Abundant + Aligned

$100K in 48 Hours?! The brand strategy that made it happen with Priscilla Skippington

• Jess Martin

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In this episode I sit down with multi-award winning entrepreneur, Priscilla Skippington who is brand strategist, business mentor, and the founder of Inspired Founders. Together we unpack the real story behind a $100K launch, sold-out events, and the bold moves that built a magnetic brand from the inside out.

In this episode we talk about:

  • Why leaving her 4 year network marketing business was the launchpad for her biggest success
  • The behind the scenes of a $100K launch in just 48 hours!
  • What goes into building a sold-out, soul-led event (without waiting to feel "ready")
  • The magnetic power of in-person connection and why it could be the missing link for your brand 
  • How to pivot when logic says no, but your soul says yes

Priscillas's energy is infectious and her knowledge is worth thousands - so i'm excited for you to learn and listen from her today. 

How to connect with Priscilla: 

https://www.inspiredfounders.com.au/

https://www.instagram.com/priscillaskippington/


👑 Apply for HER Empire Business Mastermind here


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Speaker 1:

Welcome to the Abundant and Aligned podcast, a place where you will come to realize anything you desire is possible. I'm Jess mindset and business coach, and I'm on a mission to lead women to a life far from average. 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. Imagine a TED Talk, but over wine. 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, and if you stick with me, that will soon be your reality. I'm honored to be on the journey with you, so let's get into it.

Speaker 1:

Hello everyone, and welcome back to the Abundant and Aligned podcast, and welcome to another episode. As part of advice from her, today I have Priscilla with me. I'm so excited to bring her onto the Abundant and Aligned podcast and allow her to share her incredible journey in business with you all, and her expert brain when it comes to events, which I was just saying to Priscilla, is always the perfect alignment. So many of you are asking questions about retreats and events, and so this is the perfect timing. Priscilla, welcome to the show.

Speaker 2:

Thank you. Thank you so much for having me. I'm excited to be here with you again sitting down with you.

Speaker 1:

Priscilla actually has a beautiful studio in Brisbane, so when we recorded for her studio, we'll up in the beautiful studio. Um, today we're in our home office, although your office is beautiful.

Speaker 2:

Yes, I. When I launched Inspired Founders last year, which is one of my now events uh, I decided I wanted to brand my office so I could really get in the space and the creative vibe of it. So, yeah, it's really important for me to have a space where I feel super inspired.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, it makes the biggest difference. Well, yeah, it's very on brand from what I can see with these colors. Well, I guess for an intro I love to just hand the mic over. Who is Priscilla? Like, give us a bit of a spill. Personal business, all the things.

Speaker 2:

Who is Priscilla? That's a big question. There's been a journey. I mean, like most of us women, right, we go on a journey from you know, there's a lot of self-discovery in our 20s. And then for me there was a big awakening when I was 30 of how I was doing things and realignment. And now I feel like I'm realigning again with certain things in my life and business. And so who am I? I'm a brand strategist. I'm a business mentor. I'm a graphic designer. I'm a serial entrepreneur. I've been in business since I was 21 years old.

Speaker 2:

I always knew I was going to be an entrepreneur. The system never quite worked for me and I didn't quite know why. Back in the day I loved I became a graphic designer. I was always good at art at school and quite creative, and actually before I went to uni I was actually in the Queensland Ballet, so I was actually a dancer. So I was always very creative.

Speaker 2:

And then when I got stress fractures when I was 18 in both of my shins I had 10 stress fractures in each of my shins the doctor was like you've really got to stop dancing, like for a significant amount of time for this to heal if you're ever going to dance again and so, yeah, it was a really hard decision, but obviously had to stop dancing. And then it was like, well, what am I going to do with my life? So I went into business and marketing actually, and I thought that's where you know, that's how you make money. Being creative is in marketing and I bloody hated business Like I hated microeconomics, accounting, all of that sort of stuff. I was like I hate this. So halfway through that degree I left and I went to a private design college to become a graphic designer and I loved it. I flourished, I won a lot of awards.

