S7 E44 What Happens When A Slightly Unhinged Idea Scribbled In A Notebook Turns Into An Actual Business Event For 80 Women?

You've done everything you said you'd do for a client, and then you think "ooh, I could just have a quick look at that as well." Before you know it, your package has grown legs.If you've tried to stop overdelivering and you're still doing the little extra thing, this episode goes beyond "just set better boundaries" to ask the real question: what are you hoping the extra work will guarantee?In this episode:Generosity by choice vs overdelivering to feel safeWhy a watertight contract won't help if your private rules say "just a bit more"How seeing potential in a client's business quietly becomes unpaid workWhy giving more can actually hinder your clientsWhat to do when your offer takes more work than you priced forA five-question audit to work out what's really going onThe question to sit with: if you stopped adding the extra, what do you think would happen?Come and tell me what you're noticing on Instagram @mills_gray, and grab my book, The Rebellious Leader, at https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0H3PB1TPD

Your website looks lovely, it's been live for months, and the phone still isn't ringing. Sound familiar?This week I'm joined by Sophie from The Marketing Launch Company, a website marketing strategist who has built and refreshed around 100 websites for small business owners. We talk about the gap between the DIY website and the expensive agency site, and what actually makes a website convert.In this episode:Why a website without a marketing strategy is just a brochure in a drawerWhat Sophie looks at first when she refreshes a websiteWhy no one reads your website copy, and what to do insteadWix vs Squarespace vs WordPress for SEOThe telltale signs a website was built with AIHow Sophie refreshes a website in two days, solo, around school hoursThe question to sit with: is your website bringing you enquiries, or is it a pretty brochure that nobody finds?Find Sophie at https://www.themarketinglaunch.co.uk and on Instagram at @marketinglaunchcompany. Come and tell me what you're changing on your website on Instagram @mills_gray, and grab my book, The Rebellious Leader.

What happens when a slightly unhinged idea scribbled in a notebook turns into an actual business event for 80 women?In this behind-the-scenes episode, I take you inside the very early days of The Rebellion, my new in-person event for women in business who are done being told what success should look like. No parade of 100K-month speakers. Conversations, panels where people disagree, breathwork, laughter and women leaving clear about what they actually want.In this episode:How my book launch led to the ideaThe notebook page where I wrote "The Rebellion" and then "80"Why around 40 people joined the waitlist before there was a date or venueWhat I've booked so far and what I'm still figuring outThe imposter syndrome that turned up when I decided on 80 womenWhy giving yourself space to think is where big ideas come fromThe question to sit with: how much of your ambition is actually yours?Join The Rebellion waitlist for first access at https://millsgray.kartra.com/page/TherebellionWL and tell me your audacious goal on Instagram @mills_gray. More at www.millsgray.com.

Have you ever received an email, a piece of client feedback or even a simple “I can’t afford it” and felt your whole body react before your brain has had a chance to catch up?Your chest goes prickly. Your stomach drops. You replay the conversation. You start questioning your pricing, your offer, your decisions, maybe your entire bloody business.But does the size of your reaction actually tell you the size of the problem?In this episode of The Rebellious Leader, I’m exploring what happens when someone else’s reaction becomes evidence about us, and what happens when our emotional response starts making business decisions.I share a personal story about receiving a refund request from a former client 18 months after we'd finished working together, despite having ended on good terms and achieved strong results together.My immediate response wasn't calm, strategic consideration.It was:“Oh my God. What have I done wrong?”And that distinction matters.Because there was a business situation to deal with.And there was my emotional reaction to it.They weren't the same problem.We’ll look at why a client saying “I can't afford it” can lead us to add more to an already good offer, why one no can suddenly have us questioning our entire business, and how our attempts to avoid rejection, criticism or disappointment can quietly start shaping our strategy.I also share a recent client example where being challenged created a huge physical and emotional response, even though once we'd examined what had happened, she still stood by the decision she'd made.The goal wasn't to make her stop caring.It was to help her find a more neutral place where she could check the feedback, take responsibility for anything that genuinely belonged to her, and leave the rest.Because taking someone seriously doesn't require you to agree with them.Topics covered:Why someone else’s reaction is information, not proof that you’ve done something wrongHow criticism, rejection and client feedback can trigger disproportionate emotional reactionsWhy “I can’t afford it” doesn’t automatically mean your pricing is wrongHow feelings can quietly start shaping your offers, messaging and strategyTaking feedback without automatically adopting someone else’s version of eventsA five-question Rebellious Leader Audit to help you decide from evidence rather than reactionLet’s Connect:Come say hi on Instagram: @mills_grayWebsite: https://www.millsgray.comThe Rebellious Leader Book: https://www.millsgray.com/book/Lucy Legal: Contract templates for business owners

