CREATIVE STRENGTHS
Creative Strengths is a business podcast for creative entrepreneurs who want to build a profitable, sustainable business while honoring their natural way of working. Hosted by designer and creative business mentor Philippa Craddock, the show is rooted in the belief that success comes from recognizing and leveraging your natural strengths. Philippa grew her own design business from a kitchen table to a seven-figure global brand and now shares practical, jargon-free guidance on pricing, marketing, mindset, and business growth. Each episode helps listeners charge with confidence, attract aligned clients, and build a business that supports their energy and creativity.
Episodes
163. HOW TO STOP MARKETING TAKING UP SO MUCH HEADSPACE
Marketing has a habit of taking up more room in your head than almost anything else in your business. It never feels finished, and so much of what we are told about it is just do more, be louder, be everywhere, which for most creatives feels like a huge performance. This week, I'd love to show you how marketing can feel so much lighter, because underneath it all, it's really just one simple thing
162. WHY THE BUSINESS SIDE FEELS SO HARD FOR CREATIVES
How do you find the time and headspace to actually be creative, when the business side of things seems to swallow both? It's the question Rosy wrote in with this week, and I suspect you feel it too, that constant tug between the creative work and everything else that has to get done. This week I'd love to answer it properly, and gently challenge the one idea underneath it that I think keeps so man
161. HOW TO PRESENT YOUR PRICES SO THEY'RE UNDERSTOOD, NOT QUESTIONED
Presenting your prices is where so much of your hard work can quietly come undone: one hedging line at the bottom of a proposal or in a conversation, and the whole thing wobbles. This week, to close the pricing series, I'd love to show you exactly how I communicated my prices. The page a client read before they ever reached a number, the single sentence I used for the number itself, and the small,
160. HOW TO PRICE WHEN YOU'RE NOT THE CHEAPEST
If you charge what your work is really worth, won't clients just go and find someone cheaper? It's the pricing worry I hear most, and this week I'd love to show you why it isn't the threat it feels like. Because a client comparing you to a cheaper option is only ever seeing the one part of your work they can actually see, and once you change that, long before they reach the number, comparison quie
159. HOW TO PRICE WHAT COMES EASILY: WHY EASE IS ACTUALLY EXPERTISE
Pricing the work that comes easily to you is one of the hardest things a creative ever does, because we've quietly decided that ease means low value. This week I'd love to take apart the sentence I hear more than almost any other, "I can't charge more for that, it comes so easily to me," because the speed you're discounting to nothing is very often the most valuable thing you do. What if it isn't
158. HOW TO PRICE CREATIVE WORK: THE 4 THINGS CLIENTS ACTUALLY PAY FOR
Pricing your work is one of the most quietly stressful things you do, and I don't think the problem is confidence or your numbers. I think it's that you sit down to price one thing, when your clients are actually paying you for four. This week I'd love to show you the four separate kinds of value you deliver every single time, and why three of them have perhaps been invisible to you all along. IN
157. WHY "YOU'RE DOING SO WELL" NEVER REALLY HELPS
Have you ever asked someone what they think of your business and they come away with a warm but bland "oh, you're doing so well, keep going!", and honestly nothing you could actually use? There's a real reason you received this answer, and it's completely within your power to change it through the questions you ask. This week, to close the summer series, I'd love to show you the small shift that
156. THE THING THAT GROWS A CREATIVE BUSINESS (IT'S NOT MORE MARKETING)
The single most important way a business like ours grows isn't posting more, or being everywhere, or finally cracking the algorithm. It's something much quieter, something you're very likely already brilliant at, even if you'd never think to call it a strength. This week, I'd love to show you why it matters more than almost anything else, and how to do it in a way that feels entirely like you. IN
155. RUNNING A CREATIVE BUSINESS NEEDN'T BE LONELY
It can feel genuinely lonely running a creative business, making the decisions, working it all out with no one to talk it through, sitting with the doubts, quietly wondering if you're getting it right, all in a way people on the outside rarely understand. So this week I'm stepping out of the summer series for an episode I just couldn't hold back on: because you really don't have to do this alone,
154. NOT EVERY GOOD IDEA BELONGS IN YOUR BUSINESS
This is about the peculiar problem of having too many good ideas. Not too few. Too many. And why letting some of them stay exactly as they are, ideas, or hobbies, rather than folding every single one into the business, might be one of the most quietly confident things you can do. IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL DISCOVER: ◼️ The one thread running quietly through everything you offer and why it matters more
153. WHY SAYING IT AGAIN AND AGAIN IS SO IMPORTANT