Speaker 2:

I got a job straight out of college Like I pretty much was handed it from my lecturer, which was amazing Worked my way up in that business really quickly, which was actually mining and engineering, which is just totally different to what I do now, but it was an amazing opportunity and I learned so much about branding and marketing and global business because, um, I was working on global projects, which was really cool, and they were flying me all around the country. It was amazing, amazing experience, and one day I said to my manager I was like I love this job, but I really want to work in the fashion industry. It's like what, how polar opposite. I was like that's my calling and I'd always and maybe it comes from being a dancer as well like I love playing dress-ups and makeup and always had a thing for fashion. So, anyway, I was really lucky. I landed a job with a Brisbane company called Lewin Hyde and I was there for three years and it was amazing, but the whole time I was there as much as I loved working in that brand and being behind all the photo shoots and, you know, creating all the campaigns and all the fashion stuff I loved it I always had this feeling like I wanted to do more, and so my first business was actually it was called my Fashion Empire and it was before influencers really became a thing and I started to build like this online blog where women could contribute their looks to this website and tag.

Speaker 2:

You know the clothes and the brands that they were wearing. So it was kind of like, yeah, before now I mean, everyone does affiliate marketing now and everyone does that but that was kind of before that even launched. That was my first business. And then, yeah, a few years later, 2016, I decided I need to just go full out in my business. My fashion empire really was making no money. It was a lot of fun, but it wasn't making any money, and so I went out on my own in 2016 with a creative agency. So branding, marketing, social media websites, all of that and so, yeah, so I've had that business almost 10 years now and it's been incredible.

Speaker 2:

And along that way, I've done lots of other things. I've built more than 10 brands myself now, from product to events. I had a network marketing business. We've spoken about that before. I've tried it all because I love to learn, I love to grow and that's, I think, what's now pushed me into the mentoring space. Because I truly love the journey of business. I love the creative side of business and I love helping women on their journey to self-discovery as well as business discovery. And yeah, you know, I'm a super spiritual person as well. I've been from a really young age. So intertwining spirituality, business, all of it, yeah.

Speaker 1:

You know it's interesting. You mentioned you've always wanted to be an entrepreneur. I don't sit down with women who say that very often. Usually they've grown up wanting to be a lawyer or an accountant or a doctor, because that's what the mold says to do when they've just fallen into it.

Speaker 1:

But the fact that you've always felt this resistance and run with it and not allowed the mold to sweep you up, I think is really cool. Um and yeah, I never fit a mold. I never knew what a mold was like. Um and yeah, I never fit a mold. I never knew what a mold was like. Whatever it is, it is not for me, no. But that's really cool though, and obviously there's a lot in you that has allowed you to do that, because, um, like I mentioned, I talked to so many women who have just ended up there and they knew the whole time it wasn't for them, but it takes a lot of courage and determination to walk a different path.

Speaker 1:

So I think it's really cool that you've always honored that little niggle inside of you and it sounds like your journey. While you know you've tried so many different things, the path has seemed like the journey you were supposed to walk, and I think that's evidence. Obviously you're supposed to be doing this and I think that's such a good sign. Like when things are so hard and there are so many roadblocks and resistance, sometimes it is a bit of a sign that this is not for you and there's something else out there, like whereas when things are for you, it does feel a little bit more easy and things do show up, opportunities manifest, which is like alarm bells that you're on the right path.

Speaker 2:

For sure. Yeah, I couldn't agree more with that. There has been plenty of times along my journey, especially with different businesses, that I've tried where you know you do feel the resistance, you feel the roadblocks. It's like why is this not working? Banging my head up against the wall, you know feeling like it's hard, and I often talk now with women that I mentor. It's hard and I often talk now with women that I mentor. It's like, if things are feeling really hard and obstacles keep arising, I'd be really re-evaluating what you're doing and how you're doing it and why you're doing it, probably more importantly because, yeah, when you're in flow, I mean opportunities just arise and things just happen, like I call it magic in business, because it does happen when you're in alignment yeah and I love this conversation already because a lot of beliefs Like I call it magic in business, because it does happen when you're in alignment.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, and I love this conversation already because a lot of beliefs that are ingrained in women is life's supposed to be hard. You know, it's not always easy Like this is just how it is. I hate that.

