Mindset & Action: Grow and Streamline Your Business
Mindset & Action is a business podcast aimed at helping business owners grow and streamline their businesses. It focuses on four main pillars, building an audience through different mediums including Donna's preferred method, podcasting, planning, productivity and mindset Giving you a MAP to success from entrepreneurs around the globe.
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Mindset & Action: Grow and Streamline Your Business
Formula One Marketing and a Business Evolution with Elaine Walsh-Mcgrath | EP316
Have you ever felt stuck following business advice that just doesn't seem to work for you? In this refreshingly honest conversation, marketing veteran Elaine Walsh-McGrath reveals her journey from conventional success to creating a business that truly aligns with her unique circumstances and strengths.
Elaine, who describes herself as a "Formula One marketing mechanic," spent decades working with major brands like L'Oreal, Volkswagen, and Ryanair before life circumstances forced her to reimagine her business. When her daughter was born with Down syndrome and complex needs, her high-powered consultancy became incompatible with her new reality. What followed was years of trying business models that worked brilliantly for others but left her drained and frustrated.
The breakthrough came when Elaine began trusting her own intuition rather than outside advice. By understanding her unique energy patterns and strengths, she made the counterintuitive discovery that doing less actually led to greater business growth. "The more I kept saying simplify to myself, the more I thought, wow, I have created this empire, but maybe it's not serving me and my needs for a business right now," Elaine explains.
This episode goes beyond typical business advice to explore deeper questions about alignment, authentic success, and creating boundaries that honor your whole life. You'll learn why cookie-cutter business formulas often fail, how to recognize when something isn't energetically aligned with you, and why summer might be the perfect time to reassess what's truly working in your business.
Whether you're struggling with burnout, feeling pressured to follow someone else's blueprint for success, or simply seeking a more sustainable approach to business, this conversation offers both permission and practical wisdom to create success on your own terms. Remember: your business, your rules.
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You're listening to the Mindset in Action podcast, the place to be to grow and streamline your business. I'm your host, donna Eade. Let's jump into the show. Welcome back to the podcast. Everybody I am. You know I always say I'm really excited for today's show, especially when I have a guest. But oh my goodness, I am so excited for this one because I have got a very lovely friend and a birthday buddy, because, as we're recording this, it's only a week till our birthdays. So, elaine Walsh-McGrath, welcome to the podcast.
Elaine Walsh-Mcgrath:Oh my God, Could I be any more excited to be here? I am currently obsessed. You are my working. Could I be any more excited to be here? I am currently obsessed. You are my working walking buddy and indeed, as you discussed oh yes, you're in my ears the most intimate place you could be Now in my personal space. Danaid, I love you, I love your work.
Donna Eade:Oh, I love that. I love that. And do you know what? It's so funny? Because you kind of see the downloads and they're just numbers and you have no idea. But when people actually reach out and say, oh, I was listening to the podcast, and blah, blah, blah, that makes me so, so happy. It's like people do actually listen. The numbers mean something. So I love that.
Elaine Walsh-Mcgrath:I love that following you on podbean. That's my, that's my, that's your jam. Is it right up there brilliant?
Donna Eade:love that, love that. So, before we dive into this conversation, which I know is going to be fantastic, why don't you tell the audience a little bit about who you are and what it is that you do?
Elaine Walsh-Mcgrath:sure, I'm Elaine Walsh McGrGraw and I really help CEOs, mds, consultants, who have more of a tendency to social conscience or maybe have something in their background that is holding them back from really attaining that like stellar celebrity, like, um, visibility, that all their credibility, authority, um and experience goes wow. But of course you should be smashing this. Something is generally holding them back that maybe they're not exactly conscious of and quite often they come to me going, oh, I really need to be on LinkedIn and that's the front door that they come through and then the house opens up to me, helping them on many levels to really shine and find their mojo and, like, really step into who they are and not apologize for it anymore. So I know that's a flipping hell of a sentence yeah, but that is exactly what.
