Stacey McNabney didn’t just build a business — she built herself from the ground up. Single mum at 19. No qualifications. No safety net. Just sheer determination, a door-to-door sales job, and the kind of grit you only get from real life.
In this episode of Success or Excuses, James Fleming sits down with Stacey to uncover what it really takes to build a brand when you’ve got mouths to feed, confidence to build, and a business world that doesn’t wait for you to catch up.
It wasn’t smooth. It wasn’t perfect. She made money, lost focus, burned out, started over and came back stronger. Now, as The Social Coach and co-founder of POI Society, Stacey helps women stop hiding, start showing up, and grow businesses they’re proud of.
This conversation is packed with honesty, humour, and hard-won lessons perfect for anyone juggling real life and big dreams.
Key moments include:
✔️ Why social media isn’t about trends, it’s about trust and consistency ✔️ The cold-calling job that taught her everything about people and psychology ✔️ How she built her business while raising kids and the cost of burnout ✔️ The ADHD-fuelled chaos behind every great idea (and why you shouldn’t chase them all) ✔️ Breaking through imposter syndrome and learning to charge your worth ✔️ Why your content should sound like you, not like everyone else ✔️ The reality of building a brand with no backup plan and no room for excuses ✔️ The myth of confidence — and how to act before you feel ready ✔️ What Stacey really wanted from her business: not fame, but freedom ✔️ Her top three tips for any woman building a business from scratch
Subscribe to Success or Excuses for more raw, straight-talking conversations with people who’ve built, rebuilt, and kept going long after everyone else gave up.
Follow James Fleming:
LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesflemingtpwtd
Success or Excuses Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/successorexcusespodcast?igsh=OW51MzlrazkwMXc%3D&utm_source=qr
YouTube → https://www.youtube.com/@SuccessorExcusesPodcast
Website → https://thepowerwithintraining.com/
Follow Stacey McNabney:
LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/stacey-mcnabney-735432146/
Website → https://thesocial.coach/about-me/
Email → stacey@thesocial.coach
Instagram → @stacey_mcnabney_coach
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