Episode #267: Falling back in Love with your Business with Nancy Macdonald

Nov 02, 2023

When you’ve spent years growing your business, you may eventually start to fall out of love with it, no matter how passionate you felt when you first launched… and this is perfectly normal. The reality is that you can and will experience different “seasons” when running your business! During some seasons, you’ll feel more connected to and engaged in your business — these will be your best seasons for productivity and innovation! During others, you may struggle, and getting through these seasons will require resilience. Often, the seasons of your business will be shaped by your personal life or external circumstances.

My guest for this episode of The Business of Thinking Big discovered her authentic entrepreneurial path while living through a personal challenge. As the founder and owner of the Art Studio For Children (ASFC), Nancy Macdonald helps children and adults celebrate life, create beauty, and cultivate their courage, confidence, and creativity through transformative art experiences including classes, workshops, camps, and retreats.

Since launching ASFC, Nancy has grown from teaching six kids at her dining room table to serving more than 7000 people. During this conversation, we dig into the circumstances that kept her from giving her business her all during the honeymoon phase, what helped her pull through, and how she’s adapted her model and thrived during the pandemic!

In‌ ‌this‌ ‌episode,‌ ‌you’ll discover:‌

How Nancy created a culture that welcomed her customers to share their thoughts, so that she could build a business that truly served their needs
What to do when you start falling out of love with your business
The difference between a head-down v. chin-up approach

Guest bio: Nancy Macdonald, bestselling author and public speaker, has led over 7000 beginners of all ages through transformational art experiences to create the wall-worthy art of their dreams.

Timestamps:

00:33 Meet Nancy Macdonald

02:19 Why she started ASFC

04:54 The honeymoon phase

08:29 Building early growth

10:34 Creating a welcoming culture

13:01 How much is too much & the pandemic shift

20:34 Zones of genius, profitability & pivoting

24:21 Falling back in love

30:10 Inner work & coaching experience

36:42 Mentoring

38:29 Final tips