My Business Isn’t What I Wanted. Now What?

Entrepreneurialism

May 15

What happens if you persevere through doubt, plow through perfectionism, start your business - and realize it isn’t what you wanted?

Maybe you have this realization early on, or you’ve been in business for a few years and no longer enjoy what you’re doing.

I’ve been there, and it’s unsettling. Here’s what I did:

Pivot

When I started my business in 2013, I offered portrait photography. (You can scroll my portfolio on Instagram! Search @megabugphoto.)

Weddings did me in. I quickly realized that I’m not a wedding person - my husband and I eloped!

But weddings brought in revenue and allowed me to become self-employed. I was living what I thought was my dream, and felt defeated to realize it wasn’t.

After my spiral, I reflected on the aspects of MegaBug Photography that I enjoyed:

• Being an entrepreneur

• Taking vendor photos (the dress, venue, flowers, rings, and food)

• Marketing my business

This led me to realize that I loved working with other small business owners, so I pivoted to offering commercial photography, including product, interiors, and professional headshots.

I also started Nutmeg Media during this time, offering marketing services and website design.

Eventually, I rebranded to Miss MegaBug, dropping both photography and marketing services and instead focused on helping aspiring entrepreneurs shift from side hustler to self-employed through online courses and consultations.

But it all started with portrait photography, and pivoting allowed me to adapt with my evolving passions and skills.

Just like when I was at a crossroads with wedding photography, ask yourself:

What do I like about what I’m currently doing? What shifts would allow me to do more of that?

It may be a subtle shift to your offer (wedding/portrait photography to commercial), or a shift to a different type of business (photography to small business mentoring).

Create a yes, no, and hard no list

You can’t always commit to a full pivot. It takes time for a new direction to take off, and you have bills to pay in the interim. This is where a yes, no, and a hard no list come in.

Make a list of all of the products you could make, services you could offer, or things you could do with your business and divide them into three categories:

• Yes = The offers you LOVE; the ones that light you up, spark joy, and are in your zone of genius.

• No = The offers you don’t necessarily enjoy, are outside of your zone of genius, etc. that you offer to generate revenue when you’re pivoting to more yeses or are experiencing a dip in cash flow.

• Hard No = No matter how much anyone is willing to pay or how many times they say please, there’s no way you’re doing these.

Follow your joy

If you’re unhappy with what you’re doing in business but are unsure of where you want to go, open yourself to new opportunities.

Over the past few months I’ve been feeling stagnant in my business and like I’m meant to move in a different direction. Instead of forcing the next thing to happen, I’ve done what felt good.

• I asked my friend if I could work one day a week at her her clothing boutique because I’ve missed engaging with people. (Working from home can be isolating.)

• I’ve been loving my classes at Studium Fitness and landed a position as their mobility and stability instructor. I’m also working at their front desk on Monday and Thursday mornings.

• Creating reels and educational content for Instagram has been burning me out. (Read My Struggle With Social Media.) I much prefer writing, so I’m adjusting my marketing strategy to focus on blog posts and my weekly newsletter.

• Helping aspiring entrepreneurs realize their dreams still lights me up, so I will continue offering my online business and marketing courses. But I’m phasing out my website design services.

While I don’t have a definitive direction, I’m doing what brings me joy, feels right, and letting the path unfold.

Doing what you enjoy - even if it’s outside of your current business realm and you can’t see yourself pivoting to this line of work - leads to clarity on what you want and even connections to help you get there. It may not be the next step, it’s the in-between that sets you up for the next step.

Close your business

It’s also ok if you realize that you’d rather not be in business. Being an employee certainly has its advantages, including being able to fully disconnect from work at the end of the day and having a steady paycheck.

You’re not a failure for closing a business, you’re brave for trying something you thought would be a better fit. While that business may not have been a better fit, it could be leading you to where you’re meant to be.

If you enjoyed this post, you can buy me a coffee or connect with me here. Thank you! =)