, which is a good thing, I guess. Yeah. So I think that's one of my biggest struggles is kind of going from something more regimented and having someone else tell me what to do and when to do it to having to tell myself that, but hold myself accountable to those things that I'm telling myself to do, rather than being like, well, it doesn't really matter because it does. Yeah,
Danielle Lewis (26:06):
The world's not actually going to end if I don't get that thing done. Well, that's
Ali Steffan (26:09):
The thing. You can't tell yourself that, and the world isn't going to end, but you need to have the other little devil in there. No,
Danielle Lewis (26:15):
You
Ali Steffan (26:16):
Need to get it done because you feel better when you do. So I think it's ing how you feel when you do hold yourself accountable and you get those things done when you said that you're going to do them. But I have a whole diary thing going on. I don't use my diary as a diary. It's more like my little checklist, and I know there's apps for this. I am aware.
Danielle Lewis (26:37):
No, no, no. I'm like
Ali Steffan (26:38):
A piece
Danielle Lewis (26:40):
Of paper girl too.
Ali Steffan (26:42):
I stick them in little timeframes, and I'm not going to lie, sometimes most of the time they get shifted to the next day. But I think it's just being conscious of that and holding yourself accountable and reminding yourself of the feeling that you get when you do it on time and you do what you said you're going to do, talking the talk and walk in the walk.
Danielle Lewis (27:02):
Yeah, and it's interesting too, because it's like if you have an event, you can't fuck with timelines you've got to get done. So isn't it funny,
Ali Steffan (27:13):
This is backend things that are kind of like, well, I could,
Danielle Lewis (27:15):
That's what I mean for everybody else, you will nail it and get it done, but when
Ali Steffan (27:19):
Comes to yourself, it's someone else's thing. And a lot of the things I do are, which is great, but when it's something like, oh, have you done your social media posts or have you updated this thing on the website? Or did you send your invoices out? Which is kind of important. It means you get paid. It's like just reminding myself to just get it done when you said you're going to, because you feel better anyway.
Danielle Lewis (27:42):
Yeah, and it's really interesting because sometimes I think we do have these amazing goals and we kind of berate ourselves a little bit when we haven't achieved them quickly, but then we do push things out off our to-do list. Oh,
Ali Steffan (27:55):
And
Danielle Lewis (27:55):
I was like, well, if you don't do that thing, how are you going to hit that goal? So you really got to do that task and stop putting it on the next page. True. Yeah.
Ali Steffan (28:04):
Yeah. Maybe I need my little goal sheet up. I feel like I don't have that there. Maybe I need a physical, I've just got task, task, task, task, task, task, task. Which I guess can get a bit visually and mentally overwhelming. So maybe I need my little goal thing up there. That's why I need to do the task and remind myself of that end game.
Danielle Lewis (28:23):
Oh my God, that's such a cool idea. So I've got a vision board, of course, of course on the wall, and then I've got all of these annoying tasks on my desk, but I was like, maybe you need to connect the two. Maybe it's like, okay, the reason I'm doing this task is because I want this holiday, or the reason I'm doing this task is because I want this, or I want whatever. Yeah, maybe we just invented something
Ali Steffan (28:48):
Really copy like that.
Danielle Lewis (28:51):
Totally. Totally patent pending.
Ali Steffan (28:54):
Well, I guess it's true though because I mean, I'm always really conscious of the balance and having things to look forward to in our personal life. We've got a holiday coming up or we're going for dinner together that night or something, because I know that that gives me motivation. So yeah, I think we just get caught up in the day-to-Day and forget that maybe seeing that end goal and linking them together keeps you motivated because you know what it's actually for in the end. It's not just a I'll do it later one.
Danielle Lewis (29:26):
Yeah, totally. I think it is so easy to just look at a, to-do list that has 20 items on it and just go, don't really want to do any of those things. And
Ali Steffan (29:36):
There's always one that just,
Danielle Lewis (29:38):
Oh my God, that just keeps transferring. I might have two of three of those.
Ali Steffan (29:45):
Yeah.
Danielle Lewis (29:45):
Oh, it's so funny. Okay. Then to wrap up this fabulous chat, if there's one thing that you could, one piece of wisdom that you could impart with someone who might be wanting to take the leap into business. So they might have an idea or they might just have an idea that they want to start a business for themselves and they haven't done it yet. What would be your advice to that person?
Ali Steffan (30:12):
I probably have three things.
Danielle Lewis (30:14):
I love that even more. I'm here.
Ali Steffan (30:16):
Tell me three things. Yes. I would say one, you need a solid support team, both professional and personal because you just need that support and you need professionals in your corner. And Boss Ladies is a great place to meet those people
Danielle Lewis (30:31):
Because yes, well never
Ali Steffan (30:32):
Know who's going to come in the door there. So yeah, have your support team. That's number one. Number two would be specific, which I feel like it took me 10 years to figure out, but if you can figure that out at the start, know your customer, know your values, know what you are offering, and let your brand reflect that so that your customers and you are on the same page. I think that always helps. And then the third thing I would say, just feel the fear and do it anyway. Oh,
Danielle Lewis (31:03):
I love that.
Ali Steffan (31:05):
Got to do it. I tell myself that every day too because it's like just everyone's scared. Just do it. Jump in there.
Danielle Lewis (31:15):
I love that so much. I was recording just a module of our course yesterday and I was in the shower getting room. Come on, that's fine. We're doing this, we're doing this. I don't care if you don't want to do it. I'm just pep talking myself up and I'm like, that's the actual thing I'm good at. Forget everything else. Showing up and talking to people and presenting, that's the actual thing I'm good at. So if you can imagine how I'm still going through that crap now, and that's the thing I am good at. Imagine what it's like. All the things I'm not good at, but you've just got to do that. You've just got to feel the fear and do it anyway. That's the best piece of advice ever.
Ali Steffan (31:50):
Yes, it's so true. I think my dad gave me a poster when I was like 10. You know those little things you remember? Yes. I'll love this. I have to send him this link too. Yes. And I just remembered ever since, it's like a baby jumping into the water or something, like reaching out for someone's hand. Bit emotional. Oh
Danielle Lewis (32:07):
My God, I love
Ali Steffan (32:08):
That. Little
Danielle Lewis (32:09):
Did he know it.
Ali Steffan (32:11):
Those little things you remember from childhood. But yeah, feel the fear. Do it. Anyway, that's my advice.
Danielle Lewis (32:16):
You are absolutely incredible. Cheers to you. Thank you for spending.
Ali Steffan (32:21):
Thanks for having me.
Danielle Lewis (32:22):
Thank you for spending your time with us. You are absolutely incredible. I cannot be more grateful for your time and sharing your insights with Spark.
Ali Steffan (32:30):
You are welcome. Anytime.
