10 // Creative Business Inconsistency: You’re Not Failing - the Market is Shifting

Speaker A: If you've caught yourself thinking maybe my business just isn't working anymore, then this episode is for you. I keep hearing versions of that same thought from makers, artists, designers, pattern designers, product based business owners, and creative entrepreneurs. The details are different, but the feeling underneath is often the same. Things feel slower than they used to. Before we turn that into a story about failure, I think we need to zoom out and have a much bigger conversation. Welcome to the Creative Business Boss, the podcast for creatives who are done guessing their way through business growth and want their business to feel more sustainable, strategic and aligned. I'm on MacDonald, Quilt author and creative business strategist and each week we talk about messaging, marketing, visibility, offers, and the real behind the scenes work of building sustainable momentum as a creative entrepreneur. Because creativity alone isn't enough. Structure changes everything. So if you're ready for more clarity, consistency and growth, you're in the right place. Let's get into it. Hey friend, welcome back to the Creative Business Boss. I'm Aud MacDonald, and if you're new here, I'm so glad that you found this episode because today we're talking about something that I think a lot of creative entrepreneurs are quietly carrying around lately. I can't seem to have a conversation with another maker or creative business owner without this topic coming up. It doesn't seem to matter whether they're a quilter, a pattern designer, someone selling handmade products, or an artist or another product based business owner. Eventually the conversation circles back to the same thing. Things just feel slower and not in a dramatic my business is over kind of way more in that nagging, frustrating way where sales take longer to come in, launches don't seem to have the same momentum, Instagram doesn't behave the way it used to, and growth feels like it's asking for a whole lot more patience than it did a few years ago. The part that concerns me isn't even that things feel slower. It's what so many of us do with that information. We immediately start making it personal. We wonder if we've lost our touch. We we question our products, our pricing, our messaging, our content. And before long we're convincing ourselves that if things don't look the way that they used to, then we must be doing something wrong. And I've caught myself doing it too, a number of times. So today I want to zoom out for a minute before we jump into that conclusion. Because what if the market really has changed? What if buyers are behaving differently than they were three or four years ago? What if strategies that worked beautifully in one season aren't producing the same results today. And not because they were bad strategies, but because the environment around us has evolved. And what if the slowdown you're experiencing isn't automatically proof that your business is broken? Personally, I don't think you're imagining it. I don't think you're being dramatic, and I definitely don't think you're the only one feeling this way. So today we're going to unpack what's actually happening, why so many creative business owners seem to be experiencing the same thing, why we so often blame ourselves first, and what I think is a much healthier way to respond when business feels different than it used to. Because if there's one belief I'd love to for you to leave with today, it's this. Maybe it isn't all you. Maybe the market has shifted, and maybe recognizing that changes the questions we ask ourselves moving forward. So grab your coffee, your quilting project, your cutting mat, knitting needles, your sketchbook, whatever creative project is keeping your hands busy today. And let's get into it. Over the last year, and especially over the last several months, I've started noticing a pattern that I just couldn't ignore anymore. It wasn't just one person saying business felt different. It wasn't one industry struggling while another one thrived. I kept hearing versions of the same conversation from people running completely different businesses. And eventually I realized this probably wasn't an individual problem anymore. Whether I was talking with a quilter, a pattern designer, a tattoo artist, someone selling handmade products, or another creative entrepreneur, they all describe the same feeling in different words. Business wasn't impossible. People hadn't stopped buying altogether, and nobody was telling me their dreams were over. But they were all saying things just feel slower. And the more I heard that, the more I found myself asking whether we were looking in the wrong place for answers. Because when enough smart, capable, experienced business owners all start describing the same experience, maybe the first question shouldn't be what's wrong with me? Maybe the better question is what's changed around us? And I think that's the conversation we need to be having now before anyone hears this and thinks I'm about to blame everything on the economy or tell you that creative businesses are doomed. That's not where I'm going at all. People are still buying beautiful quilts. They're still buying sewing patterns, art, handmade products, courses, books, all kinds of creative work. Creative businesses are still growing every single day. But I do think the conditions we're growing in are different than they used to be. And pretending they, they're exactly the same doesn't really serve us. I think a lot of us are still measuring today's results against expectations. We formed during a very different period of online business. Just think back a few years. Instagram was rewarding creators a lot differently. Reels were reaching people organically in ways they just simply don't Today. A single post could introduce your work to thousands of new people. And many businesses experienced a level of visibility that felt exciting, and if we're being honest here, a little easier than it does now. That doesn't mean building a business was easy back then. We were still working hard, we were still learning, creating, marketing, and showing up consistently. But the same amount of effort often produced a, uh, different result. And since then, um, platforms have evolved, buyer behavior has evolved, and the way people interact with content has evolved too. And in rising living costs, changing priorities, and the fact that people are thinking much more carefully about how and where they spend their money. And it's no surprise that in many creative businesses are experiencing a different pace than they once did. And the problem is that most of us don't stop there. Instead of recognizing that the environment has changed, we immediately assume we've somehow become worse at business. And