What if the modest goals keeping you "safe" are actually holding you back? This episode explores why thinking bigger, in a way that's deeply aligned with your strengths often feels easier and more fulfilling than playing small.

Through real stories from creative entrepreneurs who've made the leap, we examine the difference between incremental tweaking and visionary thinking, and why your impossible dream might just be exactly what your business needs

Key Moments:

• [00:00] The pattern of playing it safe and why "manageable" goals might be limiting your potential
• [01:31] Jo's pivotal moment: from waiting for £300 consultations to proposing full-day retreats at organic farm venues
• [05:10] My personal dream I didn't dare share
• [07:44] Why aiming for 2x growth keeps you optimising the same approach, while 10x thinking forces complete reimagination
• [10:03] Marta's revelation: "A successful business will not only sustain you financially, but also as a person emotionally"
• [13:33] What actually happened when I held onto my impossible dream, how it changed every decision and accelerated growth
• [18:35] The shift: when you're working towards something genuinely fulfilling
• [19:55] Framing your impossible dream

Notable Quotes:

"When you aim for 2x growth, you think in terms of doing more of the same, just slightly better. When you think in terms of 10x, you can't just do more of the same. You have to completely reimagine what's possible."

Resources Mentioned:

• Read: This Week's Full Journal Post
• Read: 10x Is Easier Than 2x by Dan Sullivan and Dr. Benjamin Hardy
• Link: The Base Notes Waitlist
• Subscribe to our Weekly newsletter
• Website: www.philippacraddock.com
• Email: [email protected]

Share Your Insights:

What's your impossible dream? The one that feels embarrassing to say out loud? Send me a DM on Instagram and let's talk about where this might lead.

Never Miss an Episode:

Subscribe to my weekly newsletter for behind-the-scenes insights, exclusive resources, and first access to new offerings.

Building successful creative businesses that feel true to who you are.

You're talented. Your clients love your work. So why does business still feel so hard? This episode explores the disconnect many creative entrepreneurs experience between being genuinely skilled at their craft and struggling to build a sustainable business. What I've discovered is that the very abilities that make you brilliant at your creative work are exactly the same skills that make the business element work, you're simply learning to apply them in a different way.

Key Moments:

• [00:00] The disconnect between your creative work and running the business side
• [03:48] Why creative and business skills aren't separate abilities
• [05:58] How understanding what matters translates from creative work to business strategy
• [09:27] The real reason talented creatives get stuck
• [10:47] Practical examples: applying your creative thinking to business growth
• [17:30] Why business frameworks designed for others don't work for creative minds
• [18:49] The Difference it makes

Notable Quotes:

"The very same abilities you use to create brilliant work translate directly into the business side of what you do, but it's very easy not to necessarily see the connection."

Resources Mentioned:

• Read: This Week's Full Journal Post
• Listen to last week's episode: No One Talks About This
• Free Guide: Becoming Thoughtfully and Confidently Persistent
• Link: The Base Notes Waitlist
• Subscribe to our Weekly newsletter
• Website: www.philippacraddock.com
• Email: [email protected]

Share Your Insights:

Have you experienced a disconnect between your creative work and the business side of what you do. I'd love to hear how you're beginning to see the connection between your creative abilities and business skills. Send me a DM on Instagram I read and respond to every message.

Never Miss an Episode:

Subscribe to my weekly newsletter for behind-the-scenes insights, exclusive resources, and first access to new offerings. Building successful creative businesses that feel true to who you are.

When people ask about growing their creative business, the questions typically centre around online marketing: Which platform, how often to post, what's working right now... But what if the answer isn't about marketing at all? This week, while refining modules for the upcoming six-month programme, I've been thinking about what genuinely accelerates business growth for creative entrepreneurs. It's not complicated, but it is something we often avoid, even though we're naturally brilliant at it.

Key Moments:

• [05:15] Real life right now: what i've been thinking about
• [07:57] Why we focus on online marketing when strategic outreach grows businesses faster
• [09:54] How every major client, from Vogue to Dior to Kensington Palace started with an email I sent from my kitchen table
• [16:21] Why a talk to 12 people created more opportunities than a newsletter sent to 20,000
• [18:31] The skills you already use in your creative work that translate directly to strategic business outreach
• [20:22] What the difference looks like: posting and hoping versus strategic, direct connection
• [23:04] The shift from reactive to proactive that changes everything

Notable Quotes:

"Direct connection accelerates everything. We get so lost in online marketing that it's easy to forget to simply contact people."

"Every major client and project I became known for started from my kitchen table. With me sending an email."

