Reinvention isn’t just inevitable—it’s essential. If you’re a creative entrepreneur, you know the drill: what once felt like a perfect fit can suddenly feel like “itchy pants.” (Been there, done that, got the rash.)
In the final episode of Creative Freedom Season 8, I’m sharing 9 clear signs you’ve outgrown your brand—and how to embrace the next phase of your journey, even if it feels scary as hell.
If any of the topics hit home, you’re not alone. I’m right there with you—navigating my own messy, magical reinvention. You’ll hear more about that, too!
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Theme music: “Big Time” by Ikoliks, licensed from Artlist.io
In a world full of noise, your story is what sets you apart. As a solopreneur, you don’t need a massive marketing budget—you need a brand story that’s real, relatable, and rooted in your unique journey.
In this episode of Creative Freedom, we’ll explore why stories are the heartbeat of your brand, how your personal journey forms the foundation, and why shared values create deeper connections with your audience.
We also include a guide of 16 different stories you can start telling today to build that all-powerful “Know, Like and Trust factor” with your audience.
Your brand story is actually MULTIPLE stories. When you weave them together, you create a narrative that captivates, connects, and inspires action.
Ready to make your mark? Tune in to Season 8, Episode 9 of the Creative Freedom Show and discover how to craft a brand story that’s as unforgettable as you are.
Download Season 8 Episode 9 | iTunes | Spotify
In this episode, we are talking about:
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Theme music: “Big Time” by Ikoliks, Artlist.io
Ever roll your eyes at the phrase “personal branding”?
You’re not alone. For multi-passionate creatives like us, it can feel like trying to fit a rainbow into a single crayon box. But here’s the thing: your unique blend of passions is exactly what sets you apart.
Here’s the thing: your personal brand isn’t about creating a flawless facade. It’s about embracing who you are—warts, sparkles, and all—and sharing that with the world in a way that resonates with your Raving Fans.
Brands that last aren’t the slickest or the loudest—they’re the ones that keep showing up, being recognizably themselves. That’s how you build trust, loyalty, and a community of Raving Fans.
Check out the full episode and grab your free branding guide in our Rising Tide community.
You know you want to!
Download Season 8 Episode 8 | iTunes | Spotify
In this episode, we are talking about:
Rising Tide community members can login and access your free downloads here.
Not a member yet? It's free! When you register for the Rising Tide, you also get email updates, the FREE learning library, and access to episode transcripts, worksheets, and more!
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Theme music: “Big Time” by Ikoliks, Artlist.io
Whether you are established and looking to grow your business, or you are just starting to think about the future of your company, your market matters.
Regardless of your industry, your market needs to be big enough to support the health and wellbeing of your company. The larger your company, the larger your market needs to be (because you'll need more money to pay those bills!). Sometimes that means you'll need to broaden your audience and serve a different "slice of a slice" in order to get that market coverage. Apple started as a computer company and has diversified over the years into music and media to serve a larger market. You may not be the next Apple, but it might be time to broaden your market reach. If so, read on!
If you are keen to find a broader market for your business, here are a few ways to reach more people:
Widen Your Niche
I know. Business coaches like me tell you to "niche down" and focus on one thing (or one collection of things). That's to help you gain momentum and traction in a market. When you're clear on who you serve, it's easier to create marketing that resonates. But once you're established, or if you truly do have a wider market potential, it makes sense to open things up a bit and serve more people.
Here's a pretty basic example: I taught direct sellers for years. That was my niche. But folks that weren't direct sellers kept showing up to my training and, eventually, I had a throng of non-direct sales business owners that made up an entirely new market for me. Over time, I shifted almost completely away from direct sales-specific training, and had a wider focus on entrepreneurship for creative entrepreneurs. And even now, I'm shifting my focus again to micro business owners who know they want to be the celebrity in their niche. It's a wider audience than just creative entrepreneurs, even though it's a much more focused area of support.
Start to explore the sub-realms within or alongside your niche. Leverage the audience you already have, if possible. If you're a photographer, for example, maybe instead of doing just weddings, you'll also do boudoir. You're widening your offerings to attract a slightly different audience, but an audience that probably overlaps at least a little with the folks you already serve.
Bring In More (Web) Traffic
Whether you've got a brick and mortar location or you're solely online, having more of the right people coming through your "doors" means the potential for increased sales and repeat buyers.
