Let’s talk about: changing directions in your business
Let’s talk about is a series dedicated to exploring the questions we all ask in business.
There are few things that I claim to be well versed on, but changing directions in your business is something I really know. I used to hide my cosmic shifts under the guise of “pivoting” and “realigning” but upon reflection and sans fear I was 100% changing directions, to head to a different planet, as it were.
Similar to evolving your brand, changing directions in business is one of those monumentally scary things that we know has to be done, and yet it doesn’t make it any easier to let go of all the work we’ve put in, brand awareness we’ve cultivated and clients and customers we’ve nurtured.
Because changing directions is much more than throwing in a new service or product. More than creating a new website or mixing up brand colours. More than expanding or refining your target audience and adjusting your messaging.
It’s, in my opinion, a few degrees away from starting a new business altogether.
And truthfully, that’s not such a crazy idea. I know plenty of entrepreneurs who have shut down old Instagram pages and websites to start fresh, even though their new business wasn’t that different to the old one. I also know plenty who have asked their audience to evolve with them, and gracefully given them the opportunity to tune out if their new work doesn’t connect.
There’s no right or wrong way to approach changing directions in your business, but it is a conversation that needs to be had more.
I remember when I first had the pull to start coaching. Logically it made very little sense. I was bringing in consistent work as a copywriter and I had naturally built up brand awareness as an expert in the field. I would often have writers dropping into my DMs asking how I got started, and if I could offer advice on going freelance.
I was coaching in DMs for free for months and yet it took me the best part of a year to actually follow the call and help people beyond writing for them (a story for another day). When I did finally decide to call myself an empowerment coach (still not entirely sure what that means) I chose to stick with my current branding (which was really because I had just received my new logo from Jasmine Dowling and loved it too much to give it up).
The decision was not strategic ~ in fact, it could easy have been seen as irrational ~ but I knew in my gut that it was time for my business to evolve.
In my experience, the change of directions began like a light breeze, so soft and elusive that I almost missed it, and over time the pull became stronger and my inner guidance became louder: the tornado roared “it’s time to move on”.
Whether I approached the situation in the best way is up for debate, but it’s in the past and all I ~ and you ~ can do is learn from our experiences and take that knowledge with us as we have new ones.
The second change was into a creativity coach. That shift was a little less dramatic because I was technically niching down and following what truly lit me up.
I had a lot of fear around not being taken seriously and people valuing my work, and because of that fear I kept myself small and danced around my offers for a long time. Yes, I was following ideas and creating new things, but I didn’t really believe in myself or what I did. I backed it to a degree, but subconsciously there was a lot of negative self talk and comparing that slowed my evolution.
Now I call myself a mentor, because it feels more aligned with what I do. I’ve finally invested in ongoing healing which means I’m building up my total self belief, and especially in the past few months I’ve noticed a real shift in how I move through the world (my social media break can probably get some credit too).
I love how I set out to write about changing directions in business and ended up commenting on my mindset and intuition throughout the journey ~ it just goes to show how the two are always interlinked.
If we’re not actively connecting to self, exploring our creative essence and nurturing our bodies, then our decisions will be clouded and our desires a distant dream.
Of course it’s possible to be feeling completely out of whack and disconnected and foggy and still change directions in your business, but there’s a good chance that that move will be made from a place of not self or misalignment. It can happen, but how long will it last? Will it actually feel good?
I hope that by reading an overview of my story you’ll now have something to loosely compare your experience to ~ and by that I mean, have a version of a blueprint that someone used in the past. That doesn’t mean your experience will line up with mine, or even look remotely similar. You absolutely do not have to follow in my footsteps or panic that in another year a big change will come and you’ll have to start all over again. Nope.
Instead ~ now that you’ve heard how it was for me, you can check in and be aware of when it might happen for you. I say might because for all I know you’re rock solid in your business and will only ever need to make slight adjustments here and there.
I am hesitant to offer blanket advice for this one, because it’s such a deeply personal experience that is intrinsically linked to you, and where you’re at in life and what your values are and how your desires are taking shape.
If you are feeling disconnected and unmotivated and like you’re dragging in your business, then these prompts might be able to shed some light on the situation and offer clarity on your next move:
How do I feel when I think about my business?
Do I actually enjoy showing up and creating / serving everyday?
What aspects of my business do I love?
What aspects of my business drag me down?
If I was doing my soul work, what would that look and feel like?
Is there space for change within, or does it feel better to start again?
If it’s time to start again, what timeline am I looking at?
When I take some time away, do I come back excited or dreading?
What fears are coming up for me around this process?
What’s three immediate actions I can take to course correct?
As always, I am here to support you in a deeper and ongoing format. My 1:1 sessions are the perfect place to dive into this, and together we can uncover your next move and shed the shoulds to make space for your desires.
For those wanting to expand in a community format, Build Your Creative Business is open for enrolments and caters to an intimate group of creatives for six weeks.
Whether we work together or not, know that I’m here and have total belief in you. Whatever you decide is going to be the right move. Listen to your body, the subtle messages and pulls. It knows more than you give it credit for.
With love and art,
Viv
Creative Mentor & Artist