I think that's where we get ourselves into trouble. Okay, so I don't know if this is true for everyone, but I certainly do know it's true for me. And, um, I have a feeling, I think a lot of you will relate to. When something in my business feels off, My first instinct isn't usually to look at what's happening around me. My first instinct is to look inward. And I start asking myself, what should I have done differently? Did I miss something? Could I have marketed it better? Have I somehow, um, outgrown grown? What I'm doing is my alignment off my messaging, what's happening. And it's amazing how quickly our brains can build a case against ourselves. And I think that's because most creative entrepreneurs are incredibly responsible people and we really care deeply about our work. We genuinely want to serve people well, and we're used to solving a lot of different problems. So when something doesn't go the way that we hoped, our natural response is to assume that it's something that we need to fix. And sometimes, yes, that is true, but not always. One of the biggest lessons I've had to learn in the last year came from launching my book, Retro Quilts. When that book was getting ready to come out, I was not treating it like just any Other product launch. This was a dream project. I wanted to give it every opportunity to succeed. So I hired someone to help me create these really cool and awesome Instagram reels. I planned an in person book launch and I hosted two virtual launch parties. I organized giveaways, and I talked about it for months. And I opened pre orders well in advance. And from my perspective, I had done everything I knew how to do. And then almost overnight, things shifted big time. Tariffs suddenly became part of the conversation. And here in Canada, we were dealing with a postal strike. And these are things that I could not have predicted when I mapped out my launch. And they certainly weren't things that I could control. They affected shipping, they affected buying decisions, and they affected people's confidence about ordering. And I will admit it was disappointing. And not because I'm not proud of my book. I was, and I still am. But because when you've poured that much of yourself into something, it's very easy to look at slower sales and decide that you simply didn't do enough. And I remember thinking, maybe I should have marketed it differently. And then it became maybe I should have started promoting it earlier. And before long, my brain was doing what I think so many of us do, turning an external circumstance into a personal failure. The interesting thing is that time gave me a completely different perspective. Those launch numbers weren't the whole story. That same book is now helping me book speaking engagements with quilt guilds, both in person and online. And when I do a trunk show, I can bring books with me and sell them directly, which is a completely different experience than trying to navigate shipping and, um, postal delays. The book continues to create opportunities I couldn't even see see during the launch week. If I had judged the entire success of that project by those first few months, I would have reached the wrong conclusion. The story simply wasn't just finished yet. And I think that's something we forget in business. We're often trying to decide how the whole story ends while we're still standing somewhere in the middle of it. A, uh, slower launch doesn't necessarily mean the product won't become one of your greatest assets. A quiet month doesn't automatically mean that your business is in trouble. And, um, one season, even one difficult season, isn't enough information to decide whether you're succeeding or failing. When we're living through it, though, that's incredibly hard to remember because our brains love certainty. And, uh, when we don't have the answers, we'll often make them up. If sales are slower, it must be me or if people aren't buying right away my offer or product, it's probably just not good enough. If engagement is down, I must be doing something, something wrong. Does this sound familiar? It feels true because it does sound familiar. But they're also incredibly unfair stories. Sometimes the truth is just much simpler. Sometimes people are taking longer to decide. Sometimes they're watching for months before they, they buy. Sometimes they're judging rising costs at home and, um, being more intentional about every purchase that they make. And none of these things diminish the value of what you've created. It just changes the timeline. And I think there's real freedom in recognizing that distinction because it allows us to respond thoughtfully and instead of react emotionally, instead of tearing apart our business every time something feels different, we can pause long enough to ask a better question. What information is this season giving me? And that's a very different question than what's wrong with me? One invites curiosity, and the other invites shame. As creative entrepreneurs, I think we need a little bit more curiosity and a whole lot less shame. Once we've stopped assuming that every slower season is a sign that our business is broken, the next question becomes, okay, now what? Because I don't want this episode to leave you thinking, well, I guess everything is out of my control, because that's not the point at all. The point is that when we understand what's actually happening, we can respond instead of react. And there's a big difference between making a thoughtful decision and making panicked ones. And I think many of us have experienced what it's like to make big business decisions from a place of fear. I know. I've been there, too. It's so tempting to overhaul your entire website because sales are slow. It's tempting to create a brand new offer or product because your last launch just didn't go the way you hoped. And it's tempting to scrap your messaging, change your niche, jump onto the latest marketing trend, or convince yourself that you need to start completely over. Sometimes those changes are exactly what's needed, but sometimes they're simply a reaction to discomfort. And those are two very different things. I've learned that when business feels uncertain, my first job isn't to make dramatic changes. My first job is to get curious. And I'll start asking, what's actually happening? What do I know for sure? What assumptions am I making? What evidence do I have of this? And those questions usually lead me to much better decisions than everything feels hard, so I must need to burn it all down. I know you've been there at some point too, friend. One of the things I appreciate about slower seasons, and I know this isn't always easy to appreciate while you're living through them, is that they often give us something busy seasons don't. And that's space. When we're in the middle of constant orders, constant