Physical locations make a difference (location, location, location!), but so do the ways you invite people to those locations. What kind of attraction marketing are you doing? Are you partnering with nearby shops to capitalize on traffic already in the area? There are a variety of ways to bring more bodies into your establishment. What are you currently doing and what needs to change? Hiring a marketing agency or a business coach can help (ahem. hint hint, nudge, nudge!).
In the online world, you may want to use a professional SEO agency like Big Surf Digital to help you to bring in more web traffic. You can also do your own bit towards increasing traffic - including creating compelling content that is going to draw people in.
With more web traffic comes a broader audience and greater opportunities for sales, so this is something that you will certainly find useful to focus on.
Partner Up
Sometimes, a very effective way for a business to broaden its market share is to actually partner up with another company. It goes without saying that this other company won’t be a direct competitor, but one that is working in a similar kind of area of work, and in such a way that you should be able to work together towards similar goals. Think: a tax accountant who has a referral relationship with a financial advisor. With the best partnerships, you end up in a situation where you are going to both benefit much more compared to being alone.
Be choosy about your partners and who they are, but it’s the kind of thing that can help grow a business more quickly because you're leveraging the power of the networks of TWO businesses, instead of one!
Sell A New Product
Like the Apple example above, sometimes it’s as simple as just trying to sell a new product and seeing how that fares. Don't spread yourself too thin - that's the issue that often happens when someone tries to sell a bunch of different offers right out of the gate in a new business! Instead, think of another offer you might sell that's a logical "next step" for your existing audience and start putting it out there. You might find that this is enough to start things growing again.
Photo credit: Unsplash
Looking for better ways to manage your business and keep things under control?
Easier said than done! You need to identify the best ways to make your business more manageable - and it's different for every business. But here are five tips to prime the pump.
Sometimes you have to design things yourself. That makes sense if you're a small business and you're floating a first-time idea into the world. No need to plunk down a ton of cash on a design you're going to change later anyway. In fact, my designer, Tracy, has a quick and easy e-course to help you get your logo looking awesome for less if you're still in DIY mode. But for your core brand pieces, designing yourself, is often time-consuming and ineffectual. You want brand materials that will benefit your business. Even having a designer build business templates for you can help improve how you run your business. You'll have a brand-standard way of getting your message out without spending too long developing them yourself.
As your business grows, you'll hire more people to handle the workload. But you won't do well hiring any old warm body off the street. You may need to design a hiring process that ensures you hire the best candidates every time. They should understand what you want for your business and be ready to offer as much as possible to help it achieve and exceed its goals.
There are some issues you may not be able to handle in-house, especially as your customer base grows and you experience more demand. Rather than risk falling behind your competition, leave it to agencies to automate and operate your marketing needs. You can work with an email marketing platform to maximize reach and exposure to maintain customers and obtain new ones. Additionally, working with outsourcing companies for written content and other essentials will enable you to focus on parts of your business that require more attention.
Toxic company cultures can severely impact how productive your team is. Although you hope everyone will be professional enough to put differences aside for projects, this is not always the case. Therefore, encouraging a positive company culture and fixing any issues between your employees is vital. You need to be on the ball with what’s happening within your office and create an environment where people will happily voice their concerns without fear of reproach. The more communicative your office is, the easier it will be to keep everyone on the same page.
Finally, all entrepreneurs must learn to control their budget by setting goals and tracking expenses to ensure they can improve overall management. While you can’t be too stringent with costs, you shouldn’t overspend, as this can put your company in a precarious position. As long as you make the best investments in equipment, people, and marketing, your company will thrive as expected.
You can always find better ways to manage your business and ensure things run smoothly. Focusing on these critical areas will make everything else much easier, which puts your business in a better position to achieve its goals and achieve success.
Whether you're a new business or you've been around a while, achieving some level of established growth is an important ultimate goal for most companies. To get there, however, you need adequate research, proven strategies, and targeted actions to produce results. You must connect deeply with your audience and seek to understand and fulfill their needs - in ways that only you can. Ways that make you the obvious choice for what you offer. Since competition is rampant in every industry, it is important to stand out fiercely and ensure you capture the attention of your market. Here are some effective techniques to achieve success.
Affiliate marketing has been popular for some time, as it is an effective marketing strategy for growing your business. It has introduced a new way of promoting your products and services digitally. To put it simply, it involves collaboration between you and other businesses to advertise your merchandise in exchange for a commission whenever there is a sale or lead. One of its main advantages is that you don’t have to spend a lot of money as opposed to traditional marketing techniques like advertisement campaigns. This is because it is a performance-based model which allows you to only pay when there is an actual lead or sale.
