How Sally Made £24,000 Alongside Night Shifts (Episode 153)

👉 Ready to start your own online store? Start here: https://dropshipunlocked.com/online-event?el=podcast-153-sally-24000-night-shifts


🗣 In this episode, Lewis Smith and James Eardley sit down with Sally, a paediatric nurse working night shifts who built a high-ticket ecommerce store alongside her job, generating £24,000 in revenue so far, including a £1,800 profit day from a single order. 

We dig into the mindset shifts, the wobbles, and the exact steps she followed (imperfectly, at first!) to get moving.

👉 Prefer to watch this on YouTube? Check it out here ➡️https://youtu.be/Qslp2qH7-1g

Topics Discussed:
★ From Night Shifts to Sales: How a sudden agency pay cut became the catalyst for change—and how finding the DSU podcast gave Sally a clear path.
★ Starting Small, Then Committing: Joining the Accelerator first, then upgrading to the Masterclass once she saw momentum.
★ Overcoming First-Call Fear: From “scripts all over the kitchen” to confidently speaking with suppliers and customers.
★ Learning in Public: The “double discount” mistake that cost £25—and why it turned into a powerful lesson that improved her margins.
★ Big Wins on the Move: The £5,724 B2B order (≈£1,800 profit) that landed while she was on holiday.
★ Mindset & Mini-Milestones: Sally’s “bottles of bubbles” celebrations, writing future congratulation notes, and building self-belief.
★ Community & Meetups: Why DSU’s live events and member chat (shout-out to Neil!) make solo entrepreneurship feel supported.
★ What’s Next: Reducing nursing shifts, hiring a VA, and compounding momentum.

Links and Resources Mentioned:
Pick up a copy of Lewis’ book: https://dropshipunlocked.com/book
Get Shopify for £1 a month for 3 months: https://dropshipunlocked.com/shopify
Get a free trial with a professional phone line: https://dropshipunlocked.com/circle

Key Takeaways:
★ Imperfect action beats no action: Don’t overthink—follow the steps, learn fast, keep moving.
★ Mindset compounds results: Reframe setbacks as data; celebrate small wins to build momentum.
★ Community accelerates confidence: Borrow belief and practical help from people a few steps ahead.
★ Answer the call (literally): Treat every enquiry like it matters—big B2B wins often start as “quick questions.”
★ Build for freedom: A simple, focused store can fund the life you want—one good order at a time.

FOLLOW:
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Twitter: https://twitter.com/DropshipUnlockd
LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/company/dropship-unlocked
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/dropshipunlockedlewissmith
Website: https://www.dropshipunlocked.com/

Thank you for listening to the Dropship Unlocked Podcast! Don't forget to subscribe and leave a review on your favourite podcast platform.

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Transcript

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Definitely the most profitable there was. It was over 1800 pounds. I can't remember the exact number, but it was, yeah, over 1800. How does that feel? Knowing that you make a single online transaction and someone effectively gives you 1800 pounds for you to keep? It feels incredible, you know, and I worked out how many shifts I would have had to work for equivalent and I would have had to work two and a half weeks of full time 12 hour shifts. Welcome to the Dropship Unlocked podcast. I'm Lewis Smith, the founder of Dropship Unlocked and with me is our client success coach, James Eardley. Now, when we're not recording podcast episodes or running our own e commerce businesses, you'll find us helping aspiring on entrepreneurs launch their own high ticket dropshipping stores. So if you're ready to build your own six or even seven figure online business, then head over to dropshipunlocked.com forward/start. Now sit back, relax and let's unlock your potential with the Dropship Unlocked podcast. In today's episode, we're highlighting another impressive success story from inside the Dropship Unlocked podcast masterclass. We're joined by Sally and she's got a great, impressive record so far since joining Dropship Unlocked and we'd love to bring that to you on today's episode. That's right, James. It's always great to showcase the success of some of our masterclass members so we can just share a true picture of what it's like to actually start an E commerce business today. Sally has seen brilliant success with her business and has an equally great story today, Match. So let's dive in. Firstly, Sally, thank you very much for joining us on the podcast. Great to have you here. And so to start with, I'd love you to maybe take our listeners back in time a little bit to the days before you joined the Dropship Unlocked programme. What was life like? What were you doing and what caught your attention? Why did you decide to start your own business? So I was working. Well, I still am working as a nurse. I'm a paediatric nurse working night shifts full time and I was just kind of going through the motions. I've been doing this job for over 20 years now and in the last kind of five years or so I've been doing quite a lot of self development work and just getting that little idea that I wanted to do something different but I wasn't sure what it was and, and I just kind of kept telling myself that I, I, I was a nurse. That's my job. That's what I trained to do and that's all that I knew or know how to do. Whenever I thought of any different kind of career or a different path to go down, I just thought I don't know how to do it because I'm a nurse. And so I've been listening to quite a lot of podcasts, self development stuff and, and people have been talking about kind of side hustles and starting your own business and things, but I just, it was so overwhelming for me. I just had no idea where to start. And I just, I listened to a lot of podcasts and the dsu, the dropship and podcast came up just as a carry on from something I was already listening to and it just started playing and I thought, oh, this is interesting. And I started to listen to it and I thought there could be something in this for me. And I don't know if I've answered your initial question actually answering that, but I think so. So day to day life you're asking about was basically, and I've got two children, so very, very busy running around after them, taking them to various clubs and this, that and the other. And yeah, just working night shifts and trying to do little bits of self development on the side and, but probably also spending quite a lot of time wasting time scrolling and the things that we all do. And then you look back and you think, oh, I've just spent an hour scrolling through my phone, what have I been doing? And I knew that I could have been putting that time to something to a better use, but I didn't know what or how until I found the podcast. Fantastic. So we've come full circle now for you to be featured on the podcast, which is a great story to hear and we'll get to the success as we go through the episode. But I want to know about maybe there was a moment. So you mentioned five years you would get onto