Speaker 1:

So, when these roadblocks arise, they're like, oh well, this is just how it's supposed to be. But having these conversations really opens up that different perspective, like no, there's actually an easier route available to you. Of course, we'll always have challenges and we'll always have to. You know, look at things from a different angle and whatever. But when you are on your path and you are in your groove, it does feel so much easier and things do just flow like magic, absolutely yeah, and you mentioned before a big part of your journey has been sitting in this self-discovery and just following the nudges and pivoting when you felt it was necessary. I love to talk to you about your mindset behind that, because there may be women that are nodding their heads, thinking, yeah, I know this is not the business for me or this is not the career for me, and I know I want to do something different. What would your advice be to them? Just to follow those nudges, trust those nudges and take the leap, even in the circumstances where the logical aspect isn't really summing up yet.

Speaker 2:

I actually had a brilliant conversation with someone yesterday about this. You know, often the biggest shifts in my life have happened when there is no logic involved. You know, it seems like the most illogical thing, but the nudge is there, that internal nudge, and I don't know who's listening, who's into human design or not, but I'm a projector and I'm a splenic projector. So I'm very intuitive and I have to listen to my intuition and often it's quiet and it's small, but it does. You can hear it. You can hear it, and for me, I have always led from my heart, not my head. And when my head gets involved, I know, because it's that negative self-talk, it's that I start self-doubting. You know, all worst case scenarios start to pop up and I'm like this isn't me talking, talking like this is just my brain keeping me safe, which I'm grateful for. Thank you, you're doing your, your primal duties, appreciate you. Um, however, if something truly lights me up, you know if I wake up excited, happy, joyful about it, if I can't wait to get out of bed or have that conversation with someone, or, yeah, when I can't put the laptop down because I just feel so inspired, even if logically it doesn't make sense, even if, logically, there's no money there, even if you know everyone's saying that's a ridiculous idea. If it's lighting me up to a point where I can't stop, I know it's meant for me.

Speaker 2:

And I think that's the biggest thing for women is we're actually really heart-led, womb-led beings. You know we're not head-led at all, and so when we start to have those brain moments where we are self-doubting, I'd be questioning why. You know, why are we self-doubting? Is it someone else's opinion? And it could, you know, be our partner or our friends or family also trying to keep us safe. But often, yeah, you've got to listen to your own heart and know that if you're feeling those nudges and it lights you up, you've got to go with it. Because what if you don't do it? It's not. What if you do and it doesn't work? It's not. It's not what if you do and it doesn't work? It's what if you don't and you miss the biggest opportunity of your life?

Speaker 1:

Literally, and doing something you love every single day. A reality does exist where you, as you mentioned, you wake up excited for your day, you have this spark, you actually look forward to your work. But, yeah, you've got to make sure you're making the moves and the leaps to get yourself in that space. And it's really interesting that you just mentioned intuition and listening to your body.

Speaker 1:

Last week we had a psychic come on and she was talking a lot about intuition and she was saying everybody has that power. You know, we do always have that niggle or that feeling in our body first, before the head noise comes on. And if we can start making decisions when that little niggle comes on and trust that, we will end up living lives that make us so happy and are full of so much joy and passion and all the good stuff. So I love that. Now it sounds like your journey has been incredible, but I'm sure there have been some hurdles that you've had to overcome, some challenges. Talk to me about one that has come up and how did you move over that hurdle? How did you go about that?

Speaker 2:

yeah, well, the one that actually just came to me and so I'm going to share today because you know, intuitively, that's what's coming up um, a big one for me was I'd spent four and a half years building a network marketing business and I had quite a large team. I had about 100 women in my team and, as much as I loved it and the reason I got into it was because I really enjoyed mentoring women, I enjoyed mindset, I enjoyed, you know, pushing people and helping people achieve their goals, and it's always been something I've enjoyed but what I came to realize through that journey and I know you're in network marketing too was that I felt like I was constantly pulling people. You know, I felt like I was constantly trying to put people into a box that maybe they weren't really wanting to be in and I didn't really want them in either, but it felt like we had to do that. And but the hardest thing for me in that process was like I'd spent four and a half years on this baby, right, I'd spent so long creating this and maybe just around the corner is my moment. You know, and I know so many women in business feel this it's like I've spent so long doing this. I have to commit, I have to keep going. But everything inside of me just knew that it wasn't it, you know. And it was like that constant battle between what I felt and what I thought I had to keep doing.

