We asked our small business community: What’s the biggest shift you’ve made in your business, why and what prompted it? Here’s what they said…
The biggest shift in my business – and in my wellbeing as a result – was when I learned to say an immediate ‘No’ as soon as I felt uncomfortable or irked by a potential client. For example, I started saying No to any correspondence or interaction that hinted that my time or expertise wasn’t truly valued and, as a result, a ‘problem’. I never expect that people will instantly fall over themselves to work with me whatever the cost, but when they approach me – with prices and reviews clearly splashed all over my marketing materials – and try to make out that I need to rethink my pricing just for them, I just think… No. No justification, no convincing, no incentivisation. Just No.
Jo Watson, Copywriter, hired by people with great taste in copywriters
My biggest shift was changing from marketing my services as a generalist translator to focusing on sustainability communications and inclusive language. I want both my personal life and my business to have a positive impact and contribute to tackling the climate crisis and making the world more inclusive. It took some time, but eventually, I realised helping NGOs, educators and purpose-led creatives reach wider audiences is what motivates me the most, so I should talk more about this!
Marina Torruella Bonsoms, Freelance Catalan & Spanish Translator and Subtitler
Devoting more time to my own marketing has been the biggest shift for me. I’d fallen into that common trap of getting so immersed in client work that I often neglected my own marketing. It was always at the bottom of my to-do list. This was holding back my business growth.
I completed a fantastic course last year (The Refinery, funded by Wiltshire Council) that has helped me refocus a little. It’s shown me that it’s OK (and vital) to spend time working on your business as well as in your business.
Karen Bright, Freelance copywriter specialising in B2B content
This year I’ve done a major shift and created different products and ‘packages’ to help entrepreneurs with their PR through a range of very different services. And this includes lots of free resources like my newsletter, blog posts and my new ‘Three Minutes To Get In The Press’ podcast.
This allows people to get to know me first in their own time, so they get an idea of whether we’re on the same wavelength – and if they’d like to work together in the future. They might then choose to buy my mini online course, buy a ticket for a PR event or workshop, or book a PR strategy call. It also creates a bit of engagement and a feeling of community, which I love.
The thought of cold calling makes me shudder. So this really works for me!Also, the shift to collaborating with my friend Jo Leatham, who also runs a PR business, has totally transformed everything. Working together on in-person workshops and events, and being able to bounce ideas off each other, makes things so much more fun and creative – and much less stressful – than doing it alone.
Linda Harrison, PR specialist: Helping entrepreneurs to get featured in the press
My biggest shift was pivoting to focus only on websites and SEO. It took almost a year of consistent marketing to successfully shift it and start getting mostly website project enquiries.
When I first started, I offered everything under the content marketing umbrella because I’d done it all in previous jobs. I was very much in the “I will do whatever people will pay me for” stage of freelancing. I shifted because I wanted to actually enjoy my work, not just work all the time to pay the bills. I was burning out on work I didn’t enjoy and personally find the retainer model to not be sustainable for me. So now I exclusively offer project-based work in the form of website and SEO projects.
Alice Rowan, No bullsh*t, no jargon. Clear website copy and SEO support.
I had a baby and so the business had to change accordingly. As I am rebuilding how I work after maternity leave, I have fewer hours in the day, but more determination and focus to reach my goals. I feel like life events have a special way of making us adjust our work in a way that seems impossible beforehand.
The biggest shift I made in my business was to be reflective and vulnerable about my weak spots. It’s led me towards some fundamental changes in how I promote myself and my prospecting pipeline. But, ultimately, being vulnerable has allowed me to find a truer version of my brand voice. Who I really am in this sea of freelancers. I’ve realised that more than anything, I stand for creating content that’s honest and authentic (and really bloody good). 😉
My biggest shift, by far, has been investing time and energy into income diversification. For the majority of my career, I relied entirely on a handful of content marketing anchor clients and word of mouth. That worked…until it didn’t. Referrals starting slowing down. AI hit the scene. General economic uncertainty saw belts tighten across the board. I read the writing on the wall and set myself up for multiple income streams. Everything I do is still in the writing world, but now I earn through lots of different channels, and I feel so much more in control of my income trajectory. It feels more secure, sustainable, and futureproof.
Without doubt, the biggest shift I’ve made in the business is to clarify and cut through our proposition to be all about what really makes us Storm – PEOPLE FIRST. Quite simply, the reason why is because it’s authentic and true, and it comes across in our culture and in the impact of our work.
And what prompted it was the realisation that we were selling ourselves short by having layers and layers of complex messages and we weren’t being clear about our point of view.
One of the biggest shifts I’ve made in my business was moving away from saying yes to everything to being much more selective about the projects and clients I take on.
As a freelance translator and transcreator, I used to think availability and flexibility meant accepting any rate, any deadline, any request. But over time, I realised that protecting my energy, valuing my expertise, and setting clear boundaries actually made me a stronger partner for my clients — and much happier in my work.
What prompted it? Burnout knocking on the door, and the realisation that sustainability in freelancing isn’t just about money, it’s about long-term well-being.
Emilie Rigault Fourcadier, Creative French Translator & Transcreator
Over the last few years, I’ve narrowed my niche to focus on IT and B2B SaaS.
What I’d heard from clients and prospects was that they wanted to work with a specialist copywriter who understood them. Making that shift allowed me to target my marketing and highlight my experience in the IT and software industries.
My biggest shift has been embracing the Welsh Language in my business! 🏴 I used to think it was a weakness to run my business bilingually with a minority language, but in time I’ve noticed it’s my greatest asset and has opened so many doors for incredible opportunities in Wales and beyond!
Sioned Young, Founder of Mwydro 🏴 Helping businesses get creative with their marketing
The biggest shift I made was investing in myself. Not just financially – although that is part of it – but in my mindset, to take myself from ‘just’ a copywriter, sitting at my kitchen table with the dog, to an experienced content strategist, who’s got a bloody good way with words, can hold their own with the big boys – and still break off for pets and dog treats as required.
Kate Bateson, Content strategy and copywriting support for busy marketers
The biggest change we made to the business has been focusing on specifically delivering services to a smaller group of niche customers rather than being spread too thin. This has made our website rewrite (coming soon!) a lot easier and allowed us to make sure the business functions to support these customers rather than wasting time and money running around elsewhere.
Systems, roles and services have then been re-designed to ensure we’re serving the right customers as best we can.
Chris Lubas, Copywriter & Storyteller – Selling the story of your business through copy
The biggest shift I’ve made in my business is changing my business name and branding from Northern Copywriter to Northwords, making it more accessible. I don’t just do copywriting; people often confuse it with copyright (legal matters), and that’s absolutely not my area!
Vicky Zaremba, Northwords | Brand voice, copy + content studio
The biggest shift I made in my business was investing in my own time: really digging into the ‘tasks’ I do and the money I need to make to make the business sustainable.
I’m a full-time carer (and a full-time parent!) so have very limited hours to run my client work and work on developing the business, too. Knowing what I need to make on a granular level allowed me to design the way I work, effectively reducing as much redundancy as possible. To pin this all together, I have three questions which frame everything I do:
How does this best serve my family?
How does this make me a better coach?
How does this really further or sustain my business?
If I can’t give a solid answer with a definitive ‘Yes, it serves this’ then the jobs can get in the sea.
