CREATIVE STRENGTHS – Details, episodes & analysis

"My husband has called what I do the most expensive hobby." That comment from a member of our recent live session, followed by a casual "LOL," broke my heart a little bit. Because behind that seemingly lighthearted laugh is something so many creative business owners are sitting with, the uncomfortable question about whether what they're building is actually viable. In this episode, I walk through the very specific difference between an expensive hobby and a viable business and share a straightforward method to help you move from one to the other.

• [00:00] Introduction: The uncomfortable truth about "expensive hobbies"
• [08:11] Defining the difference between a hobby and a business
• [11:23] The three-step framework for moving from hobby to viable business
• [17:18] Why charging properly is actually more generous
• [21:16] How to know if you're running a business or funding a hobby
• [26:09] The work required to shift from hobby to business

"If you're feeling guilty about charging, that guilt is actually keeping you from helping and providing to as many people as you can."

"When you build something that genuinely works for your life, instead of something your life works around."

• Read: This Week's Full Journal Post
• Listen Episode 107: "Why There's never been a better time to build a creative business"
• Link: The Base Notes Waitlist
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• Website: www.philippacraddock.com
• Email: news@philippacraddock.com 

What stage is your creative business in right now? Are you struggling with seeing it as a viable business over an expensive hobby? Share your thoughts and experiences on Instagram  and let's continue the conversation...

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What if the secret to unsticking your business isn't about complex strategies, but about changing a single fundamental question? In this powerful episode, we explore how one simple shift can transform your entire business approach, create more meaningful client connections, and reignite your entrepreneurial excitement.

• [01:37] The story of Kate and how changing one business question transformed her entire team's approach
• [05:30] Why creative entrepreneurs are often measuring the wrong things in their businesses
• [08:02] The real cost of the wrong questions
• [13:20] Identifying the questions that might be keeping you stuck in your business
• [17:36] Practical steps to recognise and shift your business questioning approach

"When you focus on 'when did a client call?' you're focused on timing and mechanics. But when you ask 'what is the client getting from this interaction?' you're focused on value, on relationship, on the human element that actually drives creative business forward."

• Read: This Week's  Full Journal Post
• Link: The Base Notes
• Subscribe to our Weekly newsletter
• Philippa Craddock Website: www.philippacraddock.com
• Email: news@philippacraddock.com 

What questions are you currently asking in your business that might be holding you back? Please do DM me on Instagram and share your insights! I'd love to hear how this episode resonates with your creative entrepreneurial journey.

Want to dive deeper into the foundations of building a creative business that truly reflects who you are? Join our weekly newsletter for exclusive insights, and weekly guidance to help you turn your creative passion into a thriving, aligned business.

An Instagram post about spending eight weeks in Greece with my family has so far generated over 165,000 views and revealed something profound... creative entrepreneurs yearning for freedom but unsure how to get there. This week, I'm answering the five questions myself and showing you exactly what your answers reveal about building the business and life you actually want.

• [00:00] The Instagram post that has now generated 165,000 views and what it revealed about creative entrepreneurs
• [04:46] Why traditional business advice fails creative minds and the breakthrough that changed everything
• [07:22] The question that reveals your true business vision (and why most people get this completely wrong)
• [13:11] The natural ability you're probably undervaluing that could transform your income
• [18:16] How to identify the part of your business where you feel most authentically yourself
• [22:53] The permission question that could eliminate half your current stress immediately
• [26:38] The vulnerable truth most entrepreneurs won't admit (but must address to move forward)
• [30:24] What your answers reveal about your path to genuine freedom and success
• [32:37] One simple step to start building your ideal Tuesday this week

"The gap between where you are and where you want to be is almost never about working harder or learning more tactics - it's about recognising what you naturally do brilliantly and building everything around that."

"Your impossible dream? It starts with believing it's possible."

• Read: This Week's Full Journal Post
• Coffee invitation: 5 Questions to Create Your Next Chapter
• Pinterest experiment: Follow Along with My Pinterest Experiment
• Link: The Base Notes Waitlist
• Subscribe to our Weekly newsletter
• Website: www.philippacraddock.com
• Email: news@philippacraddock.com

I'd love to hear which of these five questions resonated most with you! What came up when you imagined your ideal ordinary Tuesday? Share your insights with me on Instagram - I read every message and love hearing about your discoveries. Please know your reflections often inspire future episodes and help our entire community grow.

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter for behind-the-scenes insights, exclusive resources, and first access to new offerings. You'll also receive practical guidance for building a creative business that aligns with your natural strengths whilst creating genuine freedom.

Since we shared our initial episode on Chat GPT, we've been flooded with questions and I would love to take you through all of these, sharing my answers.

The consensus is definitely that many think of ChatGPT as a dirty secret that few want to admit using, it's almost like we are cheating and trying to pull the wool over our customer's eyes, but I would love to reframe this idea and instead help you to see ChatGPT as a brilliant time saving and brainstorming partner within your business, one that helps you with the more mundane tasks, helping you to whizz through these and return your focus to nurturing your audience, building and growing your brand and evolving your incredible offerings.