Speaker 2:

And so to anyone listening, it's that doesn't matter how long you've been pushing at something or feeling like you need to make it work. If you feel like you need to make it work, it's probably not going to. If it feels like your body is nudging you to do something else or to pivot, it's okay to let that go. And so that was a really big thing for me was walking away from that and being okay to let that go and being okay to feel like I was letting other people down because I was a big people pleaser Still am to a degree. I think we all have that inside of us. I've worked a lot on it.

Speaker 2:

But, yeah, feeling like I was a big people pleaser still am to a degree. I think we all have that inside of us. I've worked a lot on it. But, yeah, feeling like I was allowed to let that go for me but also for other people and really step into my power. And I did. You know, I allowed the space for that next stage that I was being nudged towards, but if my head had taken control I would have just kept going. I would have just kept pushing and trying, and trying, and trying.

Speaker 1:

So yeah, I don't know if that answered the question yeah, definitely, and I know there would be a lot of women, especially some clients in my world right now, who would be nodding their head again at that, because there's this feeling that if I do step away or pivot, that I've failed and all of this was a waste of time, which is not. I'd love to hear your views on that, but that is not true, right? No?

Speaker 2:

definitely not, no, and it's always bigger and better right. There is no right or wrong. I actually spoke about this on another podcast last week. There's never a right or wrong in life or business. It's just a what feels right at this time, what feels good at this time. And if something is not feeling good, if you're banging your head up against the wall, if you're feeling that resistance, then it's okay. It's okay to pivot, because you know that when you do pivot, new opportunities are going to arise, Things are going to happen. You know it's like that ebbs and flows of life. You know one door closes, another one opens. It's never a failure. Gosh, I would have had a billion failures if I've looked at it that way, but I haven't. I've looked at it as learnings and progression and ways to better myself and better my skills.

Speaker 1:

I love that you just used the word progression, because that's all it is. It's just like you're elevating yourself. You're onto the next chapter and so many women, if they allowed themselves to accept it, are multi-passionate. Use the word at the start of this episode. Serial entrepreneurs Like you are actually supposed to do multiple things and serve in so many different ways. It's never a failure by being ready for your next chapter and instead that's your next part of this contract that you came here to serve and do. And again, like it just gets better and better and better. If you're always following your heart and doing what's what's sitting there? Um, I love that. Now, to contrast that what's one incredible win or highlight of your career today that just comes into mind?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, well, the one that literally just came to me, um, was launching Inspired Founders last year and that's obviously my newest baby, something I always wanted to do, but it was like a 10-year vision. It was like I'll launch Inspired Founders when I've done this, this, this and this and this and this. And I actually had a mentor at the time who was like why are you waiting? Like why You've already done so much, like what more do you need to do or prove in order to launch that business? And so I ripped the bandaid off and within three months I'd launched Inspired Founders. And it's amazing what we can do when we decide right, when we decide like. It's amazing what doors open, what opportunities come your way, how much determination, inspiration you get. It's just that internal decision first.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, so I launched Inspired Founders. Within six weeks I had a fully booked event so 70 women, 70 men and women and that night I actually launched my first group mentoring program. So I've always done one-on-one mentoring say, always last five years, but I never launched a group mentorship. And I launched the Inspired Club that night. Well, within 48 hours I had sold 10 women into that club, which was 100K in 48 hours, and I had never done that. That was incredible One that I launched something I'd never launched and fully booked it out in that shorter period and also had that amount of money coming in in such a short period, and so it was really like that elevation and stepping into a new being. I suppose new, new version of myself, and then learning to hold that was a whole new thing as well, but it was really. It was really wonderful to yeah to one back myself to do it and to do it so quickly, uh, and then to obviously yeah, to be able to offer that now to women is incredible as well, because I have that experience now to be able to help women to be able to go on and achieve that as well and there's no better reward than doing something and then having that level of success.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, and I honestly I was not attached to the outcome at all. I was like you know, I might get three or four women sign up for my first. You know, obviously the goal was there, the vision was there. I'm like you, I'm very big on visualization. You know, journaling on it every day, visualizing there's 10 women coming in my. You know like I was very big visualizing it. Um, but there was definitely still that part of me that was like, oh, it's the first time I'm launching it, you know, maybe not. Uh, and anyway did all my practices and it happened. So it was incredible.