Donna Eade:I do. I love that. I love that and it's and it's interesting to sort of hear it like that, because I think a lot of us tend to think that when we're in business, we know what's wrong and we go oh, this is what's wrong, and we can oftentimes end up spending our money in the wrong places because we go to you know, I just need to create a course. If I created a course and put that on Evergreen, I'd be sorted. That would be the unstuck. I know. If I just go and you know, start a Facebook group and then monetize it, that's going to be the point. So you go to these experts and you spend that money and, generally speaking, that's all they do, and so you do it, and then it doesn't work and then you've wasted your money potentially and you're like what do I do? So the fact that they can come to you you're known for being a whiz on LinkedIn and people come to you for that, but you're able to help them see that that's not necessarily where the problem's lying.
Elaine Walsh-Mcgrath:I love that this is it I mean. So recently I was talking to somebody who has worked with me and I'm working with her and when it came down to it I was like you know what? I'm actually a formula one marketing mechanic. So I open the lid and you know the problems come to me, like this isn't selling, or you know, I can't get X, y and Z to sell. And I open up the lid and go, well, I can see what the problem is and I get my tools and I get, you know, up with the old sleeves and off I go. Up with the old sleeves and off I go and they're in this supported environment with me.
Elaine Walsh-Mcgrath:Who has somebody who's worked on L'Oreal, colgate, burger King, ryanair, volkswagen like there isn't probably a project that you can think of, um, that I didn't work on in the like nearly 25 years of my advertising agency career. So it comes with all that knowledge. But in addition, I also run my own businesses because I'm a serial entrepreneur and so everything that I teach comes from a place of I've done it, um, so yeah, so that's my new thing at the core of the heart of my business. I'm like a marketing mechanic, but not just any old marketing mechanic. I'm like a marketing mechanic, but not just any old marketing mechanic. I'm a Formula One Grand Prix winner. Marketing mechanic.
Donna Eade:That's such a great visual. And now I've got you. If anybody knows Elaine, she's the queen of pink, she loves her pink, and I've just got you in a pair of pink overalls. You know, the full body, formula One.
Elaine Walsh-Mcgrath:With a big magnum of champagne in one hand and maybe a spanner in the other oh dear, that's awesome.
Donna Eade:So today's conversation I had planned um a conversation for today, but Elaine came in and said look, this is what's going on in my business and I think this would be a really good topic to talk about, and I happen to agree. So we are changing things up a little bit today in this conversation, and I think it's one that everybody should listen to and take comfort in, really, because I think a lot of us sort of suffer behind the scenes and don't really talk about it. So, elaine, because I think a lot of us sort of suffer behind the scenes and don't really talk about it, so, elaine, tell us a little bit of what's been going on. You know, whatever you're comfortable with, what you're happy to talk about, what's been going on in your world, what's been changing.
Donna Eade:Because obviously, you know, back when we booked this, which was probably a few months back now, we've like, we've like to take our time on these things, don't we? But you know it was, it was LinkedIn guru. You know she knows everything about LinkedIn and that's what I really knew, you for the marketing side. I knew that you'd done it, but I didn't realise how much of a part of your business it was in the background. So talk to us about what's been happening for you this year and what's been changing happening for you this year and what's been changing.
Elaine Walsh-Mcgrath:So my word for 2025 was harvest, because I am a devil for creating lots of things and not stopping. I don't know whether any of you have done any work around sacred money archetypes, but if you have, then you'll understand when I say that when I did the work on that, I discovered that I was equal alchemist and celebrity, and my third one was ruler. So alchemists tend to um, build lots of stuff, be super creative, like, almost like, access inspiration from the universe and quite often when I work one-to-one with people, I like joke and say, oh, your ideas are coming to me, they're coming, just they're coming through me. Um, but that has had. The negative aspect of that is that I create lots of things and then I'm a one person show and therefore, how do I promote all of these things? I'm also a celebrity in denial. So now anyone who knows me is most likely walking, listening and eye rolling all at the same time. Because, yeah, I did not realize that, um, and I fought it because I really felt that celebrities were up themselves. So I was like I don't, I don't like that. But then I had to come to peace with um, not judging myself. And then my ruler was like making things really complicated.
