TBM #022: THE PIVOT: How To Change Your Business Focus Successfully, with Kat Lee

If you haven’t heard the term “business pivot” yet, you will. In fact, if you’re just starting your online business efforts you’ll probably find yourself neck-deep in the topic at some point. That’s because none of us start our online journey with our passion fully refined or our dream business fully formed in our minds. We ALL figure it out as we go along.

My guest on this episode is Kat Lee and she’s a great example of a woman who has continued to put one foot in front of the other as she’s journeyed down her own often-winding entrepreneurial path. She’s tried tons of things, many of them successfully, but has continued to pivot as needed to move into more fulfilling, more effective iterations of her online business.

Listen to hear Kat share her story, her advice, and her heart. She’s a great lady you’ll really enjoy getting to know.

In this episode, listen for

• [0:29] Kat Lee’s first consideration of online business: web design
• [3:22] Scaling from one customer to many and working to build a niche approach
• [5:40] Starting her own blog from inspiration she gained from an early client
• [9:40] Discovering what felt authentic and learning to focus on it
• [13:01] What allows Kat to let go of things that have been successful in the past?
• [21:38] Leadership: Sourcing help for her business from within her community
• [26:31] Trying out a new membership: beta users to help it improve, then the launch
• [35:06] The ability to pivot: When is it failure and when is it smart?
• [39:33] The lightning round with Kat
• [48:50] Advice to those who are fed up and not sure if they want to do their biz anymore

 

Feel free to try things, but be sure what you’re doing resonates with you

Kat started her online business journey way back in the days when the internet was young. A community college course in web design gave her the basic tools she needed to get started and she was soon rustling up a job reworking the local car dealer’s website. That led to more clients and in time, a realization.

Kat didn’t like working with clients. :)

What do you do then? During her website building phase, she had come in contact with a handful of bloggers who were doing things that inspired her on a personal level. So she decided to begin her own blog. LIke all new blogs, it was random and about everything that came into her mind. But Kat refined it as she went, eventually learning to focus on a few areas that she loved.

But she didn’t stop there. Listen to hear the rest of the story - of how she’s now leading an online membership site that is equipping women to make the most successful start to their mornings possible.

Successes build on one another, so don’t be afraid to pivot your business

One of the things every online business wanna-be learns is that every attempt you make at something new TEACHES you something new. You discover things you like, and things that you hate. All of that is good to know… because it informs you as to which path you should be walking down in your business.

But what if you’ve already put tons of hours into the project you’re working on? Should you still pivot away from it? Those are valid questions and the feeling of potentially wasting all that time and energy can be a compelling motivation to stick it out. But ask yourself a simple question…

“Did you learn something from the experience?”

If so, you didn’t waste a minute you invested in that business idea. You were investing in your own education and creating a broader foundation upon which to build your future success. Join Kat and me as we walk through her lessons-learned together. She’s got lots of them to share.

When is a business pivot a failure and when is it smart?

One of the key takeaways from this conversation is a very practical approach Kat has learned when it comes to making business pivot decisions. If you’re asking whether you should stick with something you’ve already begun or decide to make a change, here’s what Kat suggests:

Take out a sheet of paper. Fold it in half. On one side of the fold, write down everything about your current business that drains you. Keep going. Then move to the other side of the fold and write down all the things about your current business direction that fills you up.

Once you are done, look at the sheet. You now know the drainers and fillers in your business. You’ll likely have a lot more clarity and insight into whether it’s a viable and fulfilling business path you should be following.

Don’t miss this episode. Kat is such a great example of being adaptable - of being willing to pivot in her business as needed. Enjoy!

Notes + Links from Today’s Show

• Shaun Groves
• Bill Bright
• Bart Millard
• Natalie Grant
• Intoxicated On Life
• Blog Smarter Online Course
• BOOK: The Inner Game of Tennis
• Evernote
• Apple Note
• Loom Chrome Plugin
• BOOK: Atomic Habits
• Amy Porterfield’s Podcast
• Sarah McKenzie

Connect with Kat Lee

• www.HelloMornings.org
• BOOK: The Hello Mornings Book
• The Inspired to Action Podcast
• The How They Blog Podcast
• Maximize Your Mornings eBook
• The Hello Mornings Academy

Connect With Jeni

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