Ep 12: In conversation with Ella Attrill

Foreign.

Have it all podcast brought to you by me, Emma Naylor, life Purpose and Career Coach. This podcast is for the ambitious and motivated individuals who are ready to take the next step in their life and turn their dreams into their everyday reality. To guide them to live a life of fulfillment within their career, purpose and beyond. And to show them that you really can have it all.

Welcome back to the youe can have it all podcast. This week I have such a special guest. Her name is Ella Attrill. She is a client of mine and I wanted to bring her on as she has been such an inspiration. Watching her grow over the time that we've been working together has been nothing short of phenomenal and and I've absolutely loved to be a part of her journey. I wanted to bring her on as a successful businesswoman who has literally been growing right in front of my eyes. Ella, I am so excited to have you here.

Oh, thank you so much. What an introduction. Wow. I feel honored. Good.

No, I'm glad. And it's all absolutely true. As I said, I've absolutely loved working with you. So for anyone who doesn't know you, Ella, I'd love for you to introduce yourself.

So I'm Ella, I'm a property investor and developer and I'm also now a one to one property coach. Thanks to you, Emma.

I love hearing that. I love hearing that. First of all. So first question, and I think it's something that we discussed super early on in your journey is why property? Why did you want to get into property and how did you get into property?

So it was a little bit of an accident. Me and my partner, we bought our first house when I was heavily pregnant with my daughter and we refurb that property and then sold it on for a profit. So we decided to buy another house which we were initially going to flip on as well, but after watching some YouTube videos, we decided to retain it, add more value and create a five bedroom HMO out of it by adding a loft conversion. So that sort of kick started our property journey more professionally and we invested in some property training. And then since then we've sort of scaled quite significantly and we've been doing commercial to residential conversions. We've got more HMOs, serviced accommodation units, rent to rent and a buy to let as well. So it's grown quite quickly over the last few years.

I love that it turned into something that happened by mistake. It started off as you needing a home and then it kind of turned into a business and often what I've Seen with a lot of people who have started their own businesses. It has either started, as you said, by mistake, started as kind of a passion project or something that they've just been doing and then kind of realized, actually, I can actually turn this into something. And obviously, as you said, you and your partner have built this great business where you've realized actually there's so many different routes to go down in property. Why, for you, did you feel that this route would be good for the lifestyle, I guess, that you live?

I think we've been quite diverse in property because where, you know, we have HMOs, we have service accommodation, we have buy to lets, we're sort of risk fence, you know, ring fencing risk in that sense. So if the service accommodation, you know, that market went down like it did with COVID you still have income from other income sources. So, yeah, we've sort of thought about that in the future. And property, we want to get to a point where we can step away from this business because we do want to move abroad at some time. So even though we're still in the stages of growing, and I'm sure we will continue to grow, we're continuously systemizing things so we can step away a little bit more. And especially doing the coaching review, you know, it's given me a clear path of how I need to do that as well.

Absolutely. And I love the idea of creating that life for yourself where you constantly aren't exchanging time for money. And I think, as you said with the pandemic, a lot of people realized having one source of income wasn't enough or just relying on one source of income was a huge risk. And actually being able to diversify where your income is coming from is massive. And it doesn't have to be in property. Obviously, not everyone at this stage can. Well, this is a bit of a myth, actually. And something we've been talking about is people think that they have to have an abundance of money to be able to invest in a property straight away. And it's really interesting, I think, over the pandemic where we've seen people explore opportunities that maybe they hadn't even thought about before, yourself being kind of included. So since obviously we've been working together over the last six months, as you said, there's been massive shifts in your business. Why do you think that you wanted to have these shifts in your business? Why do you think that? You said, actually, property is something I absolutely love, but I do want to add a few more little kind of paths. Why, for you Was that really important?

So I feel like I reached a point where I was still working in my business and it was incredibly hard to step away from those day to day tasks. So I knew it was time to systemize more and I really wanted to work on something a bit more creative as well. Even though I got some creativity from doing the refurbs and things like that, I just really wanted something for myself as well. As much as I love working with my partner, it just felt like it was time to start doing the things that I wanted to do in the future that weren't currently happening right there and then. So I just felt this pull really, that I needed to do something else.