Elaine Walsh-Mcgrath:And that's kind of where I landed into this conversation with Donna today, because I came here going do you know what? There's been a lot going on in the background of my personal life. Um, I shall be 51 on the 27th of June and, like many women at that age, I'm going through perimenopause and I've been going through some gynae issues. Put it lightly, right. I also for anybody who doesn't know me I have a beautiful daughter. She is eight and she has Down syndrome and and she has complex needs and, like many people, I'm sure, who navigate that world, not only are you interacting with somebody that you love and you're trying to parent and nourish, but you also have other roles like lobbyist, advocate, therapist, and not just one therapy, but the whole kit and caboodle of therapies that that child or adult needs.
Elaine Walsh-Mcgrath:And so I suddenly realized, after lots of listening to podcasts like Donna's or Denise DeFille, thomas's, like that there are different seasons to our business. And I was really in push mode, even though, thankfully, I had chosen harvest as my word. And so the more I leaned into harvest and the more I kept saying simplify to myself, the more. I thought, wow, like the ruler, I have created this empire, but maybe it's not serving me and my needs for a business right now.
Elaine Walsh-Mcgrath:And so in the past six months, as I've been still promoting my um offers that I had in existence coming into this year, I've been doing a lot of inner gym work to go okay, does this really align with me?
Elaine Walsh-Mcgrath:And, as Donna mentioned earlier when she said, oh, I've designed this course or I've run this on Evergreen because I've taken this advice from somebody else, what I realized last year, and definitely this year, was I had the answers. And so, as I am talking to you, right into your ear, just what I want to whisper to you is you have the answers inside of you for how your business is going to flourish, and what you're accessing is advice that other people have experienced, based on their expertise and their lived experience of their business. But unless they deeply understand how you were made up, then it may not be the right advice for you. And what I've realized is there were a number of things in my business that are still in my business, but I'm working through that do not align with me, and that's what I, that's what we discussed when I went hang on a second. Things have changed and I've got something to tell you.
Donna Eade:I, I, you know huge entrepreneurs in in in the online space and we're sort of taught that this is the route and if you just follow these steps it'll work. I will never forget doing a program, um, during COVID, which obviously was a really hard time, but it was very obvious that the business that I was trying to create in COVID really wasn't it wasn't the right time. You know, I'm trying to set up a membership for wedding vendors in the middle of a pandemic where no wedding vendor is working and has income. How was that ever going to work? And I was doing this membership program and I was told that there are no special snowflakes, that if you just follow the modules you will be successful, which was about as useful as you know.
Donna Eade:Turning around and telling I don't know. You know it was ridiculous. It was just a ridiculous. I can't think of an analogy off the top of my head, but you know what I mean. It was just a ridiculous statement to make Because every business is different, because every person behind the business is different.
Donna Eade:You know, we're all unique, we've all got our strengths and weaknesses and it could be that a membership was never actually going to work for me Because, like you said, depending on my sort of, you know, human design, my soul signature, my money archetype, all of those different elements of who makes up me is going to work differently with different things. So it's just so frustrating and I think a lot of people sort of go down the path and end up building a business that they absolutely bloody hate. So for you, because you've got this celebrity aspect of you, so you're building, building, making, making all these new things Was it ever? Do you feel like it was ever, something that was sort of you were seeing from the outside and you were taking, or was it just that your mind was racing and you were just like, oh, I could do this and I could do that, and then shiny, object and jump over there. So what was it for you that kind of led you to that sort of situation before you made this change?
Elaine Walsh-Mcgrath:I think it was a bit of column A and a bit of column B, column A and a bit of column B. So, in terms of my journey and this is why I really again want to go back to what I just said really really go inside for decisions about your business, really listen to your body. One of my clients was a somatic coach. I really recommend that you get into your body and listen to those decisions that you're making. It's just, it's probably disconnected from your head, because when you are trying to build a business that is different to what you did before, then you're seeking advice and you're looking at people who have done it already. So what happened to me was when I had my daughter. I had a six-figure consultancy business. I used to work on the Volkswagen account, I worked on Ryanair, I worked on Virgin Media. I would go into agencies and I would lead those accounts and lead teams.
Elaine Walsh-Mcgrath:But I realized, once I had my daughter, that that was incompatible. Um, because of the additional roles that no one tells you about, right, and so I was like, okay, you know. And also there was there was loss in a change of plan. You know, I thought I was going to have a typical child. I am so thrilled and absolutely love my daughter to bits, but there's always loss when it comes to a different experience, a path that has changed dramatically. Right, so I went, ok, okay, what am I going to do? Um, so, um, I started going, okay, how could I have a more flexible life? Now we won't go through the number of different things I tried because, like you, during COVID I had a very different business.