Although blogs provide valuable information, they also help businesses stand out as an authority in their industries. If you have a website, adding a blog to your website can help you drive traffic, build your brand and showcase your expertise. Consider sites like sofiaseo.com to hire SEO experts who will employ the right keywords to attract your target market.
But... SEO tools are only part of the picture. Curate quality and useful content that can educate, inform, and attract your consumers. Because if it ain't quality, people ain't payin' attention!
Branding lets the world see your business personality. Brand is more than a logo or marketing slogan, it's the stories, perceptions, and ways your company influences emotions. How your audience views your business is important! Personality matters! Can a customer decipher who you are and what you represent through your brand materials? Do you hav a consistent "look and feel" in all your marketing across all your platforms? If not, you may need to hire help. I lean on Tracy Lay at Digivisual Design for all my branding help. Don't be afraid to change your brand strategy when needed. I've gone through multiple iterations over the years because I have changed. The same may go for you, too.
It is vital to get into the space of marketing through high-quality content that grasps the attention of your market and provides valuable information. Video marketing has become an innovative way to tell consumers about products and services through storytelling. For instance, if you sell makeup products, you can tell a tale of how applying your products have helped women feel beautiful and gain confidence in their looks. This will appeal to people who want to get a confidence boost and encourage them to buy from you. Ensure you invest in a good camera and brainstorm on creative advertising campaigns so you can stand out.
Word-of-mouth is one of the most powerful techniques that can increase your profit and elevate your company. First, you will need to provide top-notch goods and services as well as great customer service to your pre-existing consumers. Doing this will motivate them to tell others about your business and build your clientele. You can also offer incentives like discounts, freebies, or start referral programs that urge repeat consumers to refer your business for rewards. Apart from being effective, referrals can help you save money and expose your company to new opportunities and markets.
Growing a business requires a collection of strategies and practices. With these types of marketing techniques, you can propel your company to great success.
Image Credit: Nastuh Abootalebi from Unsplash.
Business security is an area every company needs to look after. While every entrepreneur already knows this, many don’t put enough time and effort into it. They’ll often just do the basics, which mightn’t be enough.
You’ll want to make sure your business is properly protected, after all. Once you do, you can potentially see benefits like:
And... it doesn’t need to be nearly as overwhelming as you think. Instead, it’s a matter of being practical about it.
Every company has its risks, with some of these being relatively obvious. Others wouldn’t be, however. Instead, they can be easy to overlook, despite how much they can threaten your business. You’ll need to know about these from as early as possible to keep your business safe.
Perform a risk assessment to figure all of this out. Not only does this tell you what risks you’re likely to come up across, but how likely you are to run into them. With this in hand, you’re in a much better position to figure out how to mitigate and overcome them.
Thieves and other malicious actors always scan for places that look unprotected. If a building looks dark, especially at night time, then they see it as more of an opportunity. Don’t let that happen with your business. Put up external lights, and these can act as a deterrent for potential thieves.
Even ones equipped with motion-detection can be a great help. You’ll be less likely to have any robberies or other circumstances during the night. It’ll even keep your employees safer if they have to leave the premises during the later hours. You’ve no reason not to put the effort into it.
You’ll bring in quite a bit of data as your company operates. A lot of this could be vital to operations, so it’s worth protecting it at all costs. Making sure your systems can’t get hacked is a great start with this, but it’s often worth doing more than that.
Systems could come down at various points, risking your data. There are tools, like Office 365 DLP by Spin AI and other sites, that can help make that one less thing to worry about. While you’ll still have to put time and effort into securing things on the front end, you’ll be in a much better position going forward.
You’ll already know you’ll need some basic protection when you’re trying to improve your business security. One of the first things you should do in your physical space is set up appropriate alarms and camera surveillance. Even in a home office, they can act as a deterrent for any thieves that try to break in. Then, if anything does happen, you’ll have footage of it, and the authorities should be immediately notified.
If your business premises has a car park, then make sure you don’t overlook its security. The external lights mentioned above can be a great help with this. They’re far from the only things you’ll need to consider when you’re looking after it, though. You could implement a few other measures.
Ideally, you’ll want to keep unwanted intruders out. Parking barriers, gates, and similar options can all help with this. With employee badges, you can make sure only the people supposed to park in the car park can. It’ll improve your business security quite a bit, making it worth the investment.
You’ll always need to keep your company as safe as possible. For many people that seems complicated, and they’ll often just do the basics and leave it at that. Don’t settle for that. Improve your business security as much as you can, and you shouldn’t have anything to worry about.