Speaker 1:

So cool. Well, I'd love to take you back, like what was going through your head when you thought you weren't ready for that or you thought you had to wait longer. I mean, I'm so I'm sure there's so many moving parts to that. But I know that's another thing that women experience having this incredible goal or plan in mind, but they're like, oh, that's a five year down the track kind of thing, because I have to do all these other things first, like what was that for you?

Speaker 2:

for me it was like, um, I felt I needed to be more successful in my businesses in order to prove that I was an inspired founder and I could lead this movement like it, like I love Marie Folio right, and there's a lot, you know, there's a lot of times I would think, you know Marie Folio could launch this because she's got the community, she's got the experience, you know, and I would compare myself to someone who has been doing this for how long with a global influence. Like I was comparing myself to people who, yes, were already there and I aspired to be, but, yeah, didn't start there either. You know, it was like they started here, priscilla, and so it was that real kind of you don't have to prove anything to anyone, you don't have to be like anyone, you just have to show up as you and people will gravitate to you. The right people will gravitate, which I knew from all the other.

Speaker 2:

You know experiences and businesses that I had had, but that was very much, I think, inspired founders, the grand vision I saw for it was so huge it still is, it's so huge that sometimes I feel like little old me. How am I going to leave that? But then I have to remember that I already am. It's just continuing to grow. It will grow together.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, and I'm sure there's like you. You've just mentioned you had a hundred K launch within a few, like a couple of days of launching. You've launched multiple businesses. You've had so much success. But yet here you are still questioning if you're the woman for the job. And I think that's really cool to have that conversation, because I'm still humble, like there's so many women who are feeling this and they're believing in it and assuming that they're truly not ready. But listening to you, like even the ones who have built so much success and who have been in the game for so long, I still experiencing this Um, you've just got to not listen to it and just know that you are. You are the woman for your for the job. You're in the right place where it's all supposed to happen. And again going back to that trust element that's inside your body, definitely yep, so cool.

Speaker 2:

The process is a big, is a big thing for me, uh, and it's something I educate on a lot. It's like you know, yeah, you've just, you've just got to trust the process, keep showing up every day and just doing your best, making sure you're in alignment, feeling, feeling all those great feels and the path will.

Speaker 1:

The path will open up for you, and I'm putting a lot of emphasis on that within my own business, but also in conversations with my clients, and I feel like that's why I'm so resistant to teaching strategies and teaching formulas and teaching methods, because, like I could teach you exactly what you need to do from get to here to there, but at the end of the day, I don't know how your body is going to feel, I don't know the little nudges that you're going to experience during this journey, and that's what I'm most concerned about to make sure that this is made for you by you, not in accordance with some random checklist that's been made.

Speaker 2:

Absolutely. I couldn't agree more. That's it. Anyone who's in my club or has been in my club knows that I teach internal first or I teach any strategy, because, yeah, it's, you can, you can be given the checklist, you can be given all the strategies. But if it doesn't work for you, it doesn't work for you and you'll end up butting your head up against the wall. So, yeah, for me it's with the club especially like it's a real personalized journey and we do so much of that mindset, internal work, parts work, because that's where the magic actually happens.

Speaker 1:

It really does, and it's so important for you know founders and entrepreneurs to know that, because we live in a world where we are constantly bombarded on social media by what others are doing in their business, what seems to be working for them, and it's why some entrepreneurs do struggle so much in their business, because they're so caught up in doing it right and doing it like they're doing it. It's like that was never meant for you, like you were never meant to fit that box or walk or run your business from that way. So, again, it's so nice just to know like you I always say like your best strategy is already within you and only you know that and you have to listen to that.

Speaker 2:

Definitely. And what I've seen happen with many women is you know they've downloaded all the downloads and they've, you know, signed up to all the courses and they've had all the mentors, and you know I've applied all these strategies. Why isn't it working for me? And I love it because, sad as I feel for them, but they've gone through that journey, I always I also feel happy for them because I'm like well, now you've realized how to actually do business. It's about throwing all of that in the bin and listening to yourself because, intuitively, when you started your business, you would have had a, you would have known a way of how you wanted to do it, but you just haven't listened to it. Yeah, so yeah, as devastating as it, it's also like a great aha moment.