Elaine Walsh-Mcgrath:I had tried to be. I had been like, oh, I could really support my to be. I had been like, oh, I could really support my daughter if I learned more about yoga. And, oh gosh, should I start my own yoga business? And oh, but ironically, the marketing kicked in and it was hugely successful. But I wasn't reading philosophy, yoga, philosophy books. I was reading marketing books, you know, yeah, um, and so during that period of time, I saw other people with courses and they had Facebook groups and I was like, oh, wow, look at this. Like, look at you, know what they've made. You know this is so good. I know they have a similar skill set in the background. Maybe I could do that. And so I had. I created a generic marketing course. That didn't work, you know, um, I had no copywriting experience at the time, even though it comes naturally to me, so I had to hone that skill and I did over the past five years actually.
Elaine Walsh-Mcgrath:Um, but again, I joined another program and that person had massive success around um selling um canva templates as like a small offer, and then um building a community in Facebook and then up leveling people to a higher ticket, and that really worked for her and I was like, oh right, okay, and her whole thing was about offers and I was like, okay, but I intuitively was like I don't like the idea of a Facebook group. That just exhausts me nonetheless. I didn't listen to myself and so I opened different Facebook groups with different offers and it just drained the life out of me. And I have a regular conversation um with my amazing VA, um Louisa, where I go, how can we get this thing to work? And it just doesn't and I don't know. I I'm a spiritual person and I just feel like, energetically, it's off with me, you know, and so that's another example of something that just has always been off.
Elaine Walsh-Mcgrath:Another thing that I did was I learned from a business coach to do six month coaching. She really helped build my confidence. I will be forever grateful for her input into my life, but her way of doing it was to provide an extended payment plan, which was a genius idea. Okay, it's really good. It really worked on a level for me because I signed clients for sure. However, instead she was really able to keep people to a six months and still they would pay her across 10 or 12 months, whereas what happened with me was it just extended into the 10 months, and so I never got a break. And when I looked at my human design, it's all about intensive bursts of energy for me and then a requirement to retreat into my cave yeah, I know that. One and replenish right, and I haven't been doing that for the last five years.
Elaine Walsh-Mcgrath:And so I've come to the realization, as I've been working with CEOs and MDs, that what they're getting out of me is that Formula One Grand Prix winning marketing mechanic energy. For example, one of my clients has a 600 client business. They have a SaaS product and during the time that we've been working together, they've been pitching to a business that has 6,000 properties. So potentially, if they win that business, their business will change from 600 to, you know, 6,600. And they're down to the final two and I've worked with them on their pitch. And he has said to me me, elaine, you've been instrumental in this.
Elaine Walsh-Mcgrath:And so I suddenly realized, god, I have just been in total denial about my skills that I have from all of the awards I won and all the business I worked on with, like L'Oreal, ryanair, volkswagen. I led a team that worked with Kofi Annan. You know it's just mad, but, like you just said, donna, you didn't know that because I never talk about it and I only started talking about it in the last six months and only touching on it, but not really stepping in and owning it. And so, really, as I often say to my people that I work with, quite often what you're coaching someone is what you're coaching yourself on, and so, quite often, the issues that they're grappling with are exactly you're holding up a mirror to yourself. Yeah, so this is the.
Elaine Walsh-Mcgrath:This is the juncture that I've arrived at. Obviously, I have uh, today, during our discussion, I have a facebook group, but I don't know whether I will anymore. Um, it's certainly going to change because it's always open. So if, if I retain it, it will change to being like closed, except for like learning labs or I will close it, you know. And I've closed my membership as of today.
Elaine Walsh-Mcgrath:So there will be one more call and I've realized I can't sustain that energy, you know. And so it's about looking at your business and going okay, what energy can I actually bring to this? And it doesn't matter whether you're a CEO of many or a CEO of one. You still have to do that work and go honestly does this work for me in my life? Um, and you know how am I getting the revenue that I deserve out of this? And um, I think a lot of people say, oh, you know, businesses, it can take them five years to make a profit, but you shouldn't be like struggling every single year. You know, you've got to look at the reality of it, you know yeah, yeah, absolutely I think it is.
