Pivoting? Here’s Why You’re Not Actually Starting Over

If you're at a crossroads in your business, wondering if changing direction means throwing away everything you've worked for, I want you to hear this. You are not starting over. You are stepping forward with everything you've learned, everything you've built, and everything that makes you uniquely equipped for what's next.

This is the entrepreneur school podcast, where we believe you can run a thriving business and still make your family a priority. This show is all about supporting you, the emerging or early stage Entrepreneur on your journey from solopreneur to CEO while wearing all of the other hats in your life. My name is Kelly Sinclair, and I'm a brand and marketing strategist who started a business with two kids under three. I'm a corporate PR girl turned entrepreneur after I learned the hard way that life is too short to waste doing things that burn you out on this show, you'll hear inspiring stories from other business owners on their journey and learn strategies to help you grow a profitable business while making it all fit into the life that you want. Welcome to entrepreneur school.

Have you ever felt like making a big shift in your business means erasing everything that you've built because I have and I know that I'm not alone. Now I typically don't share the challenging things that I'm going through while I'm in the middle of working through them, because I like to wait to make sure that I have some clarity and actionable takeaways to pass along. But right now, it actually feels right for me to share the messy middle, because they know that somebody else out there is feeling like they're spinning out trying to navigate a big shift or change or transition, and so if that is you know that you're not alone. And this episode is for you today. Here is what we are diving into. If you have ever worried that evolving your business means starting from scratch, I want to walk you through an experience that I'm currently going through, some of the mindset shifts that I am having to remind myself of on a daily basis, and just kind of share what it's like to make a big change. And of course, I've been in my business now for over seven years. So this is not the first big change that has happened, and big changes in the past have definitely looked like erasing my entire year plan from my whiteboard calendar, and we've made it through all of this.

So I just want to share, because they haven't actually shared on the podcast what I'm up to, and I'm not going to give it all away, because I want a little bit of mystery and surprise, and there'll be some exciting announcements coming in the next couple of months, but this is all very present right now, and it's very long Journey To be honest with you, but I am currently working on a partnership, a business partnership, so taking everything that I've built and blending it with somebody else and everything that they have built. And so there's lots and lots and lots of conversations and decisions and feelings and all of those things to walk through, including my own, as far as what it makes me feel like around what I've built to date, and I have to say that there's a lot of mind junk that is happening and that I have to work through on a regular basis. It in particular, the big one is like, if I go through with making a big change like this, will all of my hard work up to this point have been for nothing, but when I can step back and ask myself, like, what if this isn't the end of something, but actually the natural next step? It makes a really big shift, because progress is not a straight line, it is a series of pivots and adjustments and evolutions, and it's really a requirement as an entrepreneur to lean into that that is going to happen, right?

So let's give a few examples. Just I've had all of these examples, so you may be in one or many, or have had multiple of these as well, for you and your business, because evolution isn't about just burning everything down and starting fresh, which even though sometimes it can feel like that's what you're doing, but it's about growth and adaption, and there's some ways that this might show up for you. So it might be like letting go of an offer that you had to make space for something new. If you've been offering a service and you It no longer excites you, you pivot to something more aligned. Yeah, right. That is hard thing to do, especially if it was working well, but it all of a sudden it just doesn't feel right for you anymore. Or, you know, something changes about the way that you're delivering that, that you want, that you don't want to do it like that anymore. And that's okay, right? We grow. You can't start a business and expect it to be exactly the same from day one to year 15, right? No business is like that. No successful business that continues to grow with like that. Another example might be changing your niche or your ideal client. So if your passion or your expertise is pulling you in a new direction, that is not a failure, it's expansion. And honestly, as you get to know your clients more, you learn more about who they really are and who you're really well suited to support. And this is one of the areas that, for me, has been a challenge from day one, because you know everybody, like every course, every kind of business course or program that you take talks about identifying your ideal client and figuring out how to be as specific as possible about that kind of person. Are they a business owner? How long have they been a business owner? What kind of a business do they own? What are the other factors involved in their business? And I have just ignored that, to be honest, all of this time being like, Well, I've always said my audience is passionate entrepreneurs who are really, you know, impact driven and excited about what they do, and probably they're in a service of some kind, which might mean that they sell courses or coaching or online services or in person services, but that is honestly so broad, and it is One of the biggest if I reflect, I think it's one of the biggest challenges, or even like mistakes that I have made, to resist truly niching down. And maybe I'll do another episode I haven't done one in a long time about niching because I do believe in it, and I preach it as well. Because when it comes to visibility and communication, you need to know who you're talking to. You need to know who your audience is, so that you can align yourself with strategic partners who also support the same types of people, but maybe in different ways. That is really the key to understanding how to build relationships for growth and visibility. So I if I look at it, I'm kind of like calling myself out and saying I didn't do this very well, and I am leaning into in this new business venture that I am pursuing a new niche. So that's gonna mean some big shifts for the podcast coming forward. So keep an eye out for that. Yeah, that's that's all I'm gonna say about that in particular. But the other piece around evolution of your business and your brand might actually mean closing a business and starting something new. Right? Many successful entrepreneurs have, quote, retired one business only to launch another one with greater impact, and that is not failure, that is not quitting, that is just evolving into your own next chapter. And these are the kinds of things that you need to remember as you moved through that.