The benefits of putting the work in outweighs the time and effort it’ll take. You could even end up saving money because of it. You’ve no reason not to put some time and effort into making your company as safe as possible.
Credit: Pexels
Accidental entrepreneurship is more common than you might believe. So often, the creative entrepreneurs I talk with started their business out of a desire to move away from something else, and only after they'd seen some success "selling their stuff"... whether it was profitable or not.
Whether you want to create a clothing brand, become the next music sensation, or open a therapy school, in order to have a profitable, sustainable business doing what you love, you need to know how to build the business - in ways that work for how you're uniquely wired to work, as well as ways that work for your best customers. Most of the time those things are pretty similar, but not always identical.
Using this guide, you can understand the best ways to make your own business a hit.
So many creative entrepreneurs start businesses with little business knowledge, then they wonder why they are experiencing all kinds of issues. Trying to go it alone is a one-way ticket to stress, frustration, and a lot of trial and error.
One of the places I see most creatives trip up is worrying about the type of business to form. LLC? S-Corp? C-Corp? Sole proprietor? Non Profit?
While on some levels, this isn't nearly as important as, say, figuring out who your best buying audience is, it's still not something you want to try to do on your own. Even setting up a sole proprietorship, while easy, comes with risks that you should understand before committing to that type of business.
And if you want to start a non-profit here in the U.S., knowing how to start a 501(c)(3) is key if you want to avoid obstacles. Without the right support, you'll likely have a bundle of problems come tax time.
Don't be afraid to get piecemeal help if your budget doesn't allow you to keep professionals on retainer. Have an attorney review a contract, or hire an accountant or tax pro for an hour to explain the differences in start-up types. Arm yourself with enough clarity to help you make more confident business decisions.
To grow your business, new may be better, but WILD can be the best way to go. Out of the box approaches and innovators in the market face some uphill struggles in the beginning - Walt Disney built his playground in a swamp, for pity's sake! But once the idea takes hold, you'll be miles ahead of what any competitor could do to play catch up.
Being an entrepreneur requires a willingness to take risks anyway, so why not go after what you REALLY want to be doing? Your quirky thought could turn into something big and wonderful. You might manage to build an incredible business from a "silly", yet effective, idea! Be that brave person and start doing what feels right. Honor what you feel called to do with this one precious life of yours!
Some folks can create massive empires from a humble kitchen table start. But wherever you start, it needs to be a place that empowers you. Having a comfortable and functional workspace will help you stay focused. Filling that space with inspiration, motivation, and encouragement will keep you going even when things get hard - and they WILL get hard! That's business!
Your environment at home, at work, and even the folks you associate with all matter. Jim Rohn once said you're the average of the 5 people you hang around most. I don't entirely agree with that notion, but I do believe that you're a product of whatever nourishes you. If you're feeding your mind, body, and spirit things that empower, energize, and lift you up, you'll be farther ahead than folks who are stuck in demotivating and uninspiring situations.
If it's not feeding you, it's not helping you. Nourish your mind and spirit as much as you can. Create a "sanctuary" for your work, and do everything in your power to keep that space sacred to sustain you.
Bootstrapping isn't a badge of honor. Trust me, I've lived that lifestyle and it's stressful. Being "self made" is a myth anyway. Yes, watch your pennies, and be mindful of what's coming in and going out. Debt is a tool that's more like a scalpel than a hammer: it can cut you if you're not careful or knowledgeable in its use.
Oprah once told Queen Latifah to "always sign the checks" - meaning, if you're putting your name on the checks, you'll always know where the money is going, and be able to spot things that are amiss before they become a problem. But minding your pennies is only half the equation.
Sometimes wonderful, miraculous things DO happen - and we need to be open and willing to receive them. Yeah. I know that sounds a bit woo-woo for my tastes, too, but it's true. You just never know when that next client will pop in, or a new offer will arrive - out of the blue - to provide the financial blessing you've been looking for. Like that first point - sometimes just getting the right help at the right moment can be a godsend!
It may seem obvious, but Fusion Creatives are notorious for trying to do everything themselves and save the world in the process. Asking for help is our growing edge. Chaotic Creatives are good at the "trust the process" part, but often struggle with the "sign the checks" part. And Linear Creatives have the opposite strength.
Everyone can use a little help from time to time. Be willing to ask for and receive it. Create an environment that allows you to thrive as a creative entrepreneur and put your wild ideas to the test. Then, keep your eyes on the finances, and trust the process. You're doing the hard work, you're sharing your brilliance with your right audience. It's only a matter of time before success is yours!