this journey of self improvement and maybe coming around to the idea of entrepreneurship as a vehicle for the best kind of self improvement to improve the direction of your life, where you wanted to go. So was there a moment, do you remember there was something that clicked in your mind that made you think, right now is the time that I've got to get started? I think so. Things have been getting progressively more difficult at work. Like I said, I've been doing it for over 20 years. I then made a move a couple of years ago into agency work, agency nursing. And I thought, oh, this is amazing. I was earning almost double what I was earning as an NHS Nurse. And I thought that that was the path for me and that was the thing that I'd been working towards on my kind of my money mindset and all that self development stuff. I thought, oh, all I needed to do was make the switch from NHS into agency and then almost overnight they just cut the rate to they, they half the rate almost overnight. So I'm kind of used to, I've kind of, my lifestyle has improved somewhat and I've started to be able to take my kids away as a single mum and I do have a partner now, but I was a single mum at the time and I started to be able to take my kids on holiday and then all of a sudden the rate was just slashed and I, I just thought I need something else now, I need to think outside the box. And it all kind of happened at the same time. The podcast just kind of appeared. If you believe in kind of the universe and you know, things that, the power of the universe. The podcast just kind of came in at the same time that I was thinking I really need to make a change. Yeah, I can relate to that, that feeling of like you think things are stable, you think you found a good situation, you mentioned that the agency pay was very lucrative and then suddenly the tables turn and you realise how little control you do have over your own situation. And so that feeling, I think we can probably both relate to, all of us on, on this call of like wanting that, that control and that autonomy. I mean, how did that feel, that, that moment just to kind of really zone in on that point. Like when that situation changed and you realised that actually they had cut the pay and that wasn't going to be how you wanted it to be, like what, how did that feel? And I guess what did that make you want to do? Like, how did that help your entrepreneurial drive? So I'm not going to lie. I'm generally, I'm quite a positive person but I've had to train myself to be a positive person. I don't think, you know, well, 10 years ago I was very much glass half empty and now I'm very much glass half full. But I have had to train my mind to do that and I think when something happens and then I probably shouldn't swear on here, but the. Once it hits the fan, you know what I mean, it can be really easy to go back into old habits. So I'm not going to lie, I did go into a real sort of panic moment and you know, for a couple of days I was like, oh, I'M not getting out of bed. I can't. You know, everything, everything I've. It was almost like everything I'd work towards over the last five years in terms of like my mindset and self development and stuff. It was almost like a massive kick in the teeth, as if someone was saying, you see what I told you, it was all pointless. There was no, you know, it was just a pointless thing for you to do. This is what always happens to you. And then I just kind of had a little word with myself and I was like, no, think of all the work you've done. This is a, this is that, this is a sign. This is for something. So then I sort of regrouped a little bit and I'd already been listening to the pod and my, my plan was to listen to an episode of the pod every week until, I think this was in September, October. And my plan was to listen to an episode every week until January. And then I would make the decision whether or not I was going to jump in and join or not. And then as I was listening, I don't know what it was, something just said, no, just, just do it. Just, just make, just jump in, just sign up and see what happens. And that's what I did. So. Amazing. Yeah. Sometimes these things come together at the right time and if you just delay it, you know, you're delaying the inevitable. If you want to join at some point anyway, why not just, just, just go for it. So you mentioned that financially you, you had a hit, so then you felt like finances needed to be improved and that was a spark. But would you say there was other things missing, maybe control or freedom or was there anything that you felt like you was really missing in your life that you, that you wanted to fill with, with pushing yourself and building a business? So for me, the same thing that I think is. Applies to a lot of people is the freedom is that, you know, we only have one life. Well, unless you believe in reincarnation, which I actually do, but we won't go down that rabbit hole today. But you know, in this particular life that we've been given, we only have the one shot. And I don't want to get to the end of my life and think, see opportunities that I've missed and see places that I wanted to go, that and time spent with my children as well. And I just wanted to be able to have that freedom to go anywhere and do anything. I've travelled quite a lot in my life. I've been really blessed that I've been able to do that. And I've always, throughout my life kind of worked to travel and that is my, has always been, my main driving force has been friends, family and travel and you know, being able to combine those is just even better. I'd signed up to the agency nursing because I, because it was going to give me that amount of money and I was used to in nursing, having to work weekends, night shifts, whatever shifts they gave me I had to work. And then I found agency nursing and I, I did that in order to gain some of that freedom back. So it was so that I could take my kids away for the whole of the summer holidays and do a lot of travelling and things with them. My best friend lives in Peru and she's also lived in Thailand and China and so we like to go and spend quite good chunks of time with her. But I hadn't been able to do it for a few years just because of shift patterns, money, et cetera. So I started the agency work and then we spent a month the previous summer in Peru and Bolivia and I thought I was going to be able to do this every summer and then all of a sudden the rate was cut and I wasn't able to do it. And so for me it was like, I need to get that freedom back. That's why I've gone into agency nursing to have at least that chunk of freedom in the summer and that then was also was taken away from me. And I just thought, no, I need to gain some control back here and not have my whole working life dictated by the boss, you know? Yeah, it's like the final straw, isn't it? Sometimes it's not the first thing that gets you, but it's that compounded like grating away of all these various things and they start cutting the pay and then you can't travel and you can't afford other things and you start missing time with the family and you're like, ah, like I need to do something about this. So I'm