What if you've correctly identified the problem in your business… but you're trying to solve it in completely the wrong place?You know sales are inconsistent, content isn't happening, your team relies on you too much or your boundaries aren't working. So you try another strategy, a better system or stronger boundaries.And yet somehow, the problem is still bloody there.In this episode of The Rebellious Leader, I'm exploring a different question: Where does this problem actually live?Using the NLP model of Neurological Levels, I look at six places a business problem can exist: environment, behaviour, capability, beliefs and values, identity, and purpose.Being inconsistent with content could mean you don't have time, you don't know how to create it, or you believe talking about your success makes you look boastful. Same problem on the surface. Very different problem underneath.We'll explore why another content strategy won't fix a visibility belief, how a boundary problem can actually be structural, and why deeper mindset work isn't automatically better.You can't choose the right intervention until you've diagnosed the problem.Let's Connect:Come say hi on Instagram: @mills_grayWebsite: https://www.millsgray.comThe Rebellious Leader Book: https://www.millsgray.com/book/

If Instagram feels like a beast you can't control, this episode is going to change that. I'm joined by Claire, founder of Studio 5 Social, who's spent years helping business owners get seen and get sales on Instagram without the overwhelm. We get into the four biggest mistakes she sees over and over, why chasing virality can actually wreck your business, the trend she was doing before anyone else, and the one thing about your Instagram audience that most people don't realise until it's too late.Key Topics CoveredIn this conversation with Instagram strategist Claire from Studio 5 Social, we cover:The four biggest Instagram mistakes business owners make and how to fix themWhy the algorithm isn't a beast, it just needs to be taughtHow to know if your content strategy is actually working, beyond likes and followersWhy going viral can be the worst thing that happens to your businessHow to get comfortable on camera when you hate being on cameraWhy you don't actually own your Instagram audience, and what to do about itA breakdown of her offers, including the one she'd "marry" and the one she'd ditchConnect With Claire, Studio 5 SocialInstagram: @studio5social (DMs are her happy place)Email: [email protected], also available for enquiriesWebsite: studio5social.co.ukLet's Connect:Come say hi on Instagram: @mills_gray Website: https://www.millsgray.comThe Rebellious Leader Book: https://www.millsgray.com/book/

You know you need to be more visible. You know you need to market your business, sell, follow up or finally build the thing you keep talking about.There’s just one small problem: you genuinely don’t have the bloody time.But is lack of time actually the problem?In this episode of The Rebellious Leader, I’m sharing a conversation with a client whose diary was so full that the obvious answer seemed to be better time management, stronger boundaries and saying no to more work.Except when I asked her whether saying no would become easier if she had more than enough money coming in, she said no.And that changed the conversation.Because sometimes busyness isn’t just a capacity problem. Sometimes it’s also doing a very useful job of keeping us away from the bits of business that feel uncomfortable visibility, self-promotion, selling, being judged or questioning whether we’re credible enough.We’ll explore why the presenting problem is rarely the governing problem, how your business can start mirroring what’s happening underneath your behaviour, and why creating more space won’t necessarily change anything if you haven’t looked at what you’ll do once that space exists.I also talk about why this isn’t about turning every legitimate business problem into a mindset problem. Sometimes your diary really is ridiculous. Sometimes your strategy needs fixing. Sometimes you need more leads, better conversion, higher prices or fewer offers.The interesting work is knowing which problem you’re actually solving.Resources:If this episode gave you one of those slightly uncomfortable oh shit moments, come and tell me on Instagram: @mills_grayAnd if you want to look at your business differently, grab a copy of my book, The Rebellious Leader — a business book for women done playing by the rules. Explore working with me: https://www.millsgray.com

