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Cindy Excell

Hustle With Heels

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Cindy Excell
Hustle With Heels

my Story

Side Business Journey with a Corporate Career

Cindy Excell | Business Coach | NLP Practitioner | Certified Level 2 Coach | Diploma of Coaching | Master Practitioner of Coaching (In progress) | 20 Years+ in Financial services | 5 Years+ running side online coaching business| Master of Applied Finance | Bachelor of Economics |…

Meet Cindy

business coach

In 2020, while working full-time as a Private Wealth Manager in one of the biggest banks in Australia and raising two young children with my husband, I built my first online coaching business alongside my demanding job.

Over several years, it generated high five-figure revenue while working 5–10 hours a week, without compromising my career performance or family life. Not through hustle or shortcuts, but through focused use of existing skills, disciplined time boundaries, and systems that fit real life as a full-time working mum.

That experience reinforced something important for me: income optionality isn’t about scale or speed. It can be built deliberately, responsibly, and within real constraints. More importantly, it’s about proving to yourself that you can create value beyond a single employment — without compromising job performance, family, or integrity.

Over time, that optionality builds an income-generating asset you own – and with it, the ability to make career decisions from choice rather than pressure, which is the real source of power in a modern career.

How It Started

I’ve spent nearly two decades in banking and financial services, working in environments where high performance, responsibility, and long-term thinking matter.

Over the years, I built a successful corporate career and also experienced several role changes – some by choice, others driven by organisational decisions – despite consistently performing at a high level.

That was a quiet turning point for me. It reinforced that even strong careers and top performers operate within systems we don’t fully control, and that salary ceilings don’t always reflect effort or capability.

I realised that real career security comes from having more than one way to create value and income.

That experience shaped how I think about modern careers.

I don’t believe career excellence is the problem.
And I don’t believe everyone should – or is suited to – leaving corporate to feel secure by “being their own boss.”

But I do believe that relying on a single income stream from one employer – no matter how capable or employable you are – quietly limits how much choice you have when decisions need to be made.

That’s why I built income options alongside my career.

Not as an exit plan.
Not because I disliked my job.
But because I wanted more agency in how I made career decisions – and to build high-income skills that allowed me to create value beyond one role.

Building a business alongside my career didn’t pull me away from my work.
If anything, it strengthened how I showed up.

It sharpened my commercial thinking, improved my decision-making, and expanded my sense of what was possible, without urgency or pressure.

Today, I work with mid-career corporate women who are ambitious, capable, and responsible – women who want to build income options without stepping off their career path or compromising their standards.

Some of the women I work with stay in corporate long-term.
Some change roles.
Some gradually expand the assets they own over time.

The outcome isn’t the point.

The work is about building career leverage – skills, capability, and income options you own, so decisions feel calm, intentional, and made on your terms.

I’m not anti-corporate.
And I’m not here to sell an escape narrative.

I’m here to be clear about one thing: no employer is responsible for your career or income security – you are.

I work with women who want to think clearly about their careers, build assets they control, and create income optionality that supports whatever future they choose.

Some fun facts about me:

At the age of 19, I graduated from Xiamen Univerity, one of the top academic institutions in Southern China, with a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics. But honestly? My real dream was to become a singer. (Cue the dramatic spotlight!) I even made it to the Top 10 Singers at my university during my third year. But life had other plans, and instead of performing on stage, I found myself flying across the world to Australia in 2001 as an international student to pursue a postgraduate degree in Applied Finance.

Fast forward a few years, I swapped the mic for numbers and graduated with a Master’s Degree in Applied Finance from Macquarie University at 23 years old. Sydney, Australia then has been my home ever since. Now, I’m happily married to an Aussie husband, and we’ve got two beautiful (and delightfully cheeky and active) daughters keeping us on our toes.

What To Do Next

If you’re ready to expore your income optionality and monetise your existing skills and expertise into a side online coaching or consulting business without compromising your corporate job, I’m here to support you every step of the way.

Here’s what to do next:

  1. Book a Free Discovery Call – Let’s discuss your goals and how I can help you achieve them.
  2. Access All My Free Resources – Get started with practical steps to launch your side business.
  3. Subscribe to my Sunday Newsletter – Get the Career-Integrated Entrepreneur™ Newsletter delivered to your inbox every Sunday.
  4. Listen to The Career-Integrated Entrepreneur Podcast – Tune in every Wednesday to get practical tips, strategies, and stories about starting and growing your side business.

Ready to get started?