interested. And before you went down the route of joining us at Dropship Unlocked, and I will definitely talk about that part of the journey because that's really exciting. But what did you do first? Did you, did you try something else? Did you look at other business ventures? Did you, I mean, how much time, money did you spend going down different routes before you found us? Not done that many other businesses before. I've always wanted to, but I've never had the self belief and never thought that I could do it or be successful at it. So I'VE dabbled in quite a few things. I'm quite a creative person and I've done photography courses and I did a couple of years ago an interior design course and I did really well at those and with the intention of taking it forward and building a business around that, however, I just had no idea how to do it. I didn't know where to start. I didn't have that step by step instruction and I just felt, I suppose, really overwhelmed and fearful of starting. So I never started. Well, I'd make little, you know, I'd kind of put a foot into something and my best friend that I spoke about and I. We had a business selling jewellery and it was a great little business, but it didn't, it wasn't making us any money. She was sourcing the jewellery where she was at that time in Thailand, sending it over to me where I would photograph it. She would. Then she was in charge of all the website stuff, but that. It brought a little bit in, but it never really made a profit. And at that point, because she was in charge of all the website side of it and I was doing the photography, I just thought, well, I'm only good at photography. I. I just, I didn't feel I was capable of doing the website side of it. So I've had these just kind of little dalliances with things, but I've never jumped into anything and stuck at it like I have with this. And why do you think that is, Sally? Is it because you, you needed more guidance? Because you obviously didn't come from a business background. Apart from that, that hustle that you tried there with the jewellery, what. Why do you think it was that you couldn't stick to a business before? I think I definitely needed the guidance, or I definitely need the guidance and just being able to have somebody to bounce questions off because it's very easy for me to not know the answer to something and then just think, oh, I'm no good at this and. Or find that something, I try something and it doesn't work and then just give up. But the difference with being in the Dropship and lock programme is that the guidance is always there, whether it's from you guys or from other members of the community or from the online videos, there's always an answer. And right at the beginning, when I initially signed up, I just thought, oh, my God, what have I bitten off here? Because some of the stuff for me was so technical and so outside of my comfort zone. I mean, you know, I'm working the NHS, our computers are like about 30 years old, you know what I mean? They're, it's not, we're not geared up for sort of. Well, I mean, I had, I could barely even save a Word document when I started put it that way. So it was very overwhelming at the beginning, but it was so step by step. So, yeah, for me, definitely, I do need guidance. Yeah, fantastic. That, that makes a lot of sense. Yeah. I can again resonate so strongly with this because it's. When you haven't got that guidance, it's so easy to slip. And I think the brain naturally wants to pull us away from things that feel uncomfortable. And unless you've got like a support mechanism around you, whether that's guidance or if it's just emotional support, sometimes we need that help in hand to keep us pushing in the right direction. But just to keep in that part of your story then, Sally, as we move into the programme, just before you join the programme, some people find about, find out about dropship or not. Perhaps they've listened to a few episodes of the podcast, but maybe they're a bit sceptical about joining, about starting it and thinking like, can they achieve the success that they hear about on the podcast? So did you have any of those thoughts? Was there any scepticism? Did you feel hesitant about joining the masterclass and then if so, what do you think it was that actually changed your mind? I definitely felt hesitant and sceptical. I, I just, when I've looked at entrepreneurs and business owners, et cetera, I've just thought that's for somebody else. That's not for me, that's not my life path, that's not something that I'm going to be any good at. And so yeah, I definitely felt sceptical, but I think just listening to the podcasts and listening to a few on my drive to work, I just thought, do you know, I think I might be able to give this a go and then before long I joined the full masterclass because I thought, yeah, this is something that actually I'm really enjoying and, and I think I might be okay at it if I give it enough of a shot. Yeah. So that, that's an amazing transformation to go from like you say, working with 30 year old computers, not knowing how to, or barely, in your words, barely being able to save a Word document, which I'm sure, I'm sure is an exaggeration. I'm sure you had more IT proficiency, but, but even so, even if you didn't, that's incredible to go from that To. To building a. An E commerce business is amazing. I mean, I can certainly relate to that level of initial scepticism and concern and that kind of like, is this for me? Is this right? Can I trust it? I'd be really interested to know what made you decide to just go ahead with it anyway. Even having those voices in your mind, those kind of like niggling doubts there, what made you say, yeah, I've got those, but I'm gonna do it anyway. I think it comes down to. And it was something I was listening to the other day actually on a podcast as well, and he like, summed it up perfectly, is when the fear of everything staying the same outweighs the fear of starting something new and the fear of life continuing in this way of me not being able to go on holiday, not having an empty fridge, not being at least being able to afford certain things and not being able to have that freedom and spending the next 20 years like that and getting, you know, then further down the line and then I'm thinking further ahead of retirement and all of those things. I think it's, it's. That is the fear of things staying exactly as they are. When that fear overcomes the other fear, that's when I kind of thought, right, I've got to. I've just got to jump into this now. I've got to give it a go. Yeah, absolutely. That fear, although it's something that I think we, we learn to almost just like live in, in society. That constant, like, oh, yeah. But, you know, things are as they are. The status quo, it just kind of remains the same. You never leave the comfort zone. But yeah, once those scales shift and you start to, like, those compounding problems build up and you start to realise, I'm not on track to build the kind of future I want here when that, that scale tips. I think you're right. Like, that's the point at which people take action and it's a real, like. I guess it's a maturity