It's really interesting because I think a lot of people who have that entrepreneurial spirit, like yourself, when you came to me and we kind of started talking about different ventures and things, I think there was a list of about 20 things that you were so interested in doing and it was so inspiring to see that because I think when you have that entrepreneurial spirit and that drive within you, there's always this wanting to try different things and move around and diversify what's on, going, going on. And I absolutely love that. And working with someone like yourself and other women who are driven and just are willing to try everything, are willing to try everything, not knowing what the outcome is, seeing what happens, seeing what doesn't happen, it's so inspiring to work with someone who kind of has that drive. Where do you really think that drive to be entrepreneurial and be successful and have your own business is? Where do you think that comes from?

Well, I think I grew up in a very different lifestyle to what I have now. Like when I grew up, I had no money whatsoever. My mum worked incredibly hard to even get food on the table. And I always knew that I wanted more than that because I saw how hard she was working. And then following on from that, I met my partner and he's incredibly entrepreneurial as well. So together we sort of joined forces and have built a bit of an empire. So we bounce off of each other quite a lot in that respect. And yeah, just going back to the few ideas that I had, we spent quite a long time going through to figure out what I actually did want to do. Because, yeah, like you say, the list was as long as my arm. And it's really funny actually, because coaching was like low priority because we went.

I remember that, yeah.

And there was things that I thought was a high priority at the time, but actually when we started to dig deeper, it Started to uncover lots of stuff and I'd never invested in one to one coaching before. I'd spent thousands of pounds on property training, land development training, project management training and other group business coaching, but never one to one. So after like this few weeks of digging deep to figure out what I wanted to pursue more, it became really clear to me that the value I could give back to other people because I was experiencing that myself and suddenly everything was becoming so much clearer. So yeah, what's funny is like working together, I had people reaching out to me for advice before I wanted to do it was like I was being shown the path that I needed to go down. At the same, it was really bizarre. That was like that penny drop moment for me. And then since, since then I've never looked back and it feels like super aligned for me when I'm coaching people and seeing their results now as well.

I love that. And it's so interesting what you said, around the universe, kind of sending you those clients and I remember when we were sort of talking around business ideas and you said Emma, I keep getting these people that message me and ask about coaching and about how I did what I did and how I built my business. And it's really interesting because resist what we should be doing, we often resisted. There was definitely some things as you said that we needed to work through to get to that point more of those mindset blocks or those kind of blocks and actually once we overcame those, as you said, it became so clear that that's what you were meant to be doing. But often we allow this self sabotage, this imposter syndrome, these blocks to stop us and we can't really see that clearly. It's really interesting to see kind of how it's done, like a full 180 from when we first started to where you are now.

Yeah, I mean it's so bizarre and when I look back it's. I just can't believe all of the change that's happened not only in this new venture but for my business, that my property business, I've hired staff that I needed to do for, you know, way before to stop me from doing the day to day business stuff. And the things even in that business that I've been wanting to do for ages, they're now rocketing forward. So it's not only had an impact on what I'm doing going forward, it's now, you know, having that effect in my day to day property business and things are moving much quicker. So yeah, it's just been an amazing Experience, to be honest. And now I'm focusing on those high value tasks to grow my business. Stepping away from the day to day, which is where I want it to be.

Absolutely. And I think it's interesting that to now see that obviously you've launched something officially, as we said before, you were kind of getting these messages of people dripping in saying, do you offer coaching? How have you done what you've done? You've obviously now released your sort of official programs, your two programs, the intensive and the 12 week program. How has that been going?

Yeah, it's been going really well, much to my surprise because yeah, I think when it's new and I had to step into this different person almost and show up in the world in a different way and like you say, I had a lot of blocks around that. But now that we've worked through it, it's just going amazing. And I've had paying customers and clarity calls and yeah, it's moving all in the right direction. And that's only been a week, I believe.

It's only been a week.

Yeah, it feels like a lot longer because this has been in the pipeline for a few weeks behind the scenes. But yeah, it's been amazing since launching and I'm really excited to get more clients on board and just see their transformation that I've seen in the past just from giving people advice. So yeah, it's really exciting.

I love, I love hearing that. And it's so clear that when we put our mind to something and get super clear on our goals and what we, where we want to get to and what we want to achieve, it all does really align. And obviously as a full time mom, as you said, a property investor and now a coach, how do you find juggling at all?