But I have also heard from plenty that ChatGPT, like for me, has been an incredible game changer. It has seriously sped up my copywriting, it has led to far greater levels of creativity, I no longer feel intimated by blank pages when I am thinking of the next topic to write for our Journal posts or Newsletters, and it has seriously helped me to genuinely love writing, something that previously has never been a strength of mine, until now.

 I created a brilliant free guide that accompanies this and the previous episode, which includes everything I discuss in a neat and accessible PDF that you can keep by your side as a quick reference, to help you get the very most from ChatGPT - ChatGPT copywriting  guide

• www.philippacraddock.com

Today I'm going to share a recent challenge we faced – a mishap that occurred just a while ago. We learned some valuable lessons about the importance of resilience and agility in content creation. Whether like us you create weekly content, you are a business owner, or just someone who appreciates a look behind the scenes, I hope you'll find this story hugely valuable....

To paint the picture, last Thursday, I woke up early, at about 5.30. I was the first up and it was still very dark outside. I sat in the kitchen, and I updated the website to add the links to our latest weekly podcast episode. It felt good to have that done early, before our newsletter went out, which is always scheduled for Thursdays at about 6.30am. 

Just after 8am, I received a WhatsApp message from a friend, which read "Listening to your podcast. Might you have uploaded a draft?", I asked what she meant and then I listened to the morning's podcast episode … and remember this is a globally listened to podcast of thousands each week … and it was clear, the original, unedited version had accidently been uploaded …

I hope you enjoy hearing how we failed fast and pivoted very quickly and I hope our journey and the ten steps we took to pivot help you hugely going forwards. 

• www.philippacraddock.com

A while ago, I came across an article in the magazine Fast Company, that caught my attention - 5 RED FLAGS TO WATCH OUT FOR WHEN WORKING WITH START-UPS. The article was insightful, and from my personal experience over the last 14 years, it really did focus on the areas that matter the most, and it also highlighted the areas to avoid, the areas where we can easily waste our time and where we shouldn't be focussed.

The concept of the article was to help investors make sensible decisions when investing with start-ups, but it was bigger than that, as it also offered superb insights for anyone who was thinking about starting their own business and business owners at all stages of start-up and growth.

In the busy-ness of our days, as we are juggling multiple roles, it can absolutely feel overwhelming when we try to figure what needs the most attention within our business, or for budding entrepreneurs, where should we be placing our focus in the future. What are the key aspects that will help us to refine and grow, and ultimately for us to really enjoy the day-to-day successful running of businesses.

I have definitely been there where things have felt messy, and it has taken me many years to streamline processes and understand where my attention should be placed. And I would love to fast-track that for you, to help you avoid some of the mistakes I have made and the detailed learnings I have gone through.

I hope you will be able to quickly identify the areas where you are already strong and the areas that might need a little attention, and you can then apply these quick and practical strategies to get you back on track, and into a wholly positive place.

I really hope this episode will help you enormously.

• ChatGPT copywriting guide
• www.philippacraddock.com

Let's talk about AI, specifically ChatGPT and specifically from a small business owner's perspective.

For us, AI has been a game-changer. And my goal with this episode is to help you utilise ChatGPT effectively for your own business. I'll share key insights I've gained whilst using AI effectively and I'll also provide additional tips that could benefit you.

We'll explore how it can be a game-changer for small business owners juggling multiple roles and projects, with the core takeaway being how powerful it is as a brainstorming ally. It's not about replacing your tasks, but progressing your initial ideas.

• ChatGPT copywriting guide
• www.philippacraddock.com

In today's episode, I share my thoughts and strategies to help you stay motivated and inspired as you are working towards achieving your goals. We'll be discussing a very relatable topic: what to do on days when you have lost your motivation. We've all been there, those days when we just can't seem to find the drive to get going on our to-do list.

We'll be exploring how to recognise that this is completely normal, I share some of my own recent examples and practical strategies for regaining your motivation and pushing forward, even when it feels a little impossible.

So, join me and learn how to overcome these motivation slumps.

We all live In a very noisy and fast paced world, where understanding your audience is becoming more important than ever. During this episode, I share why and how you should define and understand your audience, ultimately ensuring that your business offerings align with your audience's needs, desires, and lifestyle. 

I'll walk you through a series of practical and straightforward strategies to help you identify and connect with your ideal customer, giving you an insider's look into how having a comprehensive profile of your target market can drastically enhance your brand communication and product or service offerings. 

My goal is to equip you with the necessary tools and insights to make sure you have a loyal and strong brand community, one that resonates with your offerings, understands your brand's ethos, and remains engaged for the long haul, with the focus on increasing your revenue and profit, and ultimately to grow and ensure your business is highly viable.

FREE five step guide to create the foundations of a loyal and strong brand community: click HERE.

Today we dive deeper into the subject of achieving your goals and, more importantly, how to stop worrying about what other people think.

In our previous episode, we discussed the importance of setting and working towards your goals. But what happens when the opinions of others start to creep in and affect your progress?

In this episode, we'll discuss why it's crucial to focus on your own vision and aspirations, share personal stories, and provide six practical steps to help you stay on track and overcome the fear of other people's judgments. 

 So, let's dive right in and learn how to build that resilience and confidence needed to make your dreams a reality.

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