Alice, you are the founder of Lumley Loveday, a business consultancy service. Is there a meaning behind the brand name?

Lumley and Loveday are both family names. As the ethos of my business is building connections and placing people back at the heart of what teams and organisations do, having a connection to my family through my business name was important to me.

What was your motivation to set up a business consultancy service?

I’ve always been fascinated by people—the journeys they’ve been on, the stories they have, their strengths, and their talents.

As I became more senior in my role, I was spending more and more time mentoring and helping others to develop their emotional intelligence, communication, and decision-making—the so-called soft skills.

I loved helping them to progress, seeing the impact this was having on them, on those around them, and also on the business.

These are skills that benefit everybody, from solopreneurs to huge international corporations, and they’re skills that’ll take you from average to exceptional.

But I was also becoming increasingly frustrated at the lack of leadership development and the slow pace of change. So, having started my coaching business as a side hustle in 2022 and realising that I was approaching burnout if I didn’t make some changes, I decided to launch my business full-time.

What were some of the main challenges that you faced when setting up your business?

It was a big step into the unknown. I was leaving behind a secure salary and taking what, to some, must have looked like a risky venture.

I’d prepared financially, so my main challenges were actually more to do with my own mindset than anything else.

I had to find a way to deal with other people’s expectations and assumptions and not let them hold me back. I had a lot of imposter syndrome and feelings of doubting my own abilities and expertise. There were plenty of times when I doubted myself, when I fell into the trap of comparing myself to others who were much further ahead on their journeys than I was.

And I had to put myself out there, get comfortable with being visible, and actively seek out new connections and new people (which, as an introvert, was tough).

When you run your own business, you have to find a way to step into that CEO mentality pretty quickly—focus on what’s important, prioritise ruthlessly, constantly evaluate and adjust, and find time to look after yourself and your family too.

You run a series of workshops and seminars improving soft and hard business skills. Which would you say are the most essential for a new startup?

You need the technical skills and IQ because they form the foundation of the service or product you’re offering.

The soft skills, the emotional intelligence, communication, and people skills—these are what will turn your foundation into a palace.

Without the soft skills, you’re employing a team who work alongside each other. With the soft skills, you’re creating a team that works with each other. And when they do this, they amplify their skills and strengths. They share knowledge and experience; they learn from each other; they share insights and challenges to seek better ways to do things; they compensate for each other’s weaknesses; and they boost collaboration, engagement, and fulfilment.

Technical skills and IQ will get you so far, but it’s the soft skills that’ll make you fly.

Build both into your business and focus on culture, connection, and communication from day one.

Do you feel the information age and technology have had a detrimental effect on interpersonal skills and confidence?

They’ve certainly changed how we work and have increased the need for strong interpersonal skills and confidence.

Trust, communication, and building relationships are all possible to do remotely, but we have to work harder to build them and be more intentional in what we do.

Role modelling these skills at leader and manager level is even more important, as is making time for regular check-ins and team building/bonding activities.

The way we work is changing—there’s a lot we can learn by tapping into the wisdom, experience, and preferences of all generations.

You provide advice on team-building strategies. What are the elements of a successful team in business?

Although technical skills and expertise will vary from team to team and industry to industry, the soft skills are universal.

To create a successful team, focus on:

  • Psychological safety—team members need to feel safe to speak up and speak out.
  • Strong communication—the impact of your communication is what’s understood, not what you intended.
  • Embrace cognitive and generational diversity—groupthink kills creativity. Encourage contributions from all and healthy challenges.
  • Continuous learning—be curious, ask questions, and encourage learning and development.
  • Using emotional intelligence—to understand each other, empathise, resolve conflict, and build positive relationships.
  • Creating trust and accountability—integrity, consistency, clarity, and ownership.
  • Adaptability and resilience—rigid teams crumble under pressure. Managing stress, change, and uncertainty is key.

How can you best develop your leadership skills as a small business owner?

Small business owners often struggle with the transition from doing to leading. It can feel like a loss of control or a loss of power, and that feels risky and challenging.

It’s a big shift, going from the day-to-day to more strategic thinking and planning.

Focus on building strong relationships with your team and invest in yourself to develop the new skills you need to be an effective and empowering leader.

Work on your mindset and self-leadership and remember that it’s not a leader’s job to be the smartest person in the room. You don’t need to know everything or do everything—that’s why you’re building a team.

Can negotiation skills be developed, or is it something that is an innate character trait?

They’re a skill—they can be developed. Some people find negotiation easier than others, and sometimes it’s the people you least expect who make the best negotiators.

This is where soft skills, and emotional intelligence in particular, are so important. To effectively negotiate, you need not only to understand the other person’s perspective but also to diffuse any tension or conflict. You need to be able to stay calm under pressure and respond with intention and judgement.

Negotiation is about working together to find a mutually acceptable solution, not fighting each other.

Can you provide your top tips on delegating tasks?

The first thing to remember is that delegating isn’t letting go of control—it’s about empowering others and lightening your load so you can focus on what you need to do.

  • Identify the task—be specific.
  • Choose the right person—share out tasks and learning opportunities. The loudest voice isn’t always the right choice.
  • Communicate clearly—be clear about what you want done, how, and when.
  • Provide support and guidance—don’t micromanage.
  • Make them accountable—when and how do you want updates?
  • Recognise and reward—if they’ve done a good job, tell them.
  • Provide feedback—and ask for theirs too.

How do you find the most effective method to deal with an unproductive team member?