Image credit: Pexels
As a business owner, you probably don't want one-time customers. I mean, you probably won't turn them away, either! But, having loyal repeat buyers creates stability in your business. Plus, it helps you build your credibility and establish your reputation in the marketplace.
If you’re feeling a bit stuck when it comes to client retention and customer happiness, here are a few ideas to stimulate customer loyalty.
Visiting your clients in person and have a conversation with them as often as possible. Catch a plane, hop in your vehicle and travel around to meet with them individually and get to know them better. Be sure you're staying safe out there. You don't want to end up calling a lawyer or a tow truck after a fender bender on your road trip.
Another way to keep happy and loyal clients is to reward and thank them often. A thank you will go a long way in helping you to make certain that your customers continue to choose to do business with you over the competition. There are many ways to reward your customers such as by offering special promotions or even sneak peeks of what products or services you may soon be rolling out before they go public. It may also help to acknowledge your customer’s birthdays and to send out a holiday card.
If you’re going to have a profitable and sustainable business then you must be a good problem solver. Make sure you train your customer service team and that they know how to handle a wide variety of matters that may arise. It’s important that you not only address these complaints but that you find suitable solutions in a timely manner too. You should avoid pushing issues aside for another day or hoping that they will just go away. You’ll have happier customers when you tackle matters head-on and can collect more positive online reviews for your business as well.
Of course, if you want your customers to want to return to your business, ensure all keep your equipment (and premises) well-maintained. That means anything your customers might interact with - websites, countertops, door handles... all of it! It's a detail often overlooked, especially when all that equipment is shiny and new. For example, if you're an ophthalmologist, maintenance means timely ophthalmic equipment repairs as well as basic computer updates. Prioritizing equipment maintenance demonstrates your commitment to delivering quality service or products, thus safeguarding your business's long-term success.
Your customers are eager to be heard and want to know they have a voice when it comes to how they’re feeling about your company and your products or services. Therefore, make it a point to be a good listener and give them the platform they need to let their thoughts, opinions, and insights be shared. Ask the tough questions and then lend an open ear so you can gather some tips as to what you can be doing better at your company going forward. Use this information you gather as a learning opportunity to fix what might be broken in your business. These are valuable tips and pointers from your customers that you can’t afford to overlook as a business owner.
If you're a freelancer, you probably understand the importance of having a strong online presence. Your website is central to being able to market your business and establish yourself as a successful freelancer. Indeed, a well-designed website serves many functions, including:
Here, this article will explore not the reasons why you need a website — we can safely assume that you already know them by heart and have probably discovered some new ones too — but the essential elements you need on your website. First of all, let’s tackle the obvious ones: You want a strong SEO-optimized presence as well as clear and obvious contact data.
We’ll jump straight to the lesser obvious aspects of a freelance business website, and why you need them for growth.
Professional-looking intro video
Video content has become increasingly popular due to its engaging nature and ability to convey information effectively. In fact, a video is more likely to engage your audience than a long text. That being said, you want to keep some crucial facts in mind:
A professional crafted video will help showcase your personality, skills, and passion for your work. It is also a great greeting for new visitors. Believe it or not, but there are plenty of inexpensive and high quality Ai video generators that can do the job for you.
Payment platform
Selling your services or products online has become a logical choice for freelancers. By integrating a payment platform into your website, such as the hosted payment form from PayTrace, you can streamline the process of receiving payments from your clients.
From a freelancing perspective, this not only saves you a lot of time and effort that you don’t spend preparing invoices and chasing payments, but it also offers a seamless and secure payment experience for your customers. This makes it easier for them to hire your services, or purchase your products, and for you to manage the transactional part of your relationship.
Newsletter sign-up button
Building a loyal audience and maintaining a strong connection with clients is vital for every business. The belief that only established companies can have a newsletter is wrong. For freelancers, the newsletter can be a fantastic tool that allows them to send exclusive content, keep the audience in the loop, and share latest offers and activities.
Even though newsletters may sound old-fashioned, they still help build loyalty and keep your customers in the loop. Therefore, adding a sign-up button on your website can help you build a group of potential leads. Regular (but not too regular) newsletters can nurture a loyal following, establish a sense of trust and credibility, and ultimately lead to repeat businesses and referrals.
As a freelancer, your website serves as a powerful marketing tool that can attract clients, establish your brand, and demonstrate your USP. As such, you want to seize the opportunities to make your website work harder for you with the tips shared above.