Click the link below

work with me BOOK A free discovery CALL

let's connect

ON INSTAGRAM

@cindyexcell

DM me “integrity” and I’ll send you my latest podc DM me “integrity” and I’ll send you my latest podcast episode where I talk exactly about this 👇🎧

#dualleadership #careerandbusiness #corporatewomen #sidebusinessgrowth #selfleadership #intentionalgrowth #businesswithintegrity #coachingbusiness #buildinyour9to5 #careerandcalling #thecareerintegratedentrepreneur
Comment CLARITY and I’ll send you the link to list Comment CLARITY and I’ll send you the link to listen. 👇

If you’ve been sitting on 3, 4, or even 10 coaching ideas…

And still haven’t moved forward with any of them
This is your sign to stop planning and start testing.

Clarity comes from action, real feedback, and seeing what actually clicks in the real world.

#startabusiness #sidehustlecoach #womenentrepreneurs #coachingbusiness #onlinebusinesscoach #startyourbusiness #businessstrategy #validateyouridea #clarityinbusiness #entrepreneurmindset #corporateexitstrategy #businessgrowthtips #femaleentrepreneur #coachingforwomen #buildyourbrand
Your career looks great on paper. But you feel fla Your career looks great on paper.
But you feel flat.

There’s a smarter way forward.

One that adds purpose, income, and energy - without quitting.

🎧 Tune in to learn how to build your next move while staying in your 9 to 5. Link in bio.

#careerplateau #sidehustlecoach #corporatewomen #coachingbusiness #buildinpublic #careerchange #careertransition #womenwithambition #financialrunway #careerclarity #midcareerjourney #careerandbusiness #careerstrategy #coachingonpurpose
I worked in financial services for nearly 20 years I worked in financial services for nearly 20 years… while raising two kids, juggling a demanding corporate job, and building my online business on the side.

Last week, I officially wrapped up my corporate career, and I’ve rebranded this podcast to reflect exactly how I did it.

It’s called The Career Integrated Entrepreneur - and it’s for you if you’re building in the margins of your 9 to 5.

You don’t have to leap blindly.
You can build first.
And I’ll show you how.

🎧 Tune in to the first episode back - link in bio.

#sidehustlecoach #careertransition #buildbeforeyouleap #corporatewomen #coachingbusiness #femaleentrepreneur #careerchange #intentionalbusiness #financialrunway #careerintegratedentrepreneur #podcast #podcastaustralia #podcastaustraliaentrepreneur
I used to believe job security was real. Until on I used to believe job security was real.  Until one day… it wasn’t.

In 2018, I was made redundant without warning.

I had a great career in corporate - 6 Firgure salary, prestigious company, investment banking, and a life built on the promise of “stability.”

But that day shattered the illusion. 

And lit a fire in me to take control of my own income.

What started as a side hustle turned into something more - 

A five-figure business built in the margins of my week.

And in 2025, I walked away from my corporate  career of 19.5 years - on my terms.

You don’t need to wait for a wake-up call.

If you’re ready to turn your skills into a business that creates real options - 

🔥DM me “MY TURN” and I’ll send you my free Coaching Idea Validator (eBook with custom GPT) - to help you figure out what kind of business you could start - even if you’re not 100% sure yet.
Because you don’t need to quit to begin.
You just need a plan.
I never planned to quit my corporate career. But I never planned to quit my corporate career.
 
But I did plan to have options.

For the last 5 years, I built my online coaching business on the side.

Before work.
After the kids were in bed.
On Saturdays at the café.

I didn’t do it for the hustle.
I did it for freedom. 

And in 3 days, I’ll walk away from my corporate career of 19.5 years.

No more building other people’s dream.

No polished exit plan.

Just a decision: I’m going all in.

Because when your business becomes the thing you can’t ignore anymore - 

That’s when you stop asking “what if?”

And start asking “what’s next?”

If you’ve been quietly building something of your own -  Or dreaming of starting, even with limited time - 

 I see you.

📩 DM me “NEXT” if you’re building something of your own on the side. I’ll send you my free blueprint 𝗜 𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗺𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹-𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲.
What if your job title was taken away tomorrow? Wo What if your job title was taken away tomorrow?
Would you still know who you are?

This episode is personal, and it might hit close to home.

Comment “READY” and I’ll send you the link 👇

#careerpivot #womeninbusiness #identityshift #corporatetocoach #redefinesuccess
Redundancy isn’t the end. It might be your best be Redundancy isn’t the end.
It might be your best beginning.

It shakes your identity, your finances, your future - even when you see it coming.

I’ve lived it. And here’s what I know:

I’m no longer building my life around a job I could lose overnight.

Redundancy is no longer rare - it’s reality.

But it can also be the push you need to take back control.

That’s when I started my coaching business - on the side, while still in my 9–5.

No perfect plan. Just a decision to back myself.

If you’re at a crossroads right now, remember:
Your skills, your value, and your potential?
Still fully intact.

A side hustle isn’t just income.
It’s options. It’s leverage. It’s yours.

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