Carol Jackson knows exactly what it feels like to leave the comfort of a successful career and step into the chaos of building something from scratch.

After years in the corporate world, Carol reached a point where she knew something had to change. What started as a side hustle became ELJ Drinks, an award-winning boutique Scottish spirits company with a range of gins and a Honey Spiced Rum.

In this episode of Success or Excuses, James Fleming sits down with Carol Jackson to talk about corporate burnout, expensive mistakes, COVID pivots, building a product-based business and learning as you go.

Carol shares how ELJ Drinks began with a ready-to-drink gin cocktail range, why early decisions led to stock being poured down the sink, and how the business adapted when hospitality shut down overnight.

She also talks about moving online, running virtual gin experiences for charities, building community through Cocktails with Carol, crowdfunding her lemon gin, and launching Honey Spiced Rum using honey from her own bees in Blythswood Square.

James adds his own experience throughout, reflecting on the early struggles of building a business, the pressure of COVID, the importance of mindset, and why business ownership is one of the hardest but best things he has ever done.

Key moments include: ✔️ Leaving the corporate world after burnout ✔️ Starting ELJ Drinks as a side hustle ✔️ Early product mistakes and expensive lessons ✔️ Building a Scottish spirits brand ✔️ Pivoting during COVID and growing online ✔️ Virtual gin experiences and Cocktails with Carol ✔️ Crowdfunding the lemon gin launch ✔️ Moving from gin into Honey Spiced Rum ✔️ The story behind Carol’s bees and Scottish honey ✔️ Being a female entrepreneur and business owner ✔️ Carol’s three pieces of advice: get out your head, find your tribe, don’t seek perfection

Follow James Fleming: LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesflemingtpwtd/ Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/successorexcusespodcast YouTube → https://www.youtube.com/@SuccessorExcusesPodcast Website → https://thepowerwithintraining.com/

Follow Carol Jackson: LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/carol-jackson-ellisgin/ Company Website → https://ellisgin.com/

Timestamps [00:00] Introduction to Carol Jackson [00:01:00] Carol’s background and ELJ Drinks [00:02:00] Starting the business as a side hustle [00:03:00] Launching the ready-to-drink gin cocktail range [00:04:00] Early mistakes and expensive lessons [00:06:00] Leaving the corporate world after burnout [00:08:00] Creating colour-changing gins [00:09:00] Launching pink shimmer gin [00:10:30] COVID and the impact on hospitality [00:11:00] Moving online and partnering with charities [00:12:00] Cocktails with Carol and building community [00:12:40] Crowdfunding the lemon gin launch [00:13:40] James reflects on his own COVID pivot [00:16:30] Gifting, online growth and coming out of COVID [00:18:30] Reacting to change and rebuilding the business [00:20:00] The gin market changing [00:22:00] Moving into rum [00:25:30] The story behind Honey Spiced Rum [00:27:20] Carol’s bees and Scottish honey [00:28:30] Launching Honey Spiced Rum in 2024 [00:34:20] The hard reality of running a business [00:36:00] James shares the start of The Power Within Training [00:41:30] Wearing different hats as a business owner [00:43:00] Networking and finding the right people [00:49:30] Advice for anyone starting a business [00:53:40] Being a female entrepreneur [00:56:30] Recognition, House of Lords and Downing Street [00:58:50] Carol’s three pieces of advice [01:00:40] Closing thoughts