Resources Mentioned:

• Read: This Week's Full Journal Post
• Free Guide: Becoming Thoughtfully and Confidently Persistent
• Link: The Base Notes Waitlist
• Subscribe to our Weekly newsletter
• Website: www.philippacraddock.com
• Email: [email protected]

Share Your Insights:

What strategic conversation could you start this week? Whether it's a potential client, a brand collaboration, a publication to approach, or a podcast to be interviewed on, Who could you contact where there's genuine alignment? I'd love to hear what professional relationship you're considering building. Send me a DM on Instagram. I read and respond to every message.

Never Miss an Episode:

Subscribe to my weekly newsletter for behind-the-scenes insights, exclusive resources, and first access to new programme offerings

And don't forget to subscribe to The Creative Strengths Podcast on your favourite podcast platform!

There's something so much more important than frameworks, strategies and tactics. You can read every business book, take every business course, study every successful business, but if you don't understand what makes you unique, have clear positioning, and the confidence to keep moving forward when things get tricky... none of that other stuff matters.

This week, I'm sharing what happened with my Pinterest experiment in December, why losing four months of momentum became one of my most valuable lessons, and the three things that are helping me turn setbacks into breakthroughs. If you're facing a moment where things haven't gone to plan, this one's for you.

Key Moments:

• [01:27] Why understanding what makes you unique matters more than any framework or tactic
• [02:27] Real life: What happened in December
• [07:34] The moment of choice and what i learned
• [11:25] The solution: Getting strategic
• [16:51] Making it fun again
• [23:09] Why this matters more than tactics
• [25:03] Being realistic about priorities
• [34:24] Three thing to go when things get tricky
• [42:33] Real life right now: Moving forward

Notable Quotes:

"Successful people don't avoid setbacks. They know how to turn those setbacks into something positive. That's a skill you can develop. it's about deeply understanding yourself, making decisions from that clarity, and surrounding yourself with people who get it."

Resources Mentioned:

• Read: This Week's Full Journal Post
• Join the Pinterest Experiment Follow Along with My Pinterest Experiment
• Link: The Base Notes Waitlist
• Subscribe to our Weekly newsletter
• Website: www.philippacraddock.com
• Email: [email protected]

Share Your Insights:

Have you experienced a moment where something didn't go to plan in your business? I'd genuinely love to hear how you handled it, or if you're in that moment right now, maybe i can help. Send me a DM on Instagram. I read every message, and your experience might well help someone else who's going through something similar.

Never Miss an Episode

Subscribe to my weekly newsletter for behind-the-scenes insights, exclusive updates on the Pinterest experiment, and first access to new programme details. Every week, I share practical guidance that helps you build a business around what you naturally do best.

Instagram's head just said something that changes everything for creative businesses: the bar has shifted from "can you create?" to "can you make something that only you could create?"

With AI-generated content flooding platforms, authenticity isn't just good marketing anymore, it's your competitive advantage.

In this explores we explore why being completely yourself might be the most strategic move for creative entrepreneurs right now, plus the four storytelling questions that clarify your entire brand.

Your real strengths and authentic approach are what will cut through the noise and help you build something genuinely exceptional.

Key Moments:

• [01:49] Why authenticity matters more than ever right now
• [04:23] What Adam Mosseri, Head of Instagram had to say
• [06:31] What being yourself in your brand actually means
• [09:40] Four storytelling questions that bring instant brand clarity
• [18:18] Your next step: How to make people feel part of something bigger

Notable Quotes:

"The bar is shifting from 'can you create?' to 'can you make something that only you could create?'" Adam Mosseri, Head of Instagram

Resources Mentioned:

• Read: This Week's Full Journal Post
• Link: Podcast Episode 116 Why I Do What I Do
• Link Podcast Episode 123, A Differnt Kind Of Year
• Link: The Base Notes Waitlist
• Subscribe to our Weekly newsletter
• Website: www.philippacraddock.com
• Send an Email: [email protected]

Share Your Insights:

What parts of your real self could you bring more fully into your business? I'd love to hear how you're thinking about authenticity in your brand. I would love you to DM me on Instagram so many of our wonderful conversations provide content for future episodes.

Never Miss an Episode:

Subscribe to my weekly newsletter for behind-the-scenes insights, exclusive resources, and first access to new offerings. You'll get practical support for building your creative business in ways that feel genuinely yours.

Inspired by a Financial Times article on how creativity thrives with constraints, this episode articulates something I've been thinking about for years, that limiting yourself is actually the very best way to seriously flourish.