of that thought process of understanding that if you do continue down that same path, that in itself is a decision. That in itself is a cost. And where that path leads might not be the one you want to go down. So what's the bigger risk? Is it trying something now with a very structured support system around you, or is it just almost like the inevitable, definite certainty of remaining in the situation you're in? So since starting the programme, let's dive into, like, what happened once you joined, you started the programme. What's been the most Say, like, surprising or impactful change for you so far because you're an extremely active member of our community, Sally. We always see you inside the, the programme chatting to people. You're very, very present there. And so, yeah, talk us through, like, any surprising, impactful changes for you since joining. The biggest thing for me is the feeling now that it's almost like. I mean, everything felt so scary and so alien at the beginning and I remember trying to build up to like, the first supplier phone call and just I had scripts all over my kitchen and I was, I, I honestly, I went to bed. I actually, this, this. I'm not ashamed to say it because I think a lot of people do. A lot of us do this and, and that fear comes in and you suddenly stop. And I went to bed for the full afternoon. I was. I just thought, I can't do this. And I felt like such a failure. And then I got up, I started listening to some Tony Robbins and things and I'd even phoned my friend and I said, I can't do this, I can't. You're gonna have to do it for me because you and I can talk to people. Like, I can, you know, I can go into a room. I'm quite an extrovert as you might have neck, just a. Quite chatty. And so I don't have an issue with any of that. But suddenly all my limiting beliefs came flooding back when I had to ring a supplier and I just thought, who on earth do you think you are that you can pick up the phone to this business person and try and have a business conversation? And, yeah, like I said, I just took myself off up to bed and I just spent the day feeling really sorry for myself and I thought, I've completely failed. I don't know what I'm doing. And like I said, phoned my friend and she was just like, no, Sally, you can do this. And then did it. And so the, the biggest change for me is the fact that now, you know, I'm only kind of six months down the line, or no, probably a bit longer than eight months down the line from that first, first phone call. But now it feels really natural and normal to me, to the point that I'm having these conversations and this feels more like me and I feel more aligned with this than I do when I'm in my other job. And I feel when I'm in my other job, I feel a bit like an imposter there. So it's really strange. It's been a really strange transition I. Can 100% relate to that. That's. That's a really funny transformation where the passion for the new business almost starts to form your new ident, and you start to, like, lean towards that more, don't you? And then you, you almost feel this level of, like, guilt in your. When you're wearing your other hat of like, am I, you know, still as in touch and in tune with this world as well? And I think that's just part of, like, leaving the comfort zone and levelling up in life. And like you say, now you're comfortable, you could jump on the phone with a customer or a supplier, you wouldn't be phased because I guess you now have the, the evidence to back yourself that you do know what you're doing and that you can generate these suppliers money. So. So why would you not have that conversation with them? But back then you didn't, you know, and you had to have that belief, didn't you, in yourself, which I think a lot of people do struggle with at the beginning. So, yeah, I can, I can resonate with that completely. Yeah, I think it's not always about having that kind of belief in yourself, is it? You kind of had to just jump in and it kind of comes. And I still feel like I don't have that. It just feels natural to me now to ring a supplier and talk to them and understand that there's just. It's just another human being. And I'm getting to know little bits about, you know, I've got one lady that I speak to and a son had an accident that I was able to bring in a little bit of my nursing into that, give her a bit of nursing advice. And so it's. And you get to know these people and what's kind of going on for them as well. So they just become. It's not that big, scary kind of barrier. I still think that, like, at every stage, I think it's really normal for us, isn't it, as humans too, when our comfort zone is kind of growing? Like now my comfort zone is kind of that, you know, the suppliers are in the middle of that is in my comfort zone now. So now I need to push myself a little bit more. And then every time you get something that you're not familiar with, you get that sudden panic of, I don't know if I can do this. And it comes back and you just have to remind yourself, now, I felt like this before and I managed to push it away so, you know, I can get past this and I can make this my comfort zone now and then gradually it becomes bigger and bigger, doesn't it? Yeah, that's so powerful. It's such a big change is actually the person that we become when we do these things, like build a business and push ourselves outside of our comfort zone because we get so fixated before we start a business or start something new. I remember thinking, oh, it'd be really cool if I could have a website or be really cool if I can make a thousand pound sale or I'll be really cool if I can get to £10,000 in sales. Really just thinking about that as being like the best thing that could ever happen out of this decision to join the masterclass. But then you realise, actually, John, the best thing that ever happened was the person that I became by being able to build a business and push myself out my comfort zone. Because that just comes in to every different situation that I face now, which is just a huge return on investment that doesn't really get considered up front. And on that point, Sally, would you say. What would you say has been the best moment for you so far since joining the programme? Is there anything that stood out for you as a moment that you just been amazed by? What, since joining the programme? Best moment. The best. This is going to sound really ridiculous, actually, but the best moment was receiving the award that I got when I came to the meetup. Because I've always been that. I was just going to say I've always been that kid. I'm going back into my. My, like, child mindset now, but I was always that. That one at school that I never, never won anything. Always in trouble. Never the head girl, never the. Never a prefect. I was the one that, you know, just constantly in trouble, being a disappointment I felt to people and never kind of excelled in anything. Not that that was. I don't mean that I excelled in that, but it just felt so nice to have some, like a little bit of recognition and something that I was like, oh, that's. That's really nice. That was definitely a highlight for me. And then when I put it on my