It’s not that you hate your business—you might have just outgrown it. This week, I’m sharing a deeply honest conversation inspired by a Voxer message from one of my clients who realized that she no longer wants her current business to be her reality five years from now. If you’ve ever felt disconnected from your own work or unsure how to pivot, this episode is for you.
I walk you through the first three steps to take when you realize it’s time to make a shift, without throwing everything away or burning it all down. Whether you’re staring down a total reinvention or a subtle shift, this episode will help you ground your pivot with clarity and direction.
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Is It Time to Pivot Your Business?
Maybe you’ve had that same sinking feeling. You’ve poured years of energy, money, time, and effort into your business, only to wake up and realize that it’s no longer aligned with the life you want. The fear of pivoting is real because it feels risky, impractical, or even ridiculous to walk away from something you worked so hard to build.
But staying stuck in something you no longer love is the real risk.
If you’ve been feeling the nudge to pivot, here are the first three steps to take. These will help you bring structure and clarity to what can otherwise feel like chaos.
Step 1: Is This a Shift or a New Business?
This is the starting point for every pivot conversation I have with clients: Are you shifting within your current business or starting something brand new?
A shift might mean narrowing your services, targeting a new audience, or leaning more heavily into one offer. It’s a directional change without burning everything down.
A new business is a full 180. It means a new brand name, new audience, and a new model that doesn’t rely on your current client base or positioning.
Why this matters: If you don’t clarify this early, you’ll waste energy either overhauling what doesn’t need to be rebuilt or clinging to things that are no longer aligned. Knowing the size of your pivot determines your timeline, financial strategy, and even how you talk about the transition online.
Ask yourself:
- Will my current audience still be relevant?
- Do I need a new name, website, or branding?
- Can I reuse existing assets or am I starting fresh?
Step 2: Know Your Income Dependency
Now let’s get practical. You need to know how financially dependent your life is on this business.
This step is grounding. Pivoting brings up a lot of emotions—fear, excitement, self-doubt—and having objective numbers helps you make decisions that are based in reality, not reactivity.
Start by calculating:
- Your minimum monthly income required to support your life or family
- The current revenue from your business
- What you could temporarily shift or scale down as you transition
Why this matters: Every inquiry, booking, or email won’t feel like a crisis or compromise if you know what you actually need to sustain yourself during the pivot. Instead of reacting emotionally to every opportunity, you’ll be able to ask: Does this align with my transition strategy and does it help cover my minimum income needs?
Step 3: Get Support and Accountability
This is not the time to go it alone. The pivot process is an identity shift as much as a business one. You’re letting go of how people see you, how you’ve seen yourself, and possibly a business that once gave you purpose or pride. That’s a big emotional load to carry.
Surround yourself with people who can hold your new vision, even before it’s built. That could be a coach, mastermind, mentor, or even a peer who understands the messy middle of pivoting. You don’t want to spend your energy defending your decision to pivot to people who only see your old identity.
Remember: Most of the people in your life saw how hard you worked to build your current business. Their instinct will be to protect you from starting over. But you’re not starting from scratch, instead you’re starting from experience.
A client of mine transitioned from being a full-time wedding photographer to launching a high-end dog photography studio. Yep—dogs only! It took a new name, website, marketing strategy, and a lot of mindset work. Today, she’s fully booked and aligned with her values and lifestyle. That pivot didn’t happen overnight—it happened with support and strategy.
You’re Not Starting Over. You’re Starting Aligned.
Your desire to pivot isn’t a problem. It’s a sign of growth. The only question is: will you honor it?
If you’re standing in that messy middle, unsure whether to tweak, shift, or rebuild from the ground up, start with these three steps.
If you want guidance along the way, I’d love to support you through it. I’ve walked this road myself and coached so many creatives through successful, fulfilling pivots.
Find It Quickly
02:11 – Welcome to Pivoting School 101
04:28 – Step 1: Establishing the Nature of Your Pivot
05:50 – Step 2: Assessing Income Dependency
08:12 – Step 3: Seeking Support and Accountability
10:00 – Client Success Story: From Weddings to Dog Photography
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