Well, I'm not going to say it's easy some days, but I'm really lucky in the sense that I do have that flexibility with these businesses because I'm there in the morning to take my daughter to school, I can pick her up, I can move my day around, which suits me and that's why we own our own businesses essentially, don't we? So I, and I manage it by trying to outsource as much of my life as possible. So some of these things weren't possible in the beginning financially. But now I have like a cleaner, my horse, I have a horse, he's at livery. So they look after the day to day stuff and now hired staff to outsource those tasks that I really shouldn't be doing. I need to be Focusing on the high value stuff. And then when it comes to the actual development, we have project managers and everybody on the ground so they're looking after those things for us. And then also I use a project management type system called Asana and my whole business life is on there. And the beauty of that is that you can outsource to other people through that so you can set them tasks and deadlines and things like that. So that is my lifesaver. To be honest. Everything is on Asana for me. So yeah, most of the time I'm winging it, as I'm sure a lot of people are. But yeah, I just find a way and try and get a clear routine in place and yeah, just try and juggle it that way. Really.

It's so inspiring to hear you talk about that because as you said, you know, growing up your life was so different. When we see others being successful, it's so easy to go. Yes, but they have this and yes, but they have that. And I'm sure that they had help here and I'm sure that they had help there. And genuinely, it's so nice to speak with someone and coach someone and be around someone who has genuinely built this life for themselves with no help, with no support because fundamentally so many of us will compare why we can't do something. And actually I love speaking with women who really show us that you truly can have it all. As you said, is it easy? No. But is it worth it? Yes, it is. And as you said, being able to go and ride your horse as a kid, did you even imagine that you would have a horse?

No, definitely not. I mean, I waited until I was 16 and I saved all my money up and bought my own horse at the time because I just love them, it's my passion. But now I have a lovely horse. He's. I could never dream of having a horse like him at a beautiful yard who they look after him, it's not cheap. Like I would never have been able to afford that before. So yeah, all these things, the things that are important to me, you know, they're in my life now and I'm so grateful and thankful for that. And like you say, it's not easy, but it's so, so worth it. And when you look at the bigger picture of where it can be in the future. Yeah, it just keeps you going every day. Yeah.

And even the non monetary stuff, like as you said, being able to go pick up your daughter, I've seen you guys going on holidays during Easter or half terms Being able to have that time together. And I think, as you said, it's what keeps you going day to day. And I think that a lot of people really focus on the things that they think are important but actually aren't, and really being able to scale it back and say every day, when I'm doing this, when I'm showing up in my job or in my business, or wanting to get that promotional, wanting to start my own business, or why am I doing this? Fundamentally, why am I doing this? And having that why is what is going to continue motivating you and helping you to drive either your business forward or your, you know, your career forward, or just those kind of everyday, everyday choices that you're making. So it's so inspiring to see someone who really has their why at the core of what they're doing every single day. I think it's really, really easy to forget that 100%.

And yeah, my why is always changing as well. Like, in the future, I definitely want to be in a position where I can give back more and all of those things. So even though I've reached, you know, goals within my business, they've continually evolved and it's nice to always sort of have that, that continuous flow.

Yeah, I absolutely love that. And I think being able to give back is such a nice goal. And getting yourself to the point where you feel that, that you can give back, I love that as a goal as well. So for anyone who's looking to either start a side hustle or start a business or really kind of just go, I'm looking to start something new. Think back to when you first started your own thing. What were the things that you wish you had been told? What, like, the three top things you wish you had been told.

So I think for anyone who has that niggling feeling that there's something out there, there's something more, or that they want to do something else, or there's this project that's always in their head or a new business idea, I just think that you need to know that there's always a way, like, even if it feels impossible now and it's not going to be easy, but I can guarantee, like, with the right support, you can definitely get there, even if it means taking small steps every single day. I think we live in a world which is highly accessible for information. So the answers are out there, but sometimes you just need a bit of guidance. So definitely just go out and have some confidence in yourself to go and pursue those dreams. Because I could never have dreamt of my lifestyle now compared to when I was a lot younger. So yes, and nothing is going to get you there without you being able to take that action. Now, however small it, you know, it may be, it still adds up and has that compound effect. So, yeah, definitely do that.

I love that. And I think there is something that's so true about that niggling feeling of when you've got it, you have to run with it, you have to take these opportunities. Because there are so many women that I speak to and you probably speak to people in property as well who have gone, I wish I did this a few years ago. I wish I had the confidence to do it a few years ago when I had this feeling. And now I'm in the same situation. All I've done is kick the can down the road and I'm here five years later when I could have been in a very, very different position, talking kind of about kicking the can down the road. What, what kind of blocks do you think have stopped you in the past from, I guess, investing in a coach or starting another business or starting coaching? And what are the things you've really had to kind of overcome to get. To get to this point point?

