Are the services you’re offering in your business holding you back? Are they serving you in a way that is providing the essentials for your life or stealing them away from you? In today’s episode, my biz bestie, Sarah Erickson of Sarah Ann Designs joins me to discuss business pivots and how we’ve approached redefining our offerings. Sarah’s been through nearly every stage of business with me, holding my hand through major changes and helping guide my own direction with branding through those pivots. Listen in as we share how you can make pivots whether you’re ready for them or fearful of them!
Today’s episode is brought to you by my free ebook that helps creators avoid the big mistakes that are holding them back from becoming profitable, impactful educators.
Sarah and I have gone alongside each other on our business journeys since we’ve been business besties. As you know, I’ve pivoted from teacher to photographer to coach and educator for creatives.
For Sarah, one of the biggest shifts she experiences was letting go of wedding stationary. She started her business doing calligraphy and stationary design, but found an easy pivot into brand design. With less stress and higher profits, it was a no-brainer for her; also allowing her to go back to her roots of design that she studied.
Her most recent shift happened in the last year, which included letting go of website design. This was a much harder shift for her. She’d hit a creative rut working with clients in an industry that didn’t blend well with her style, which gave her less control over the brand design that she loved.
She felt so much guilt in taking these clients, but also fear in letting them go. Not letting them go turned into an uninspiring season in business. Creatively, she felt like she failed.
Pivoting Out of Things You Don’t Enjoy
Some decisions are easy when it comes to pivoting, while others do take time and consideration. Whether it’s due to a passion for the service, knowing you’re good at it, or maybe just not enjoying it anymore, you have to make decisions that serve you well.
For many of us, we end up working in roles and providing services that aren’t fulfilling to us anymore. Maybe it wasn’t always that way, but you’ve moved into it. Letting go is hard.
If you’re still clinging to those parts of you or your business, ask yourself: is it essential? What do you want for your life? Are the things you’re considering letting go of stealing those moments or things from you? If they are, it’s time to move beyond them and pivot into something new.
It’s hard to let go of things that you’re good at—but you’ve got this. Just because you’re great at something doesn’t mean you have to do that thing.
Pivoting to Make Room for More
Additionally, you may be loving what you’re doing, but overcommitting with too many focuses. For myself, Sarah had to tell me to remove photographer from my homepage. While photography will always hold a special place in my heart, I simply wasn’t focusing on it anymore and needed to define myself as the educator I wanted to be. An outside perspective, like Sarah, was the reason I finally did.
You can still be passionate about a service you once offered, even if you decide to pivot away from it.
You can’t always do all the things at once. You can be multi-passionate, but ask yourself those same questions again on if it’s servicing you. Not only that, ask if you have room to try something new.
Unpopular Opinion
We’re fans of pivoting over here, yet the industry as a whole tends to hesitate with those pivots. It’s okay to be ruthless about these decisions in pivoting or removing service offerings in your business. Get rid of what isn’t essential and focus on the things that will serve you best. This will make room for the bigger and better things.
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