window, silly. So those people that are listening won't know what the award was, but it was like a glass thing and I put it on my windowsill and the sun shines through my window and then it projects like a rainbow pattern onto the other side of my kitchen. So it's just. It's just really lovely. That was definitely a highlight for me. Well, it was very well deserved and yeah, we certainly recognise that contribution you made every Day to the community, Sally. So it wouldn't be the same place without you. Yeah, I'm glad that, that, that you are so active and that you bring so much to it. But I want to dive into some numbers now and talk about sales if we can. So can you talk us through what has been your total revenue up to this point? So right now it's just over 24,000. Amazing. And what would you say? Well, firstly, how does that feel? Well, it feels incredible because, I mean, I wasn't even sure I was going to make a single sale. So to say that I've made 24,000 in revenue is absolutely fantastic. And you guys know when I kind of like to set myself little goals, when I have little bottles of bubbles that I set my, that I write little labels on and say, well done, you've achieved this. Well, you've achieved that. And then I'll pop the bubbles and have a little mini celebration. And I'd written one on a small bottle to say, congratulations, Sally, you've, you've reached. I think it was 10,000. And as I wrote it and I looked at it, I thought that's a million miles away. Like, I can't imagine that ever happening. I just, I can't imagine that I'm going to have got to that point in sales. Like at the moment. This was really quite early on in the journey. And then before long I looked at my sales and I was like, oh, I've gone over 10,000, I better pop the bubbles. This is probably 11 o' clock in the morning or something out of school today. But anyway, bubbles are open. And then I've kind of, I just keep setting myself new ones. But yeah, it was a really, really good feeling. So I love that concept of writing yourself a future or your future self a congratulatory note, attaching it to a bottle of champagne and then having that kind of there ready. Because it just enters the subconscious that way, isn't it? And you're just waiting to eventually reach the state where you are that person and you're able to then accept that award. So it's an amazing trick and mind hack, I think. I think that's one we could all learn from. Well, people think I'm a little bit crazy for this, but I used to write myself in the date when I was single for a few years when I was like, when I started to think, actually I'd quite like to meet somebody. I started to write myself on Valentine's Day. I would write myself a Valentine's card and I would buy myself a gift and usually, like a book I wanted to read or something that I really wanted and I would leave it and I would write myself a Valentine's card that would basically just things that I wanted to remind myself about myself that were good. And, you know, Sally, you're great at this. You're great. Whatever. It sounds ridiculous, I know. And I would go out to work and then I'd come back in the morning on Valentine's Day and I'd be like, oh, look, I've got a lovely gift and I've got these things and it's. And I've kind of written things and, and. And started to give myself gifts and things because I was like, if we treat ourselves in the way we want other people to treat us, then eventually things will follow suit. And I did then have that person that treats me this way and, you know, et cetera. So it's kind of, yeah, kind of forward projecting into the future for me. And that's what I do with the little notes on the bottles of bubbles and things, is kind of congratulating myself before it's happened. So that, of course I'm going to get there because I've already sort of written it, if that makes sense. Yeah, it's such a valuable thing because it symbolises, like, positive self talk, which then increases your self esteem, which then increases your feeling of, like, self worth, doesn't it? Which then causes you to take the actions that you were otherwise hiding away from previously, that is calling suppliers, reaching out to customers, because maybe you didn't believe that you were the person that, like you said, who am I to do that? And so I think that's the difficulty with solo entrepreneurship that I relate to very similarly to yourself, Sally, and that when you first start, there's no one necessarily there. Obviously you have a community now of people cheering you on, but when you first start, it's kind of you in that voice in your head and if that voice is slanted to the negative, it's just going to keep kind of pushing you down. So we're our own worst enemies, aren't we? And it's breaking that cycle that does it. So I love the fact that you've gamified the process of positive self talk and now you're in a positive feedback cycle and it's only going to get better. Yeah, definitely. Fantastic. Well, I was going to hopefully get into that conversation at some point, Sally, because I love the idea of these little bottles. Um, I don't know if you've Had a bottle for any particular size of order? I don't know what. What was your largest order that you've had so far? And then a secondary question is, did you ever have a bottle to celebrate a particularly large order? So I haven't written a bottle to celebrate a large order yet. I do have a bottle of champagne and the rest of them are all little bottles of Prosecco. But I was like, no, do you know what? I'm going to show the universe that I a can afford a bottle of champagne and that I deserve a bottle of champagne. So. So I. I bought a bottle of champagne and I've got a note on there saying congratulations for your first hundred thousand in sales. So I'm waiting to pop that. I don't know when that will be, but I don't. I didn't have one for just a particular order, but maybe I need to do that, actually. And what's been your largest order to date, Sally? Like, if we were talking in terms of, like, the largest sale that you've had so far. So the largest one I've had is. Was for. It was for just. It was for over £6,000. And I did give them a discount because I was. Well, they basically. They asked for a discount and I was hoping then that this would lead to ongoing. It's more of a B2B sale, but it was B2B, so business to business, but. And I've given them a discount to hopefully bring more business in from them. But, yeah, it was for £5,724. Wow. And would you say that that's your most profitable order today? Like, how much profit would have been on an order like that? Definitely the most profitable there was. It was over 1800 pounds. I can't remember the exact number, but it was, yeah, over 1800. And that order came in when I was on holiday and it was a really, like. It was one of those things, like, a couple of days before we were on holiday and I was up at a mountain or a big hill probably, and a call had come through and I tried to answer it and it was really windy and it. The caller cut out and I got down to the bottom and I'd said to my kids who were moaning because they were bored because they had to wait for me to make phone calls, and