I think it's been difficult sometimes to get out of my comfort zone and especially like in the initial stages of investing in property, I was really struggling with anxiety because all of a sudden I was like shaken up into this new world and had to show up as a different person, as a, you know, a professional in this field when I didn't necessarily feel like it. And again, those things have been coming up when we've been going towards the property coaching side of things, all of those old limiting beliefs start to get resurfaced. So we've had to work through those. So, yeah, it's been a bit of a change to be able to do that and I've had to really work through those old limiting beliefs. So, yeah, and then also with coaching and even with property investment training, there's a lot of financial blocks coming up as well. Sorry, just fell on the floor then. Yeah, I had a lot of financial blocks coming up. Like, is this going to work? Am I just throwing my money away? But actually it makes you hold yourself accountable. So, yeah, there's been a lot of stuff that has come up. But when you've got the right support, you can work through those so easily. When you have someone holding your hand, it's just amazing.

I love that and I think it's so true around those self sabotaging self, self sabotaging behaviors and those limiting beliefs that come back around. Every time we do something new, we think that they've just gone. And actually they come back when we get to those different levels. But the difference is we have the tools to now deal with it. So it's not like the first time it came around. We actually know this isn't true. This is just my imposter syndrome talking. This is just the self sabotaging behavior. And we're able to separate the truth and what our head is telling us. And even though it's challenging, every time we get to that next level, every time we make that next investment or we invest that more money into property or more money into a more expensive coach or whatever it is that we're doing, we're still able to kind of take a step back and go, well, look, these are the things that work last time. I've got the proof. This is just me feeling scared and anxious, which is normal. And also being able to honour that, accept that that's what's going on. Because something that a lot of us try and do is bypass the feeling. We kind of go over it and go, oh, that's fine, we'll just ignore that. And we know that it rears its ugly head at some point in the journey. So being able to go through it rather than going over it at that moment in time massively saves so much time in the future when we're actually able to, to get the tools and understand where it's coming from and work through those blocks rather than just kind of sweeping it under the rug and hoping that it will never come back again.

Yeah, 100%. Like you say, like with having those tools when you're going forward and like meeting those new barriers where you've reached that end of your comfort zone, you're about to step over that line again. When you have a toolbox, which you have given me, essentially it's so much easier to get past those beliefs because you go, well, actually, is this rational? No. How do I get through this? What am I going to say to myself? How am I going to identify those beliefs that are coming up? Because they're not true, you know, all of those things and we've worked through affirmations and mirror work and all of these tools that are now part of day to day life. If something comes up and I'm like, oh, oh, that's, you know, I'm able to identify that now. And yeah, it's been priceless, to be honest.

I love hearing that it makes me so happy speaking with someone and really kind of looking back at the journey. And obviously we're still working together, and this is only just the beginning of your coaching business. And I'm so excited to continue working together and really being that support and watching you grow and creating this amazing business. So before we finish off, what would be your one piece of advice for our listeners, for anyone right now who is listening to this?

I'm not just saying this because I'm a coach now myself, but please see the value investing yourself. As I said, I've grown up in a very different lifestyle to what I have now. And even just four years ago, when we were renting a studio apartment in the rundown area part of our town, we invested in ourselves and we now have a property portfolio worth millions. And that's because we invested in ourselves and took action. We haven't had huge financial backing, but, you know, now having someone support and guide and hold my hand and hold me accountable, it's been priceless in my eyes. And that's exactly why I'm doing what I'm doing with my coaching business going forward, because the value in it is priceless. It doesn't really matter about the money. It's about the journey and how it can get you to reach your life and your financial goals. So, yeah, take action, because it's out there for you. You just got to go and take it with both hands.

I love that. I love that. And anyone who's been listening to me or been following me for a while knows that my thing, and I will say this to every single client, is taking that imperfect action, just doing, putting one foot in front of the other, and the rest of the path will pave the way. It's just about taking that first step. So. So, Ella, if people want to find out how they can work with you or want to find out a little bit more about property, where can they find you?

So, on Instagram, I'm Ella Underscore, the property coach. You want to look at my property business? It's Della Estates on Facebook and Instagram.

Amazing. Well, Ella, thank you so much for being so honest and open. I've absolutely loved recording this podcast episode with you. It's been incredible to be a part of your journey, to watch you grow. And I know that this is just the beginning. So thank you so much for coming on and recording this episode with me.

Thank you so much for having me. It's been great fun.

Thanks for listening to this week's podcast. We really hope you enjoyed it. If you did, please head over to wherever you get your podcasts and leave us a review. Make sure you subscribe to be the first to know about new episodes.