Discover why doing fewer things better might be the most important focus for your creative business this year.

Learn three practical principles for constraint-led business, plus how focusing on just one offer last year transformed my entire approach and how the same discipline could revolutionise your business too.

Key Moments:

• [01:27] Why creativity thrives with constraints: introducing the Financial Times article that sparked this entire conversation
• [02:44] The Muppet Christmas Carol story: when the director's artistic vision met commercial reality
• [04:38] How creative business owners complicate things when given too much freedom
• [07:51] Why even brilliant creators need 'editors'
• [10:36] Three principles for constraint-led business
• [15:52] My own experience focusing on just one offer last year
• [19:11] Reflection and questions you can ask yourself this week

Notable Quote:

"Constraints aren't limiting your potential. They're focusing your brilliance. When you try to do everything, you dilute what makes you exceptional. When you focus, you amplify it."

Resources Mentioned:

• Read: This Week's Full Journal Post
• Financial Times article: "Creativity thrives with constraints" by Stephen Bush
• The Muppet Christmas Carol (film example discussed)
• Link: The Base Notes Waitlist
• Subscribe to our Weekly newsletter
• Website: www.philippacraddock.com
• Send an Email: [email protected]

Share Your Insights:

Where could you perhaps remove something from your business to actually strengthen what remains? Share your thoughts with me over on Instagram I read every message and love hearing your thoughts.

Never Miss an Episode:

Subscribe to my weekly newsletter for behind-the-scenes insights, exclusive resources, and first access to new offerings. You'll receive thoughtful reflections on building a creative business that feels genuinely yours, along with practical guidance you can implement straight away.

What if this isn't the year you reinvent yourself? What if this is the year you return to yourself, to your own personal strengths, your genuine values, your natural way of working?

This first episode of 2025 challenges the pressure to set aggressive goals and push harder. Through examples of creators who grew significantly in 2025 using completely opposite approaches, we explore why there's no single formula for success, only your formula. I introduce three principles for building a lighter, steadier business: making it truer rather than louder, choosing depth over momentum, and embracing small aligned shifts. If you're tired of forcing yourself into someone else's model, this episode offers a refreshing path forward.

Key Moments:

• [00:00] The pressure of new year expectations: A gentler alternative approach
• [01:19] Why traditional business advice doesn't work for creative minds
• [04:52] Doing things your way: Example - Creators with completely different approaches, both successful
• [08:52] 3 Principles to anchor you in 2026
• [15:15] Personal story: how removing rather than adding transformed my floral business
• [17:05] Three grounding questions for the year ahead

Notable Quotes:

"Your business doesn't need to be louder than everyone else's. It needs to be more authentically yours."

"Big transformations almost always come from gentle, repeated adjustments. Small shifts, made consistently, in a direction that aligns with your strengths."

Resources Mentioned:

• Read: This Week's Full Journal Post
• Link: The Base Notes Waitlist
• Subscribe to our Weekly newsletter
• Website: www.philippacraddock.com
• Send an Email: [email protected]

Share Your Insights:

I'd love to hear what you're focusing on this year. What's the one thing that really matters to you? I'd love to hear your thoughts on Instagram, Many of our wonderful conversations prompt future episodes.

Never Miss an Episode:

Subscribe to my weekly newsletter for behind-the-scenes insights, exclusive resources, and first access to new offerings. You'll receive thoughtful reflections on building a creative business that feels genuinely yours, along with practical guidance you can implement straight away.

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We're brilliant at looking forwards. At setting goals. At planning what's next. But taking time to genuinely look back and celebrate what we've achieved? To acknowledge the obstacles we've overcome, the solutions we've created, the progress we've made? That's something we tend to skip right past.

And I think that's a real shame.

Because that reflection, that celebration, it's not indulgent. It's strategic. It's how we build sustainable success.

In this year end episode, we're pausing to do what creative entrepreneurs rarely give themselves permission to do: look back and genuinely acknowledge how far we've come. We'll explore why we skip this crucial step, why it matters more than you might think, and what happens when you give yourself space to reflect on where your exceptional strengths showed up this year.

Key Moments:

• [01:39] Taking time to celebrate how far you have come
• [02:53] Why we skip this step: The real power of looking back
• [08:40] My personal reflection
• [10:44] The one powerful question to reflect on over the next few days: where did your exceptional strengths show up this year?
• [13:39] A gentle invitation

Notable Quotes:

"When you take time to acknowledge how far you've come, something changes. You start to see your capabilities more clearly. You recognise patterns in what works for you. You build confidence in your ability to solve problems and overcome challenges."