Donna Eade:It's it's just hard. Honestly, guys, being in business is hard, it's not easy, and I think a lot of people are fooled into thinking that it's easy to make money online and you can just, you know, click your fingers and all of a sudden you're a millionaire. And it doesn't work like that. I think people have very much lulled into a false sense of security with that and it's kind of heartbreaking really, because you know there's statistics out there of how many businesses start and, you know, fail in their first five years, and I think that's probably increased in the last five years because I think people think it's easy, so they start and then they quit very quickly afterwards. So I think that's probably increased since the online realm has increased in terms of business failures, and it can be so hard to hold on sometimes when you just you think this is what works for me, this is what works for my personality. So for me, for example, you know this works much better for me than working in a nine to five job.
Donna Eade:I had a nine to five job before COVID. I worked a business before that. I was back in jobs before that, like I've been in and out of the working world for most of my adult life, looking after my daughter for a few years in there full time and things like that. But the business side of things I've always felt better inside, personally, because I'm at home, I'm in my comfort zone. You know I'm chill, I'm an introvert. So my comfort zone you know I'm chill, I'm an introvert, so you know, anything that involves lots of people and being outside is a stress on my system, so I've been much better since being at home. So it's like owning my own business is where it's at for me then, because that works better for me. But it's such a struggle sometimes and, like you, I've changed what I've done.
Donna Eade:Obviously, the business that I started in 2020, despite what this guru said about my membership failed, and you know I had some beautiful members in there If you're listening, guys, I love you. They were so, so supportive and even when I sort of held fire for a year to try and let the industry recover back in 2022, I think all but one of them stayed and paid their membership for the year and supported me through that year, even though I wasn't providing them new stuff, because they believed, like I did, in what we were doing and it's just such a shame that that didn't work out. However, you know I've lent into the podcasting, which is what people know me for and you know talk to me about and I always get. Oh yeah, I was told somebody asked about podcasting and I mentioned you, and so you know I heard somebody talk about you the other day about podcasting, and that's brilliant to hear, but it's still not easy. The business side of it is still not easy. Like I could go out there and I could teach podcasting left, right and centre, not a problem. But getting the messaging right, getting the payment systems right, you know pricing yourself properly and you know getting the marketing right so that people are seeing the value and want to pay you for what you're doing is so, so difficult. And I mean, obviously you've got the advantage of you've got that Formula One experience behind you, so you've got that marketing element, but still there are things that don't click for you, which is what you've been digging into this year with the whole what is aligning with me.
Donna Eade:And I said to you before we jumped on that in the Business Women Unlimited meeting that I run, we had Carly Wall, your business bestie, on talking about slowing down for the summer holidays and this episode was due to go out in August maybe September time, but I might bring it forward You'll know if you're listening to this earlier than that, because I think it's an important conversation to sort of continue, especially if you were in that Business Women Unlimited meeting.
Donna Eade:But in general, I think the summer holidays tends to be quieter for most people, whether they have children or don't, because if they don't have children that are affected by the school holidays, like I don't, a lot of my clients do, so they're doing less and it's just that summer vibe where things quiet and down and it's a great time to stop and reflect and to actually think about it.
Donna Eade:So if we can put this conversation out there so people have the time to go oh, actually this is sounding like me, or that's the situation I'm in it might just prompt that thought process for them.
Donna Eade:And, as Carly says, your business, your rules, and I think we need to sort of discover what our rules are, because I think we are so influenced by people outside and people that are meaning well with their advice.
Donna Eade:You know there are plenty of people in my network that would be absolutely willing to sort of give me advice and it come from a really good place. And then there are the big gurus that are just giving blanket advice out to anybody and they assume that it would work for everybody and it doesn't. But so many people take that to heart and run with it and uh, it's, it's kind of it's kind of painful to watch. You kind of want to, as somebody who's been in the in the business for a little while longer, you kind of want to be shouting at your screen when you see all these people like fanning over these people, like no, you don't understand, don't spend, don't waste your money it's so true, and because you have to look at who is giving you the advice and you know if, like with my own clients, quite often they are looking up to somebody who is really inspiring them.
