Build a business that works for you

Before starting the 25eight program, I felt scattered, constantly busy but lacking strategic direction. This program helped me shift from reactive to intentional. I now have complete clarity on my brand, my audience, and how to position my offerings for value and sustainability. I've built systems that reflect who I am, not just what I do, and that transformation has given me the confidence to show up as the face of my business with purpose and pride.

Beyond the clarity in messaging and business structure, I'd say the program's helped me shift how I show up as a business owner and leader for my team. It's nudged me out of the day-to-day and into a bigger picture mindset. I've started making decisions less reactively and more intentionally.

I'd say that identity shift has been quite massive and valuable. I've managed to break a financial ceiling I had for 18 months last month and then again this month, which shows I've stabilised at a new level. I'm more aware of my metrics and I've noticed I'm thinking more like a leader now.

I feel like I'm using AI much more than I ever have before. At the moment it can still be a little time consuming because I'm learning how to use it properly and sometimes I get a bit side tracked with all the different things it can do! But I know that the more I use it, the easier it will become and ultimately it will save me a lot of time. I find it really exciting to think about the possibilities and all the different ways AI will be able to help me run the business in the future. I'm loving the program and it came to me at just the right time!

The NLG program has helped me shift from being in the business to leading it. I have gained: Clear decision-making frameworks; A stronger sense of direction; Permission to focus on high-value tasks, not just daily operations; I'm steering it forward with purpose. That mindset shift is massive. I can lead with clarity, structure and confidence, knowing where I'm going and how to get there.

When I started the program, I saw my role primarily as a technical consultant who prepared planning reports and helped clients obtain planning permits. Through the program, I have come to see my role differently. I now see myself as someone who helps people achieve their aspirations by guiding them through the planning system with honest, practical advice. My role is not simply to produce reports or secure approvals, but to help clients make informed decisions and navigate complex planning issues with confidence.

It has given me the focus to become the decision maker and the driver of change rather than just getting bogged down in the day to day operations of the business.

This program came at the right time for me, I was feeling a massive crisis of confidence. Swinging from going back into the workforce, to trying to push myself but lacking direction. I have already started to get way clearer on the service I want to offer and how I will provide and show that to others.

It feels like there still needs to be me in some capacity in most operations. But working out what I can get done by AI agents and implementing some of this feels good.

This surfaced that my main growth constraint is not technical capability or access to AI, but the lack of a consistent and deliberate system for generating suitable work. I already receive work through referrals and existing relationships, but it is largely passive and difficult to predict. It also confirmed that AI is not the strategy itself. Its role is to reduce repetitive work and support a more consistent enquiry and proposal process, freeing my limited capacity for professional judgement, client work and relationship-building. Securing one paid project through deliberate business development activity within 90 days would provide practical evidence that this approach is beginning to work.

The biggest change has been moving from operating a successful single-site business to deliberately building a scalable, system-driven multi-site business. The program has helped shift my thinking from: day-to-day operational management to strategic capability building, systems design, and long-term growth planning. That thinking is now embedded across expansion planning, digital transformation, ERP implementation, workforce development, and market positioning. The coaching and frameworks also improved my confidence in making larger strategic decisions with greater clarity and structure.

The capability I use most is structured strategic thinking. In particular: * Defining target markets and customer personas * Clarifying value propositions * Prioritising initiatives based on impact and capability readiness * Breaking larger growth objectives into executable stages I also regularly use the frameworks around: * Strategic sequencing * Growth planning * Systems thinking * Decision-making under uncertainty The Lead with AI component has also had a significant impact. Initially I used AI as a sounding board and strategic coach, however it has quickly become apparent that its potential extends much further into knowledge systems, staff capability, process consistency, and operational decision support.

The biggest change has been how I think about my role in the business. I now feel much more focused, with a clearer plan for what I need to do next. I've realised how important it is to make time to work on the business, not just in it, and to use my numbers, systems and AI to make better decisions. I also feel more confident in myself as a business owner and more motivated to actually put ideas into action rather than keep putting them off.

I'm valuing myself and what I offer, and getting a bit more comfortable supporting myself with AI.

Sam is a fantastic mentor who understands business, technology and finances. The biggest thing that worked for me was that Sam understood my career and business clearly. Even when she did not have all the answers, she listened and understood where I want to go and how I could possibly get there.