I would always start by having a conversation. Have a discussion and ask lots of open-ended questions.

There are lots of reasons people can be unproductive, ranging from unclear roles and expectations to a lack of resources and training to being the wrong fit for that role to things going on outside of work that are making it difficult for them to be productive.

And unless you know what the problem is, you won’t be able to solve it.

You also provide advice on stress management in business; can you provide your best self-care tips for a business owner?

It’s hard, as a business owner, to switch off because you are the business. This is where stepping into your CEO mindset can be so powerful.

If you were the CEO of someone else’s business, you wouldn’t be sending emails at midnight, or working through your lunch break, or trying to do everything yourself.

You’d be setting boundaries, delegating and outsourcing, prioritising, and focusing on what shifts the needle, not what’s shiny and new.

Take a step back and step into your CEO mindset. Create protected time to think and plan. And if you need to block out time in your diary to make sure you eat and exercise, do it.

The better you look after yourself, the better you’ll be at managing stress.

How do you like to unwind after a busy day?

I like to spend time with my family and friends, getting outdoors when I can and going for walks. I love to cook, and I also enjoy practicing yoga to help me unwind physically and mentally after a busy day.

You also provide a coaching service; can you tell us more about how a small business owner can benefit from this?

Small business owners often find it hard to step back from the day-to-day doing into the more strategic role of leading. Every business and team is different, so their opportunities, challenges, and solutions are also different.

I coach leaders at all levels, including small business owners, to help them drive their business forward, making sure they’re moving in the right direction, building strong connections with their team and customers, creating positive impact with the work they do, and delivering and recognising value.

Coaching helps leaders and business leaders focus on the things that aren’t measured by KPIs and targets but that have the power to elevate performance or break a team—culture, communication, time management, delegation, engagement, appreciation, personal and professional development, and conflict resolution.

These are often harder for small business owners, who are used to doing everything themselves and often don’t have leadership role models or mentors to follow.

Coaching is an opportunity for them to focus on what’s important for them and their team and encourages them to become more innovative, creative, and strategic.

Do you feel everyone can benefit from executive coaching, regardless of experience?

Absolutely, everyone can benefit from coaching, and coaching is flexible so it can be adapted to meet people where they are to deliver what they need.

Executive coaching is tailored more towards senior leadership and C-suite executives. It includes:

  • Performance enhancement—achieving goals and improving communication
  • Team performance—developing strategies to enhance collaboration and productivity
  • Leadership skills development—emotional intelligence, communication, decision-making, negotiation, etc.
  • Self-leadership—self-awareness, self-regulation, stress management, boundary setting, confidence, and enhanced social skills
  • Goal setting and achievement—setting SMART goals, defining milestones, agreeing on deadlines, and anticipating obstacles.

Leadership and personal development coaching has a slightly broader scope and less focus on high-level strategy.

Wherever you are, and wherever you want to be, there’s a coaching solution that’s right for you and will help you move from A to B faster and more easily than trying to do it alone.

What is the best method to introduce change in a growing startup?

Growing startups change rapidly as they grow and evolve, and this presents as many challenges as opportunities.

As the business grows, these changes impact more people and have to be handled with more care to get the best results with minimal disruption and stress.

  • Be clear about the change—what’s happening and why.
  • Get the decision-makers onboard first—change won’t happen without their support.
  • Communicate clearly—more than you think—to everyone.
  • Involve key employees—to help shape how change is implemented.
  • Implement in phases, if possible—provide training and support as you go.
  • Rinse and repeat—monitor, measure, iterate, and adapt as needed.

Lack of clarity and poor communication are why most changes fail to make the impact they should.

How can a business develop its culture to reflect the core values of the founders?

At the end of the day, your culture isn’t what you say; it’s what you do. Culture is the behaviour on the ground—it’s what people (especially founders and senior leadership) do every day.

People hear what you say, but they see what you do.

Founders need to develop self-awareness and self-leadership skills to ensure their behaviour matches their values and that this is consistent.

Start by making sure you’re clear on your shared values. These are things that you want people to do. So, if your value is honesty, you want people to tell the truth. Telling the truth is the behaviour that represents the value. Once you’ve identified the behaviours, you can build them into everything you do.

Which entrepreneurs do you most admire and why?

Indra Nooyi (former CEO of Pepsi Co), Whitney Wolfe Herd (founder of Bumble) and Sara Blakely (founder of Spanx).

All three are brilliant examples of how people-centred leadership and emotional intelligence can be used to create hugely successful companies that have people at their heart.

They prioritised respect, kindness, inclusivity, diversity, well-being, and appreciation, and led with vision, empathy, authenticity, and emotional awareness.

They’ve created and run billion-dollar companies by using emotional intelligence to leverage technical skills and IQ.

How have you integrated new developments in communication and technology into your business model?

My business was launched in 2022, when we were in a post-COVID world. The business launched virtually first and now offers a mix of virtual and in-person options, which allows me to work with clients worldwide.

Although I don’t use AI when I’m working with clients, I do use it as a proofreader and a tool to aid research.

Where do you see your business developing over the next 5 years?

Over the next 5 years, I’d love to do some public speaking and help spread the word about the importance of developing emotionally intelligent leaders and teams, building these skills now to empower the leaders of the future.

The world of work is changing, and we need to adapt with it and to place people back at the heart of everything we do.

Lastly, if you could run any business apart from yours, what would it be?

Hmm, that’s a tricky one! I’ve always wanted to travel more, so if I could run any business apart from mine, I’d run a luxury travel company.