So a little bit on all of the different evolutions for me, for Kelly Sinclair, formerly known as ks communications, and then Kelly Sinclair, marketing strategist, and then ksCo. It's been a journey of starting as a solopreneur, focused primarily on consulting type work, because that's all I knew. And then I shifted into kind of a one to many business model, or was at least trying to have an element of my business that provided training and programs, because I really enjoy being able to support multiple people, and also the environment that comes from collaboration and connecting people together. So my solopreneur eventually expanded that into a team I had a full time graphic designer and web developer on my team. I had a VA we were kind of leaning into an agency model, even though I said I never wanted to do that. And then within a year, I undid that, because I really didn't want to do it in the first place. So then I went back to being a solopreneur, and I think I've probably spent the last two years kind of just trying to reduce, reduce, reduce, and, you know, function and figure out what be on a journey of figuring out what's next. And at, you know, like, the last two years I've shared with you in multiple episodes have been, well, a journey. Yeah.

So now moving into this partnership, which, again, I will share more about soon, it's an entirely new look and feel and structure and potential and has things to it that I never would have been able to bring to the table on my own, which I'm very excited about, but it ultimately each of these shifts has brought me towards where I am now, right? And guess what? I am bringing all of that experience with me. And so that's the thing to remember, is that everything that you've done, it all comes with you. It was all part of the plan. You kind of have to lean into that belief that everything happens for a reason, and that your path is your path for you. So let's jump into three key mindset shifts that help to embrace evolution, which I have to remind myself of. And so having this conversation with you is very helpful for me as well. The first one is that you're not starting over. You bring every experience with you. I don't know if you thought this way as well. When you first started your business, it was like, Oh, but I don't have any experience yet, but you're forgetting about all of the life and other career or whatever you were doing before your business experience. No, you didn't just reset like that. Didn't disappear when you started your business, it came with you, because everything that you've built and as your business evolves, that's your brand, your skills, your reputation, relationships, they don't just disappear because you're moving in a different direction. I actually met the person who I'm partnering with only a few months ago, and she hired me to help her with her marketing and her like launch strategy, and it's evolved from there. So it's really because I already had the reputation and the skill set to do what I was doing that's even led to this in the first place, right? So if you think about it, what are the skills and the connections and the assets that you're bringing into your next chapter? Just remember that those are with you, that they are coming along regardless of the way that your shift is going. The second mindset shift is that forward movement sometimes looks like a detour, but it's still progress. I was talking with somebody the other day about just like the general perception of what success means, and how we kind of think it always is just more and better, but really it's very circular, so it goes around in loops, and it kind of like builds up upon itself. If you ever feel like you're taking a step sideways instead of forward, that's okay. It's part of the process. The work that you've done is not wasted. It is the foundation for the next opportunity. If I hadn't built my brand in visibility, this new role that I'm taking, wouldn't have even been an option. And honestly, all of the local work, all of the contract work, consulting work, volunteer work, that I've done in the last several years has all led to this. It's like you couldn't have even planned it, honestly. And I certainly never saw it coming either, which is kind of an exciting surprise. And the third thing to remember is that evolution is a sign of growth and not failure. So this is a reframe, because changing direction is not quitting, it's leveling up. And this one is a really hard one for me, because there are things that are going to need to stop and change and be let go of entirely in order for me to fully commit and be part of this partnership the way that I want to be. But I have to remind myself to not see the pivot as a loss. It's an expansion of what I've already built, and you can look at yours the same way. So if you've ever felt like you were starting over in business, I am all ears and I am all open to chat with you if you want to reach out to me on Instagram and DM. I'm at ks co underscore, Kelly, I would love to hear your story. I'd love to be there to support you. And here's a takeaway for you to think about. What is one part of your journey that makes you uniquely prepared for where you're headed next? I want you to remember this. If you're at a crossroads in your business, wondering if changing direction means throwing away everything you've worked for, I want you to hear this you are not starting over. You are stepping forward with everything you've learned, everything you've built and everything that makes you uniquely. Be equipped for what's next. So let's take a second to reflect. Here's your journal prompt questions, or your thinking questions, if you're driving in your car right now, what parts of your journey are actually assets for where you're going? How can you lean into your evolution instead of resisting it. Ooh, that's a tough one. I find myself dealing with that like the mindset things are all forms of resistance that show up and that you have to navigate, right? So if this episode resonated with you, please take a screenshot, and you can tag me on Instagram @entrepreneurschoolpodcast, I would love to hear your thoughts. Don't forget to follow the show so that you don't miss an episode and you get to hear all of the details about what is happening next and where this show is going. And of course, if you're in the middle of a business evolution right now, send me a DM. Let's chat about it. Until next week. Bye for now.