Speaker 1:

Literally, and I'm like thank God, because now you're going to build a standout brand that isn't like everybody else's. For sure you know it doesn't match their verbiage and their strategy, and that's what we want. We want your brand to stand out and be so unique, and that's the way to do that. Now we want your brand to stand out and be so unique, and that's the way to do that. Now I'd love to move through to events. Like I mentioned at the start, priscilla is the queen of events at the moment and you will see if you go and have a look at her Instagram. She curates the most beautiful events. Just recently, on the weekend, you had a really intimate dinner with entrepreneurs, which I was so sad I couldn't make. Firstly, fill us in on the weekend. I'm coming to the next one, for sure. Yeah, firstly, fill us in on how Saturday night went, like. What was that like for you?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, it was amazing. So my first intimate dinner, it was very much the cyclone that happened recently. It was a cyclone download. It was one of those Love, love, love, love. I can't go anywhere, sitting in my bed thinking, you know, and I don't know about anyone else I'm really sensitive to energy. I work a lot in the energetic space and the cyclone energy was wild. I've I heard for a lot of people and so I was in this real like what am I doing next? Who am I? All of those questions that come up. And I walked out of the bathroom the last day of the cyclone. Walked out of the bathroom and I just saw Lumiere. I just saw this word and I was like this is weird. Anyway, I grabbed my journal, sat down. I was like what is this? Within 12 hours I'd completely written the program. I had the vision of what it was. I built all the graphics. I put it up online. Within 12 hours I had 16 women on the wait list.

Speaker 1:

Of course you did, though that's how you roll Like this is wild.

Speaker 2:

So it was very much a downloaded intuitive. You need to hold this and it was really fitting as well and this is actually the first podcast I'm going to say this publicly but I'm feeling called to is I actually separated from my husband? Um, beginning of this year and it's. It's been a wild journey. Obviously I've got children and all of the things, logistics, and it was.

Speaker 2:

I think the weekend was so perfect the amount of women that were at the table, who've gone through separations, divorced, all of the things, like it was just I could stand in my power now, having gone through this next evolution of myself, and really hold women in that space of like you're so powerful, irregardless of the externals, irregardless of other people, um, and what's happened to you? Because you get to rebuild from today, and that was really oh, I just got goosies. That was really the intention from the weekend. It was like really helping these women to find that deep internal power so, no matter what happens externally to them, they can stand strong and be unshakable. I feel like that's my word now. It doesn't matter what happens externally, if you can find that peace within yourself, where you are unshakable, you can continue to grow, develop, create, irregardless of anything else. I mean, I believe that's it, that's the goal in life, right?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, yeah, saturday was magical. It was beautiful, it was lux, it was like everything I love in one space and the transformation like we had women bawling their eyes out and we had we actually had some light language at the end to activate it all, like it was next level yeah, amazing. And I'd never held something so intimate and beautiful and it was perfect. I love that.

Speaker 1:

So powerful that you've gone through this in your personal life, and then of perfect. I love that, so powerful that you've gone through this in your personal life. And then, of course, you have a room full of women who are going through it or have gone through it. Like synchronicity is. You cannot predict this stuff, can you?

Speaker 1:

No, you can't make it up. It's like, yeah, it was meant to be, yeah, and yeah, it was so beautiful, so lux. That's what I love about your events. They're so bougie, that's crazy. And yeah, it was so beautiful, so luxe, that's what I love about your events they're so bougie, that's crazy.

Speaker 2:

And we love that around here. Well, I think that's the creative side of me as well and, like we haven't spoken too much about events, but back in the day I used to actually run fashion shows as well. So you know, I've always wanted to kind of bring in that fashion style aspect of me, probably my dance days as well. You know it was all theatrics and you know stage staging and all of that sort of stuff. Um, and then obviously I love connection and relationships and for me, events is where opportunities have happened for me in my life. Connections have happened with people. So, um, that's why I love events more than anything.

Speaker 1:

Which actually leads me into my next question how, like the power of events? Let's talk about that, like, how has that changed your business? What does that create that the online space doesn't other than the obvious things like in-person stuff, but yeah, how has events become such a pivotal part of your business?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I love this question. So I've been running events since 2016, the year I launched my agency. So I was going to a lot of networking events myself. Obviously, I was a little old, not little young, graphic designer sitting behind my desk at home going, well, where am I going to find these clients? Like, what am I going to do?