I said, look, I need to make this phone call to this customer. And I made it. I then made a sale on that day and it was for like 1,200. And then when I put it all through, I realised that Because I'd messed up my sense of my own. We just learn from these things as we go along, don't we? But because I'd messed up, I put a discount on it. But I'd already discounted the item on the store and I didn't realise. So they had two discounts, they got a great deal. And. And so on that sale, I lost 25 pounds. And I was a bit, obviously dejected by it and a bit like, oh, what's the point? Why am I doing this? Or, you know, and my kids and my oldest son said to me, he kind of mocked me a little bit and was kind of like, look, you see, mom, you. Are you ever gonna make money out of this? And what. You know, even though I had been doing okay until this point. And I said to him, look, I said, sometimes there are going to be losses. But I said, it's what you've got to remember is that I'm learning all the time. And now I've learned that lesson. I need to now go through and make sure I take the discount off this particular product so that they don't get two discounts on this. I said, and also it's about. I don't know whether I'm still going to let this customer have this product for this price because he then may come back in the future and buy something else. He knows he's had a great deal, he knows he's had great customer service, et cetera. And so I was kind of feeling a bit like, oh, I've, you know, I've made a loss on this particular sale. And then a couple of days later, still on holiday, and the guy, a different guy, had called me and wanted to place an order for this, this big B2B. It was for 12 of the same item. And I was then trying to explain the importance and we had to pull over at the side of the road. I didn't have pen and paper. I was writing. I think I shared something in the community. I was writing all down my arm in a biro with all these different details, phone numbers and things that. And I was pulled over the side of the road in a little village in Wales and then said to my kid, when I finally made this sale and made the 1800 pounds, I said to my kids, look, that's why we have to, I have to answer every phone call and that's why I have to get back to every, every customer, because I don't know whether it's, you know, they just want to order a small accessory or they want, whether it's something big like that and I've got to treat them all the same. That's an incredible story. I love the idea. And I remember that photo in the community of your arm in the car, Biro all over it, like frantically taking these notes, thinking, I don't want to drop the ball on this order. And I, I can certainly relate to that. Like you said that first sale where you accidentally applied two different discounts and like you made a, you know, a small loss on the order. You just chalk it up to early lessons in business, don't you? I know when I am. I think the first phone order I had for my very first E Commerce store, a lady called and you know what you're doing when you first answering the phone to customers, you kind of trying to sound all professional and let you know what you're talking about, but it's very early so you don't really have that much of an idea. And she wanted to place an order, I think it was like 700 pound product or something. And she said, can I just pay over the phone? It would just be way easier. And I was like, when a customer asks to pay, you just accept. So I was like, yeah, yeah, fine, no worries. And so I just opened up my website on my phone, like, like a customer and I just said, just read out your details and I'll put the order in for you. Because I didn't realise at the time there was like a back end to Shopify, like this is going back year to 2017 and I just thought you just put the order through and that'll be fine. So not knowing anything about like credit card fraud protection and 3Ds secure, all that kind of stuff, I just put the order through and it went through. But then it popped up in Shopify saying, high risk of fraud detected because this customer's card had been used on a different device miles away from where she lived, you know, and, and it was like all the red flags of fraud, it just looked like a stolen card and they were like, we're going to withhold the funds for 90 days before paying out just to make sure. And this is early in the business. Like I didn't have much cash flow at that time and I was just like, oh no, like what do I do? I can't like tell the customer. So I just had to front the order and just wait the three months. And they did eventually pay out and they realised it wasn't fraud. But like, like you say you chalk those lessons up, don't you and you just realise, like, we're not perfect, we're just learning every day as, as entrepreneurs. But when you did make that order, that was 1800 pounds in profit. Like, how did that, how does that feel, knowing that you make a single online transaction and someone effectively gives you 1800 pounds for you to keep? Well, it feels incredible, obviously. And it, you know, and I worked out how many shifts I would have had to work for the equivalent and I would have had to work two and a half weeks of full time, 12 hour shifts. No, about two weeks. I think it's two weeks of full time, 12 hour Shifts. So, yeah, when I worked that out, I just thought it was up. It's seven shifts. I think I worked it out to be. And so, yeah, it felt amazing and it felt almost like natural and normal, like it was meant to happen. So. And I didn't feel massively like an imposter at that point. But then obviously then the, the thought comes in of, is that going to happen again? Was that, is that just a one off? Can I actually build on this or is that just one, one sale? And then I was swimming in the sea that afternoon and I just need to go on holiday more, obviously, because this is where I make the sakes. I was swimming in the sinking pool, got out the sea, looked at my phone and I'd made another sale for over a thousand pounds and that sort of cemented it. Then I thought, right, wow, this is pretty much paid for the holiday. So, yeah, I mean, that obviously felt amazing. That's it. The best sales and the ones that feel the best, I think happen when we're doing things where we're not even thinking about it, where we're doing something completely unrelated. We're on holiday, we're enjoying time with the family, we're in the sea and then it comes through and it just makes you realise, like, this is how life should be. I've built a system. You put in the hard work. Like no one's put in more hard work than you. You, you absolutely followed the process to a T. But you should be rewarded for that work. You know, through the system. You front loaded the work, you built it in a way that it will eventually become independent of your time. And I know at the moment you're taking your own phone calls, hence the scribbling on the arm in Biro, but eventually it will be a virtual assistant that I imagine you'll have on your team that will be able to take those things. So just kind of jumping ahead and looking a Little bit more to the future. Sally, how