Elaine Walsh-Mcgrath:But then when you dig into it, what I always say to them is okay, but they have a team, you know. So be careful of that, of listening to their advice or copying what they're doing, because it might not be right for your stage of business. And so, even if it's perfect in terms of alignment, it still may not be right for a stage of business. And that's what I've realized about my own journey. It's like, ok, yeah, these other things could work for me, for sure, but they're out of alignment for me. And if I had grown the business exponentially and had a team, then that would actually be fine because I could employ someone who was more of a connector, nurturer energy, who would be perfect for being in a group and being a community.
Elaine Walsh-Mcgrath:To look at. You know, like who you are as a leader, who you are as a person, and then what resource do you have? You know, and then really look at what you want to achieve and apply that because, look, you know, as you know, like running your own business is the greatest personal development challenge a person could do and I would not change it. I would not change I have. I am a serial entrepreneur and I love the challenge of it and, um, I love the results my clients get. I adore working with them and, like you said about your membership, goodness, I loved, loved my members so much and they, you know I love their businesses and helping them to improve their messaging. But sometimes that can be hard, you know. As you know, that can be hard to let that go. I'm sure it was for you, it is for me. Um, you end up one foot in and one foot out going.
Elaine Walsh-Mcgrath:Oh, I don't want to disappoint these people. I love them so much. Yeah, also going, okay, but you know you have to. You have to be true to your business and what's right for you and your family, you know yeah, yeah, yeah, it's so, so important and I know we've kind of gone on this.
Donna Eade:Like you know, our business is so tough. It's so tough, but it's tough when you're not aligned. It's tough when you haven't done that foundational work to work on what it is and I think and it, and really we have to do that on the job. So it is that tough that all the way through. And the thing is is we're human beings, we age, we change, everything's changing. We're in this concentration, so it's work that you have to keep doing. So why do people stay in business if it's so damn hard all the time? Because we're changing. And then things are changing and the world is changing and we have to.
Donna Eade:You know, they say you know you evolve or you die. You've got to keep evolving and this to me, for you, is an evolution that you're. You know you had that evolution when your daughter was born. Okay, that the life that you assumed you were going to have because why wouldn't you had suddenly disappeared and now you were left with something else that you didn't quite know how to navigate and you had to to do that. And I really appreciate you sort of sharing at that, and I think a lot of people feel guilty, um, when they of say, oh it was, you know, this wasn't what I was expecting, and you feel the need to sort of justify, but I still love my child. But it's a huge loss. But that doesn't take away from the joy of what you're dealing with. In there, you know, there's still a beautiful bundle of joy that's smiling up at you, thinking, oh goodness me, who is this person like? You know, wow and so. So it's a lot to sort of take in.
Donna Eade:And I went through the same thing, because not in the same way, but because I had a very fixed mindset, from the age of seven years old, what my life was going to be. And I, you know, you know I was never, I didn't understand vision boards or, you know, any of that kind of stuff. When I was that age. I had nobody in my life that was kind of sort of that way inclined. So. But I remember writing down a list when I was about maybe 10 or maybe a bit older, but not much older, where I was like okay, so I am going to go to uni, I'm going to get my degree, I'm going to start being a teacher, and then when I'm going to stay living at home until I am like 28, because the current wage and I'd looked it up somewhere I'd found out how much teachers make and I was like so if I make this much a year, I can save this much because I'll be living at home and then I could afford to buy a house, and then I'll get married at 30 and then I'll have children.
Donna Eade:I had it all written, it was all written down, and then something happened when I was 16 and it just turned my world on its head and I left school and I didn't get my A-levels and therefore I couldn't go to uni and I spent the next two years in the darkest depression I've ever had. And then my daughter came and then that was my purpose and all of a sudden my whole life was completely different to what I had planned. And the grief and it's only in these last sort of you know, five years, like you said, the biggest personal development train ever you start digging into all sorts of things is that I realised that I have been stuck and the reason that my body has been misbehaving so much is because I have been stuck in this grief, this loss that I just didn't even realise was a loss. And now it's almost like I put it on pause, I shut that door. I'm very good at, you know, compartmentalizing everything. Everything goes in a box and gets shut away and I can just keep going, which is why my body has suffered so much, because, um, yeah, I'll talk about that in a different podcast, I will do that, do the health stuff and I will tell you all about what's been going on for me. But it just opened my eyes to the fact that I've been dealing with so much, but I haven't really been dealing with it. I've just locked it away and pushed it away and so and all that's coming out. So that's a great thing about business in that respect is that it's helped me to uncover so much more of who I am, which is leading me to be the best version of myself that I can be, which I absolutely love.