Speaker 2:

So I started going to networking events in Brisbane and, you know, I was meeting people and handing out business cards and very traditional, you know, I was meeting people and handing out business cards and very traditional, you know, networking. Anyway, one event that I went to there was actually a speaker and she taught people how to run events and how to run their own networking events. And I was like, okay, I know I want to do that because I knew from marketing that I needed to be the person in the authority seat. I needed to be the person that people were coming to see in order to build my profile, not from an ego place, maybe it was at the time but more from a. I needed to build my profile, I needed to build my presence. So I learned how to run events and then networking events and then, within three months of that, I started running my own networking events and I had.

Speaker 2:

I think the first event I had was in West End and I had 30 people show up, which was great, and then I was holding them like every fortnight.

Speaker 2:

It was wild actually and I was pregnant so pregnant with my first son running fortnightly events, trying to run an agency at the same time all little soul entrepreneur.

Speaker 2:

But I was super determined and honestly, I wouldn't have built my agency to what it is now without building that presence and building all of those connections, because the word of mouth, the power of that, is like you can't even put money on it. It is so different to having ads online where people see a version of you and see what you do, but they don't know you. And I found, and I still find, having events people really get to know me, who I am, and not with all the fandangle you know stuff online it's just me and I'm a very well, I like to be a very real, authentic person. I don't like to be anything other than that and I feel like people get a real sense of that when they're in person with me. And also I love to bring education as well, like I love bringing other speakers and helping them to build their profiles as well. And yeah, so there's a, there's a whole bunch, but the main reason I did it initially was to really build my profile.

Speaker 1:

And there is an energy that you can cultivate in a room that you can never translate online.

Speaker 2:

You can never, definitely not. The transformation that happens when a group of people are together the right people is magnified.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, yeah, it's insane. I obviously had my first event last year and we're going to do it again this year and it was better than I could have ever imagined. Um, sometimes you assume that you can create that energy on zoom calls, like on my group programs, and I feel like I can cultivate a space really well and hold that energy online. But what we experienced that day was just insane and, as I said, it was just that collective energy in the room. Without even opening your mouth, you can just feel it in the room and then, as you mentioned, like being able to have that opportunity to share your real personality, like the essence of all that you are, that you can't get across online, no matter how good you are at showing up online. Yeah, definitely, definitely.

Speaker 2:

It's all energy, right? Like you were saying, it's all are that you can't get across online, no matter how good you are at showing up online. Yeah, definitely, definitely, it's all energy, right, like you were saying, it's all energy. People can feel it when they're in a room with you, but also with others. Um, yeah, events are magical, like, yeah, I love it, it's 11, 11 yeah, oh, of course it is.

Speaker 1:

Of course it is. Um, I've been seeing so many synchronicities lately, by the way. All the numbers, how do we put an incredible event together? There's obviously so many moving parts and I respect that. It's industry dependent and how big do you want your event and all of the things. But if you could pick maybe two to three top things that go into an incredible event, what would that be?

Speaker 2:

For me. Me, the first thing is obviously the vision. Like you need to really have a vision of what you want to create and for me, creating a special event starts from well, everything with me starts from within, like it's like what feeling do I want to create? How do I want people to feel, what's the experience they're going to have? So for me, it's really visualizing and seeing and feeling what that is and creating from that place.

Speaker 2:

For me, I always start with finding the venue, like it's. For me, the venue is the biggest part. The venue can really make or break an event and for me, yeah, the feeling of the room is really important. So I start with that and then I used to do it all myself, um, so I start with that and then I used to do it all myself. But I've been very grateful and blessed that in my career I've always found the right people. The people have always come to me who have assisted and collaborated. Or, like now I have an event stylist who I pay um, who helps bring it all together for me.

Speaker 2:

But it's very much the vision and communicating that vision clearly and then obviously working out who's going to help in order to bring it all together and when it comes to selling the event, like that's always daunting and I think most people shy away from holding events because it's like, oh my God, I've got this many overheads. If I don't make ticket sales, how am I going to do this? And don't worry, I have all the same feelings and you know my first Inspired Founders launch event it cost me close to 20K to run that event and that's a big expense. When you're like, shit, I've never ran this before. Is anyone even going to show up? Like this is a lot, this is scary, but you just have to keep the faith. Like if you've had the nudges, um, you've really just got to go with it.