do you think the success of your E Commerce business as it's starting to grow and building momentum, how do you think that's going to change things for you in everyday life moving forward? Hopefully I'll be able to drop some shift. This is the kind of, it's a bit of a, at the moment, it's a bit of a balancing act because I am obviously still needing to work and running the business at the same time. But I'm hoping that once things kind of progress and once the, the wheels sort of start turning a little bit more, the more that I make then on the business at the moment I'm not taking any money out of it because I'm wanting to keep that all in and, and build the business and not using that for day to day life. But I'm hoping there that I can gradually drop ships and then eventually I'll have a lot more time to spend spend on the business which I think it will just build momentum. Do you know what I mean? Once it starts going, I think. And then obviously like you said, getting in and a virtual assistant which will then free me up to be able to do a lot more in terms of growing the business. Yeah, that, that, that will really free up your time and I think that's when you can really start to step back and work on the business again and you know, grow the business and have it as a system that generates you an income. So you said that you. Where were you listening to the podcast at the originally when you said you first heard it and you said it popped up after the end of another episode. Do you remember like we in the car or. I think when I first started listening to the pod, I was, I think I was just getting ready for work and I generally just have something playing in the background while I'm getting ready. So yeah, I was just getting ready for work and it just kind of carried on playing and I thought, oh, this is really interesting. And then I went back and started listening to other episodes and then I came across an episode with a chap called Neil who's in the community. And I was driving to work when I listened to this and I remember I really just didn't distinctly remember what he was talking about in that episode and talking about setting his children up for future businesses and talking about retiring himself. And I just, as I was listening to this, I just thought it was the one that was the one episode that made me think I need to sign up for this. This is something that I could actually do, I could really relate to the conversation that he was having and yeah, I mean now and at the time I kind of looked at him and that conversation and thought he seemed like a million miles from anywhere that I could ever be. And I just sort of thought, oh, could I do, could I do the same? And then the other day, and now I've obviously got to know Neil through the community and stuff and the other day he actually ran to the post office for me, bless him, because I had some trouble trying to get hold of the customer and I don't have a printer or anything at home and I didn't have access to one and I wasn't going to have one for like the next few days and I thought, I don't know what to do. And I went onto the community and just started chatting to people and said, this is what's happened, I need to get hold of this, his customer. But he left. I can't, he's left me the wrong phone number, I don't know what to do. And Neil suggested sending a first class letter. I said, but I don't have a printer. And he said he printed a letter off for me, took it to the post office, ready off, like express delivery. And honestly it was absolutely amazing. I couldn't be more than that. It's, it's great, isn't it? I think that's such a nice story to have seen someone on a podcast being inspired by them now consider them a friend and have them, you know, like helping you out with little favours in the business. It's just as sometimes there's this disconnect if people right now are watching us on YouTube or listening to us on Spotify and they think like, oh yeah, but they're on a podcast. It's like a make believe world, you know, it's not real, but it is real. The other side of it is just, you know, you have to kind of take that step to get there. So that's a, that's a good kind of question. I guess if someone is thinking about this right now and they're listening to us just like you were listening to Neil and they may be considering setting their own business up. Maybe they have had some news at work that's made them feel with a little bit more urgency that they need to take control of the situation and their own life and their own future. But maybe they haven't jumped in yet and they've, they've started listening to some dropship unlocked stuff. Like what advice would you have for them, to help them build up the courage to take that leap like you. Did, Sally, I would just say don't think about it for too long, because it's very easy for us to get into our own heads and spend weeks and weeks and months and months thinking about something. Years and years, a lot of the time in a lot of people's cases. And like I'd done previously for the many of the things that I've wanted to start, like interior design, photography, stuff like that. And any action, imperfect action, is better than no action. So just take action. That first step and just start would be my advice, because you will learn along the way. And you. Yeah, just. Just take that first step, basically, is what I would say, because you can't really go wrong, because even if you do go wrong, you're learning a lesson from it. So it's not. And that's got. That lesson is going to then propel you forward. So I would just say, if you're thinking about it, if I can do it, I promise you, anybody can do it. You've got to put in the work, you've got to be kind of dedicated. And for me, I have to kind of have a. For me, it's about a routine and just telling myself I need to do this many hours a week and whatever that is, try and find the. The tasks that are going to push me forward the most. Or at the beginning, it's just following the programme. I don't even have to find those tasks and it's just follow the programme step by step. And if you do that, even if, you know, at the beginning, I was probably doing. Some days, I might only just do half an hour because that's all I have. But as long as I know I'm progressing, then, you know, it's pushing me forward. So I'd say to anybody, just don't think about it for too long, just. Just give it a go because you won't regret it. Fantastic. Now, Sally, it's been fantastic to meet you in person as well at the live meetups that we organise. What do you think that brings to the Dropship Unlocked experience? Oh, the live meetups are just great because it just gives you the opportunity to put faces to all the names of the people that you've been speaking to on the chat. And you get to know people a little bit better and you get to know them as people and it just makes the kind of group chat come together a little bit more as well. And starting to form those friendships is really important, I think. In this kind of area of work because it's, it can be a really, really lonely road. Like I'm used to working with multiple, multiple people every, every shift