Resources Mentioned:

• Read: This Week's Full Journal Post
• Link: Why Taking Time Off Work is The Smartest Productivity Strategy
• Link: The Base Notes Waitlist
• Subscribe to our Weekly newsletter
• Website: www.philippacraddock.com
• Send an Email: [email protected]

Share Your Insights:

I'd love to hear from you: Where did your exceptional strengths show up this year? What moments felt most like yourself in your work? Send me a DM on Instagram I read and respond to every message.

Never Miss an Episode:

Don't forget to subscribe to The Creative Strengths Podcast wherever you listen, and join my weekly newsletter for behind-the-scenes insights, practical guidance, and first access to new content.

Whether you're a fan of Taylor Swift or not, the strategic thinking behind her Eras Tour offers remarkable lessons for creative entrepreneurs. This episode explores the business operation, leadership decisions, and discipline that made a $2 billion tour possible and what you can apply to your own creative business.

From six months of intensive preparation to handwritten letters for her entire team, discover how making excellence look effortless requires extraordinary work behind the scenes. You'll learn about building for long-term trust rather than short-term profit, creating cultures where clients become participants, and maintaining standards that become your reputation.

Key Moments:

• [00:00] Why Taylor Swift's tour docuseries reveals powerful business lessons for creative entrepreneurs
• [02:50] The scale and strategic planning behind a $2 billion operation with 149 shows and making it look effortless
• [10:17] Creating Partisipants not Spectators
• [12:08] Personal Touches and Continuous Evolution
• [18:19] What does Taylor Swift's tour have to do with your creative business?

Notable Quotes:

"Making something feel effortless requires incredible preparation. The sense of freedom comes from having done so much work that you don't have to think about all the different components anymore."

"Building something exceptional is never about luck or talent alone, it's always about the choices you make behind the scenes. The preparation you're willing to do that no one sees. The discipline you maintain when no one's watching."

Resources Mentioned:

• Read: This Week's Full Journal Post
• Link: The Base Notes Waitlist
• Link: Episode 090. Why Care And Design Matters In Business
• Link: Taylor Swift Docuseries: The Eras Tour Docuseries
• Subscribe to our Weekly newsletter
• Website: www.philippacraddock.com
• Send an Email: [email protected]

Share Your Insights:

What stood out most to you from these business lessons? Have you experienced how preparation creates freedom in your own work, or discovered ways to build long-term trust with your clients? I'd love to hear your thoughts, send me a message on Instagram I read every message.

Never Miss an Episode:

Don't forget to subscribe to The Creative Strengths Podcast wherever you listen, and join my weekly newsletter for behind-the-scenes insights, practical guidance, and first access to new content.

So many creative entrepreneurs think they need to leave their "serious" professional self behind. That corporate background, that legal career... they see it as separate from who they are now. But that might be costing you your most distinctive positioning.

The parts of yourself that feel contradictory? Those might just be your superpower. The creative entrepreneurs I see thriving are the ones who've brought their whole selves forward. That's what creates a business no one else can replicate.

In this episode, I share how your previous career isn't something to hide, it's an integral part of what makes you exceptional. From my own journey in executive search to stories from recent Base Notes participants, I explore why integration beats separation every time.

Key Moments:

[00:00] Introduction: Why your "serious" background is actually your superpower

[03:25] The false choice: Treating previous careers as separate from creative work

[04:59] My executive search background and how it shapes everything I do today

[09:22] Real transformation: The strategist who blended high-level work with gentle creativity. The lawyer who brought precision thinking into creative copywriting

[14:34] The Pattern I keep seeing

[18:02] How professional backgrounds create genuinely unique positioning

[26:30] The takeaway: Your contradiction is your competitive advantage, bringing your whole self forward

Notable Quotes:

"You don't have two separate lives. You have one remarkable journey and a bucket load of brilliant experience, where you've been building an extraordinary and unique skill set. And when you bring all of that forwards, when you integrate rather than separate, that's when you become genuinely unstoppable."

Resources Mentioned:

• Read: This Week's Full Journal Post
• Link: The Base Notes Waitlist
• Subscribe to our Weekly newsletter
• Website: www.philippacraddock.com
• Email: [email protected]

Share Your Insights:

Have you been treating your professional background as something separate from your creative business? I'd love to hear how this episode landed for you. Send me a DM on Instagram. I read and respond to every message.

Never Miss an Episode:

Subscribe to The Creative Strengths Podcast wherever you listen, and join my weekly newsletter for behind-the-scenes insights, practical guidance, and first access to new content.