Speaker 2:

For me, it's like, how much awareness can you build? Uh, so for me, you know I'm grateful all the events I've held over the years. I have quite a community. So sending it out, you know, on Instagram or Facebook and DMs DMs is actually where it happens. Like I put it up on Eventbrite or you know Human Ticks and you send out emails, but for me it's still that personalized message to the people you want in the room. That's really how I generate a lot of ticket sales. Yeah, and I suppose, just yeah, keeping the faith, keeping the promotion going and giving yourself some lead time to you know, I do like to whip things up quite quickly once.

Speaker 2:

I have an idea. It's like okay, it's happening next week, let's go. Yeah, exactly, um, but you know, if you can give yourself some lead time and not be stupid like me, um, it does help. Um, and then working out you know collaborators and affiliates and things as well. You know who do. You know who has great networks, who you know you can offer free ticket to and they can shout it out to their network. And yeah, because it's really it is hard to do it on your own. It is hard you know as little old one person, but you can get it out to the right people with the right networks and and do it from a place of heart. Um, yeah, you'll be amazed at how many people want to be involved as well yeah, yeah, I found that with my event as well.

Speaker 1:

So many people were willing to just be there and be a part of the day, and if they couldn't, they were happy to share it. Like I think we are definitely in a movement at the moment where everybody's loving events, so they're just happy to get around it in whatever way they can, for sure yeah, because COVID, I think I mean it was quite a while ago now, but everything just kind of shut down.

Speaker 2:

Zoom happened, you know, ai's now happened. So so much happens online now, which is wonderful and amazing. But also people want connection. People want in person that energetic exchange. People want that yeah. And you can't beat an event Like, yeah, the way you feel when you walk away from a great event, it's life-changing, electrifying. It can be life-changing, yeah, electrifying Love that.

Speaker 1:

Yeah Well, speaking of events, do you have any coming up that they can come along to?

Speaker 2:

So I've just I literally just opened. I had so many people messaging me after Saturday, so I've opened up the wait list for next Lumiere. I just needed to decide on a date. So if you want to jump on the wait list, you can do that. I will have a date very quickly. And then I am doing a national tour with Inspired Founders. So September, october, november I haven't announced the dates yet for those, but that'll be coming in the next couple of weeks we're going to go Perth, sydney and Melbourne yeah, so I'm excited for that Plan as well was to go to New York this year. Plan is was we're still working out logistics of how to make that happen and if I want to make it happen this year with everything that's gone down personally as well, or whether I want to push it out to next year but, yeah, happened this year with everything that's gone down personally as well, or whether I want to push it out to next year. But, yeah, definitely global expansion, um as well, which is exciting.

Speaker 1:

I love that. We'll stay locked in because, yeah, priscilla's events are insane and, um, yeah, just the power of being in events we've spoken about that today um, and my last question you've already touched on it was just like that fear that's come up. So, if you've listened to this and you know events are on your heart, start small, you know, lean on your community and collaborations and, yeah, follow that gut instinct, like we've been saying, priscilla, I'm so grateful for you. Thank you so much for coming on the show, sharing your journey, sharing your knowledge, sharing your energy. Like I love being around you, I'm so happy that we have connected and if they do want to share your Instagram you've mentioned a couple of events your program, your mentorship. Is there anything else that they would love to know?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, so thank you so much for having me today. Firstly and I'm glad we've crossed paths as well yeah, definitely so, yeah. So Priscilla Skippington on Instagram and Facebook, and Inspired Founders is online as well, and the Inspired Club I'm going to be taking my next intake from July, so I'm about to open up for that as well. So, yeah, All right.

Speaker 1:

Well, I'll link all of this in the show notes below to make it super easy for you guys. If anything, please go and say hi to Priscilla. It's so nice to receive those DMs when someone listens to your episode, but we will leave it there, priscilla. Thank you again. Thank you to everyone that's been tuning in and I'll talk to you guys in the next one. Bye. Thank you so much for tuning into the podcast. I'm sure you're loving each and every episode and, if you are, I would be so grateful if you could take just a couple of minutes to leave your review and or rating. This allows me to connect with you as I read your comment or see the review, and it also allows me to grow the show, which means more impact, more powerful guests for you guys to learn from, and more women changing their life for the better. If this does align, send me a screenshot of your review or rating to hello at jessmartincomau and I'll send you a copy of my ebook for free to say thanks.