launches, deadlines, we're usually just trying to keep up, and there's very little time to step back and ask when whether our business is actually supporting us the way we'd like it to. And a quieter season creates room for that kind of thinking. Maybe this is the season where you finally clean up the back end of your business instead of pretending you'll get to it when things slow down. Well, maybe this is the slower season for that. Maybe it's the time to organize your files, simplify your offers, update your website, review your pricing, build an email sequence that you've been putting off, or finally create systems that make running your business feel less overwhelming. Those things don't always feel exciting, because nobody posts on Instagram about finally organizing their Google Drive. But those are often the things that make the biggest difference six months from now. I've become more and more convinced that creative businesses don't just grow because we market well. They grow because we build the foundations that can support the growth when it comes. That's actually one of the reasons why I created my free guide, the Tech Stack for Creatives who are Ready for Structure. I realized that so many creative entrepreneurs weren't struggling because they needed another social media strategy. They're struggling because everything behind the scenes felt scattered. Their files lived in five different places, their systems had grown organically over the years, and every new tool they added solved one problem while creating another. If that sounds familiar, I'd encourage you to download it, and it's completely free. And I'll leave the link in the show notes, because structure isn't the most glamorous part of running a, uh, creative business, but it does give us something incredibly valuable. It gives us confidence when we know where things live, when our systems make sense, and when our business isn't held together with sticky notes and good intentions. We have so much more mental energy available for the creative work that we actually love. And maybe that's the opportunity hidden inside seasons like this. Not to panic, not to assume that we've failed, but to ask ourselves, if things are naturally a little quieter right now, how can I use this season to build a stronger business for the next one? And I think that's much more empowering of a question than asking whether we've somehow fallen behind because here's what I know about us, uh, creative entrepreneurs. We're adaptable. We've always been adaptable. Whether it's learning a new quilting technique or figuring out how to sell online, navigating social media, or pivoting when life throws us a curveball, we have a long history of learning as we go, and it is definitely one of our biggest and greatest strengths. The businesses that last aren't the ones that never experience change. They are the ones that keep adapting without losing sight of who they are. And I think that's exactly what this season is in inviting many of us to do so. Friend, if there is one thing I hope you take away from today's episode, it's this. Don't be so quick to make a permanent decision based on a temporary season. Creative businesses have always had seasons. Some are exciting and full of momentum, while others feel slower and ask something different of us. The mistake we make is assuming that slower season automatically means that we failed, when in reality it may simply be asking us to approach our business differently than we have before. I know that's easier said than done when you've put your heart into your work. Slower sales or quieter launches can feel deeply personal because we don't just sell products. We sell things we've imagined and designed and stitched and painted or, uh, written with our own hands. And of course, it's emotional when the response isn't what we've hoped for. But emotion doesn't always tell the whole story. Sometimes what feels like rejection is simply hesitation. Sometimes what feels like failure is actually a shift in timing. And sometimes the opportunities we're hoping for are still unfolding long after we've decided something didn't work. My book reminded me of that. If I had only looked at those first few months, I could have convinced myself that all of that effort had not been worth it. But instead, the same project continues to open doors in ways that I've never expected. It just didn't happen on the timeline that I had imagined. I wonder how many things in our own businesses deserve a little bit more time before we decide what they mean. So if you're in one of these slower seasons right now, I'd encourage you not to spend all of your energy asking what's wrong with me? But instead try asking yourself a different question. What is this season trying to teach me? Maybe it's showing you where your systems need attention. Maybe it's giving you the breathing room you finally need to build the foundation you've been too busy to create. Maybe it's reminding you that relationships take longer to build than algorithms would have us believe. Or maybe it's simply asking you to trust that not every worthwhile things happen as quickly as we'd like. Whatever the lesson is, I hope you'll give yourself the grace to stay curious before you rush to judgment. Because one slow month doesn't define your business. One disappointing launch, it doesn't define your business. One season doesn't define your business. The businesses that last aren't built because everything goes according to plan. They're built because the people behind them keep showing up, keep learning, and keep adapting without losing sight of why they started it in the first place. And, uh, I have a feeling that's exactly the kind of creative entrepreneur that you are. And if you're looking for one practical thing that you can do this week, don't forget to grab my free guide. The Tech Stack for Creatives who Are Ready for Structure is designed to help you simplify the behind the scenes side of your business so you can spend less time feeling scattered and more time creating. You'll find the link in the show notes. Thanks for spending part of your day with me, and until next time, keep creative and stay clear. Thanks so much for listening to the Creative Business Boss. If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to follow the podcast and leave a rating or review. It genuinely helps the show reach more creatives who need this kind of support. And if you're ready to go deeper, you'll find resources, tools and ways to work with me over@therealquilter.com until next time, keep creative, stay clear, and I'll see you in the next episode. This podcast is produced, mixed and edited by Cardinal Studio. For more information about how to start your own podcast, please visit www.cardinalstudio.co or email mike@um mikeardinalstudio m.co. you can also find the details in the show Notes.