If you've been in business for any amount of time, you've probably made at least one pivot — and if you haven't yet, you will.

Pivoting in your career or business isn't a sign of failure. It's a normal, healthy part of growth. But there's often this underlying fear that comes with making a big change: What will people think? Am I giving up? Should I push through instead?

In this episode, we're talking about all things pivots – from switching careers before entrepreneurship to making shifts within your business, and everything in between. We share our own pivot stories, why pivoting is more socially acceptable now than it was for our parents' generation, and how to prepare yourself (and your audience) when it's time to make a change.

Topics We Cover

1. Our personal pivot stories and the big shifts we've made
2. How career pivoting has changed generationally
3. Why our parents' generation stayed in one job, but ours doesn't
4. The different types of business pivots (career changes, corporate to entrepreneur, hobby to side hustle, side hustle to full business, and pivots within your business)
5. The difference between a pivot and growth or evolution
6. Why the fear of pivoting is more internal than external (hello, imposter syndrome)
7. How to prepare your mindset before making a pivot
8. Having conversations with your family about career changes
9. How to warm up your audience to a pivot instead of announcing it out of nowhere
10. Why most millionaires have 7 streams of income and how that helps with pivoting
11. How to know when it's time to quit versus push through a hard season
12. De-stigmatizing quitting and doing it properly
13. The difference between quitting a service vs. quitting your business

Time Stamps

03:10 – Why pivots are a normal part of entrepreneurship

04:18 – The different types of pivots we're covering in this episode

05:04 – Joanna's pivot story: From photography to web design

07:25 – Dianna's career shifts before starting her business

09:43 – How our upbringing shaped our perception of pivoting careers

12:32 – Why career changes are more socially acceptable now

15:51 – Dianna's experience with both traditional and non-traditional career models

16:23 – Is there less pressure on kids now to find a forever career?

22:21 – Aging out of careers and continuing to pivot as you grow

25:04 – Multiple streams of income and side hustles

29:04 – Is the fear of pivoting external or internal?

30:37 – How to prepare yourself for a big pivot

34:27 – Having conversations with family and your audience about pivots

38:10 – How to know when it's time to quit vs. push through

41:13 – Teaching kids (and ourselves) when it's okay to quit

42:00 – The benefit of flexibility as a small business owner

Links & Resources Mentioned

Dianna's copywriting studio: Rise Copy Co. — website & launch copy for creative women in business: risecopyco.com

Joanna's web design studio: Joanna Moss Creative — custom Showit websites & Website in Two Weeks: joannamoss.com

Episode 10: Why Your Why Matters (referenced in this episode) Listen on Apple / Listen on Spotify