Donna Eade:But, yeah, I just wanted to say like I really appreciate you sharing that, because it's such a taboo, you know, sort of guilt ridden. There'll be parents out there that have got kids with autism, down syndrome, all number of things that they thought their life was going to be one thing and then they've had to pivot and change and you syndrome all number of things that they thought their life was going to be one thing and then they've had to pivot and change. And you know, I always like to believe that there is some sort of plan, some sort of something about it and that it leads us to where we want to be. So, you know, if you hadn't had your daughter, you wouldn't have done certain things and you wouldn't be the person you are now. And the person you are now is bloody fantastic.
Donna Eade:So you know what I mean. It's that kind of thing. So, yeah, as much as it's been hard, um from and I think all business owners will say there are seasons when it's harder than others you have, this year, been going through that evolution into what your next is going to be, and I think that's really cool yeah, and the good thing is that my business has grown hugely this year, and so the irony is, the more I cut your harvest, the more I harvest exactly right the more it grows.
Elaine Walsh-Mcgrath:It's so counterintuitive. And the more like I do that inner gym work, the more I'm released and the more I feel I can talk about this more and you're right, donna, the curveballs that come with challenges around my daughter's care the more it hones my focus on profit and time, because I have to be ruthless, because what I've realized is, you know, my time with her and my husband is what's the most important. Yeah, and those little moments of going over to the playground or like having her friends over for a play date that's the important stuff, and so you must make sure that your business is supporting that. Yeah, and not the other way around. Yeah, um, so hopefully that helps other people.
Donna Eade:Yeah, let's hope, let's hope. I'm sure it will. I'm sure it will. I think it's a fascinating conversation. I've really loved it. Before we end the conversation, I obviously have to ask you for a couple of LinkedIn tips, because you know I have spoken on this podcast a number of times about how I kind of put Instagram to bed and I'm focusing more on LinkedIn as my main platform. I would love to know from you so this is quick fire why LinkedIn is a good platform to be on and then three things that we can do to improve our presence on LinkedIn.
Elaine Walsh-Mcgrath:Awesome, here we go. I love LinkedIn for a number of different reasons, but one of the reasons is it's very commercially honest. You know, like people are there because they're professional and they're there because they're selling something, whether it's their own self in terms of resource for a job, or whether they have a service that they sell to other people, whereas in all of the other platforms it's more around the entertainment. Right now I'm not saying that you can't like. Ideally, you don't go onto LinkedIn and go, I'm just here to sell, like that's not going to work. It's not going to work. But what I do love about it is that that is largely why people are there.
Elaine Walsh-Mcgrath:You know so, and when I did the LinkedIn Video Academy, they also said that in terms of videos and content that work, it is to do with work, professionalism, the behind the scenes of your business, insights into um, the category or sector that you work in, so ways to improve your LinkedIn content and presence is focusing on that. You know that's what the algorithm at a greater scale wants. Um in terms of like, like a super easy um, like soundbite for you. Um for everybody to remember is that our about section, our profile, is not a cv. It is not supposed to be about me, about us, okay. So forget that sh1t, because what your profile should do is help your ideal client or the hiring manager understand that you are the person for them.
Elaine Walsh-Mcgrath:So if you take nothing away for the rest of this episode, I want you to hear exactly that that basically, think about how you do what you do, think about why your client needs it or wants it, and then put that into your headline, put that into your about section, put that into your content, because your content, your profile, is the bridge between people looking for exactly what you offer and you, and that's that's it. That's that's all it is really. That's all any content is, and so if you can focus on that, then you will do so much better on LinkedIn. I love that.
Donna Eade:I love that fabulous and I think LinkedIn is a great platform. It really is, and I think it's growing at the moment as well. It's like business owners are finding it all of a sudden, like in the last sort of 12, 12 months to two years, I think it's sort of grown in terms of business owners finding it again and going oh, I just all had, literally, it was just my CV, I just have all what my job's on there. Isn't that what LinkedIn's about? Oh, no, no, it's really not no, and this is it like.