If you're constantly telling yourself don't check, don't reply, don't get involved, don't rescue… I don't think you necessarily need better boundaries.You might need better business design.In this episode of The Rebellious Leader, I'm questioning one of the most overused pieces of advice given to successful women in business: “You need better boundaries.”Because there's a massive difference between a personal boundary and a structural boundary.One requires you to keep resisting the thing.The other changes the business so you don't have to.I share a client example that made me ask, “Why the fuck are your clients in your WhatsApp?”, as well as how I've had to rethink my own relationship with Voxer, client access and availability as my business has evolved.Because being accessible to your clients doesn't mean being constantly available to them.And sometimes we're getting pissed off because people aren't respecting boundaries we've never consistently taught them in the first place.Let's Connect:Come say hi on Instagram: @mills_gray Website: https://www.millsgray.comThe Rebellious Leader Book: https://www.millsgray.com/book/

One quiet sales week and suddenly the offer's wrong, your messaging isn't landing, Instagram is dead and you're 36 hours away from rebuilding your entire funnel.Sound familiar?In this episode of The Rebellious Leader, I'm talking about something I see all the bloody time with successful business owners and am very capable of doing myself:Reacting to discomfort as though it's evidence that something in the business needs fixing.Because a disappointing result is data. It isn't automatically a problem.There's a big difference between responding strategically to what your business is telling you and emotionally reacting because you don't like what just happened.And when you're a high-achieving founder who's very good at solving problems, doing something can feel far safer than sitting still long enough to work out whether there is actually a problem to solve.In this episode, I talk about:Why one bad sales week isn't necessarily a sales problemThe difference between an event and a genuine patternWhy successful founders can become addicted to fixing thingsHow emotional reactions to business data create questionable strategyWhy boredom can make you want to unnecessarily reinvent a successful businessHow to tell when your business genuinely does need changingWhy observation is an active part of good business strategyThe questions to ask before you fuck with your funnelConnect with meIf you like the way I think about business, leadership and the invisible problems underneath what's happening on the surface, you'll love my book, The Rebellious Leader A Business Book for Women Done Playing by the Rules.Buy The Rebellious Leader: LINK HERE Or come and find me on Instagram: @mills_gray

Ever feel like your branding is "fine" but something still doesn't sit right? This week I'm joined by Vanessa Jennings, founder of Bake Brands, who spent a year building a "neutral" personal brand before realising it was the exact opposite of who she actually is. We talk about ditching the coach label for strategist, why bold branding attracts the right clients, the AI slop ruining content right now, and what actually makes a brand magnetic online. If you've been quietly rebranding in your head for months but haven't pulled the trigger, this one's for you.Key Topics CoveredIn this conversation with brand marketing strategist Vanessa Jennings, we get into:How to know when your branding isn't aligned with who you areWhy she moved from "neutral" branding to bold, colourful, and unapologetically herThe difference between positioning yourself as a coach versus a consultant or strategistHow five redundancies in the fashion industry built the resilience to run her own businessWhat actually makes a brand feel magnetic to the right clientsHer honest take on using AI in business, including why AI-written content is killing trustThe stat on personal branding and employee advocacy most business owners are sleeping onHow human design and gut instinct shaped her rebrandLet's Connect:Come say hi on Instagram @mills_gray — I love sending voice note responses to your questions. Share this episode to your stories and tag me for a happy dance.Website: https://www.millsgray.comThe Rebellious Leader Book: https://www.millsgray.com/book/Connect With Vanessa Jennings:Instagram: @VanessaEvesBusiness Instagram: @bake.brandsWebsite: bake-brands.com