that I work on. So, you know, the staff, the patients, et cetera. So for me to be sitting at my kitchen table or my, my office space and just being on my own and having no one to talk to is quite, quite. And that to me is the downside of this sort of business. So having, being able to have that community and the live meetup and the friendships then that you forge that hopefully will be ongoing and lasting friendships is fantastic. Yeah, this was really good. And the live meetups are great and it's just really good to see people in person. I think that's, those are really wise words to end on there. Sally. I think that's great advice to anybody who is listening to this and maybe is at the stage that you were at yourself before you bravely stood up and took action and took control of your own future. So thank you for joining us on the Dropship Unlocked podcast today. Thank you for being such a valuable member of our community and being so active and so friendly and supportive for other members. You, you, you embody exactly what we want in our community at Dropship Unlocked. So just a big thank you for us for being here today. Oh, thank you so much for having me. It's been an absolute pleasure. Honestly. It's been really great talking to you guys. And there you have it. What a brilliant conversation that was with Sally. Absolutely. James really enjoyed that one. Sally's journey highlights the power of mentorship and the value of being part of a community that supports your growth. Really interesting discussion and a big thanks to Sally for joining us on the podcast. If Sally's story resonated with you today and you were listening to this, thinking, wow, I think I could do that too. If you are ready to start your own journey, remember, success begins with just taking that very first step. Step. Just like Sally did. So to get started and follow in Sally's footsteps, head over to dropship unlocked.com start. Are you enjoying the podcast? We'd love to hear from you. Leave a comment or a review and we might feature it in an upcoming episode. And for detailed show notes and resources, visit dropshipunlock.com podcast. If you found value in any episode of this podcast, please could you take just 10 seconds to leave us a quick five star review on your favourite podcast app? It helps us more than you can imagine. And who knows, you might just hear your comments read out on the show. Thanks for being a part of our community. Your support helps us keep delivering new episodes to you every week. Now it's that part of the episode where we're going to answer a question that we've received from a listener. So if you want to get your question in, any questions that's popped up in your mind while listening to today's episode, then all you need to do is comment beneath the YouTube video version of this episode. And it won't just be answered in the comments, it may also be featured in an upcoming episode. So that's exactly what Rob Barker, 1324 has done. So Rob's question, I'll ask it to you now, Louis. He's asked, can anyone make money with dropshipping? Thanks for your question Rob. And yeah, we've seen people from all walks of life succeed inside dropship unlocked background really doesn't matter. That's not a factor that determines someone's success because we've had success stories from students who you know are mid university or even people who haven't yet even gone or started their degrees and were thinking about doing that and have taken this route instead. Others who are full time stay at home parents, others who are ex trades people, others who are retirees and have worked their entire career in a completely unrelated industry and have no technical awareness or ability whatsoever in their own words. So it's not about experience or having huge amounts of finances to back you. It's all about mindset. Regardless of your financial situation or your prior knowledge about things like e commerce and how online business works, the biggest determining factor we've seen in someone's success is resourcefulness. So we see that success comes from people who, who take consistent, consistent action. The people who win are those who implement things. They're not just there consuming content, listening to things, watching things, they're actually then doing things. And it's a big part of the reason why we've built our programme in the way we have in that we teach something and then we showcase it and then you do it. Like you take action and you build as you go. And I think those members that are open to learning and embracing the challenges that are inevitably going to come along the way, but, but they treat every roadblock as just another part of the journey. Those who see it that way as a inevitable roadblock that they can get past, push through, they will succeed in the long run. So to give yourself the best chance, follow a proven method, surround yourself with other people who are pushing forward and make sure you have that structure and that support and that community around you, because that will make a huge difference. That way you don't have to figure it all out alone. That really makes a huge difference. And Sally is a testament to that as well. On the episode today, and as you can see from the people that we interview when we speak to different members of the masterclass, we try and pick people out from all different walks of society. So you can see that it works no matter what background there is, no matter what sort of person you are. And that's showcase on the channel. So thank you very much for your question. Great answer, Lewis. On to now a recent review for the podcast and that's coming from Sam C. And Sam C shared his thoughts after a recent episode and he said, this podcast has genuinely opened my eyes to the world of possibilities that exist within dropshipping and E commerce. Amazing. Love to hear that. Thank you for your very kind review, Sam C. Really glad to hear that you've been enjoying the podcast. Now, if you found value in today's discussion with Sally or any other episode we've done of the Dropship Unlocked podcast, we'd both really appreciate it. If you take time to leave us a review, it should only take you a few seconds, but it means the world to us and it helps us keep this podcast going. We're always looking to hear your thoughts and we might even be able to feature your review like we did for Sam in our next episode. Thank you for joining us on this episode of the Dropship Unlocked podcast. We hope you are leaving with new insights and inspiration to fuel your entrepreneurial. Journey to kickstart your E commerce business pedo. Over to dropship unlocked.com forward/start. It's the perfect place to start and get access to resources that will help you build your business from the ground up. And don't forget to hit that subscribe button for more episodes packed with strategies, tips and success stories. Plus, if you enjoyed this episode today, a five star review would mean the world to us and you might even get a shout out on the next episode. Thank you for the choosing to spend your time with us today. We can't wait to bring you more insights on the next episode of the Dropship Unlocked podcast.