Elaine Walsh-Mcgrath:You know something like only three percent of um users on LinkedIn post. So think about that as an opportunity, like there's all, there's a billion users and so if only three percent are actually active, think about your business and how you can get in front of people in a way that you can't on the other platforms because it's so saturated um. And also another thing that came up with a client this morning is that when you activate your network, they reciprocate, so they engage with your posts. If you've tagged them in in a good way, not like in a spammy way, right, just for clarity there Then your message will be exposed to their network, and so that potential is huge in a way that it just doesn't exist on other networks and other platforms. So that's why I love it so much for my clients.
Donna Eade:Yeah, I do too Brilliant. Ok, so I have a little quickfire round to take you through before we end today. The first question in my quickfire round is what is the book that has made the biggest impact on your life so far?
Elaine Walsh-Mcgrath:Oh, my God, I don't know the answer to that question because I read so so much. I like I read, read so much, but currently I'm just trying to think. Um, I think like Denise Duffield Thomas's um book Get Rich, lucky Bitch has kicked off my um inner gym in the last five years, so maybe we'll pick that one. Just to answer the question yeah, I love that.
Donna Eade:I love that, um, and Denise Duffield-Thomas was on the podcast a little while ago, so I'll link that episode in the show notes for you guys. Um, second question is what is your favorite podcast to listen to and you don't?
Elaine Walsh-Mcgrath:don't say mine well, as I say, I actually yours, um, also, um, oh god, um, joanne, and that that one, the my therapist, ghosted me. It's hysterically funny. Oh, I love a good one and um, and chill and prosper, I love as well. So kind of, you're my, you're my top three brilliant love that.
Donna Eade:I love being in the top three. Um, what is your go-to snack when you're in a hurry?
Elaine Walsh-Mcgrath:oh, when I'm in a hurry, god, I honestly don't know. I'm not a major snacker. She lies, um, that's probably chocolate, um, or almond nuts, you know like. So I'd be a devil for, like you know, a piece of dark chocolate with some almonds.
Donna Eade:Yeah, oh, that's a nice combo. Love that. And then what is your favorite me time thing to do? Listen?
Elaine Walsh-Mcgrath:to podcasts and go for a walk, like that is kind of what I do. I mean, like favorite would probably be like drive to the sea and bring my book with me and like just like literally give off that vibe of do not even look at me, even if you are my best friend. I do not want to speak to anybody right now. I'm so overly touched, stimulated. I've given everything you know, so now it's like I'm in a cocoon with my book, possibly with headphones, to really give out that don't speak to me, vibe.
Elaine Walsh-Mcgrath:Isn't that terrible. For people who know me, they're like. That really does not give off any like.
Donna Eade:That is not like they're like oh my god, have I been really bothering her when I've gone around to see her?
Elaine Walsh-Mcgrath:yeah, exactly like you know, um, but I just I give off so much energy, um, when I am like around people, uh, that, um, I have to make sure that I come back and retreat and just really replenish or I burn out like very easily yeah, understood, understood.
Donna Eade:Um. So, elaine, where can people find you?
Elaine Walsh-Mcgrath:well, I've got a really, really innovative, um and very different, difficult way of finding me. It's my name, name, so google elaine welsh mcgrath I believe I'm the only one and love that elaine welsh, mcgrathcom is the way you will most easily find me and um, and let's see if I do actually reduce the amount of platforms that I'm on that I that I've almost committed to on this episode. So like, if you see that I'm not on Facebook, send me a message and go. Well done, obviously not on Facebook.
Donna Eade:She won't get that.
Elaine Walsh-Mcgrath:Yeah, but on LinkedIn, because I'll always be on LinkedIn.
Donna Eade:I love it Brilliant. Okay, guys, that is it for us today, today. Thank you so much for joining us for this conversation. Elaine, thank you so much for your time. We will be back. Well, I will be back again next week with another episode. For you all, elaine's links, you know, to her website will be in the show notes. Um, anything else we've spoken about today will also be down there, and we'll see you in the next one. Bye for now.
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