A quiet fear I see in almost every creative I work with. The worry that we've already said our thing too many times, that everyone must be tired of hearing it, and that we ought to come up with something new. But that instinct, understandable as it is, might be the very thing quietly holding our work back, and the truth, I think, is almost the exact opposite. IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL DISCOVER: ◼️ Th
152. DON'T JUST SHOW THE WORK: BRING IT ALIVE
Why work you're genuinely proud of can quietly wash past people and the small shift you can make that changes everything about how they see it. IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL DISCOVER: ◼️ What people are really paying for when they choose you and why it's almost never the finished thing itself ◼️ What happens in someone's mind when all they can see is the finished result and the one thing they'll end up
151. WHY WE CAN'T SEE OUR MOST VALUABLE THING
Someone looks at a service you provided or a product you've made and asks, "how on earth did you make/design that?" and you find yourself shrugging, because honestly, the solution came easily; it was just how you work. But that thing you shrugged off, the part that feels too obvious to be worth mentioning, is so often the most valuable thing you do. This week's episode is about learning to notice
150. THE MOST COMPELLING THING ABOUT YOUR WORK IS YOU
There's a moment I see again and again: a creative starts talking about their work, and they simply light up, the passion pours out, and the person listening is quietly won over without a single thing being pitched. And then that same person looks you up online, and somehow all that warmth has gone a little quiet. The lovely part is that this is one of the best problems to have, because the very t
149. THE LITTLE TEST I'D LOVE YOU TO TRY THIS WEEK
There's a quiet two-minute test I'd love you to run on your business today: on your own, no tools, just said out loud. It shows you two things at once: how clear your business really is, and how much it actually sounds like you, rather than like everyone else doing something similar. By the end, you'll have a much clearer sense of what's already working, and what perhaps needs a little more of yo
148. GETTING CLEAR ON YOUR CREATIVE BUSINESS
Part 1 of a new series. You've built something real, you're good at what you do, and yet somehow it all feels heavier than it should, and every new thing you add only seems to add to the weight. I used to believe that meant I wasn't doing enough. It turns out the opposite is true, and it's where this new summer series of podcasts begins: with the one idea that sits underneath all the others to com
147. WHAT YOU CAN ALWAYS CONTROL (EVEN ON THE HARD DAYS)
This is an episode I'd love you to save. For the morning after a 'No' you didn't see coming, For the week your inbox goes quiet and your mind rushes to fill the silence. After all these years, those weeks still find me too. But there's one quiet idea I come back to whenever they do, not a strategy, not a tactic... And once you've really taken it on, the hard days stop knocking you over in quite t
146. THERE'S NO ONE RIGHT WAY TO MARKET A CREATIVE BUSINESS
There's a quiet pressure almost every creative business owner carries, The sense that everyone else has worked out the right way to do this, and that you're somehow behind. Post more. Show up more. Be more visible. I spent a week going right to the source of one of those "shoulds", fully expecting to come back convinced. Instead I came back with something far more freeing: and a question I think
145. YOU BUILT A REAL BUSINESS: NOW LET YOURSELF RUN IT
A woman in my audience wrote to me this week, ready to take her website down and walk away from it all. Worn out, and quietly wondering whether any of it had ever really been a proper business at all. I've been turning her message over ever since, because I don't think that question was ever truly hers and I suspect you might recognise the voice behind it more than you'd like. IN THIS EPISODE YO
144. THREE THINGS I'M STUDYING RIGHT NOW (AS A BEGINNER)
There are three things I'm properly studying at the moment and being a beginner at all of them at once has given me a particular view on something I think is worth sharing. One of the course teachers opened with something I really didn't expect. What she said wasn't really about the subject I'd signed up to learn but it's the thing that's stayed with me longest. And I suspect it might be exactly
143. PERSISTENCE: WHY SOME PEOPLE KEEP GOING (AND OTHERS QUIETLY STOP)
Most people think persistence is a personality trait. Fifteen years of running creative businesses has quietly convinced me otherwise and I'd like to share why. IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL DISCOVER: Why the real reason some people keep going has little to do with willpower or grit My Selfridges story: two years of no and what actually got me through and into store Why some no's take a little piec
142. WHAT YOUR CLIENTS CAN SEE THAT YOU CAN'T
Most creative business owners already have more evidence about what makes their work exceptional than they realise. Many taking their strengths for granted and missing the signs, and more importantly, how to use them to their advantage. There are things about your work so natural to you, so automatic, that you can't see them as exceptional. But the people who choose you, pay for your services or
141. WHEN THE INDUSTRY WOBBLES: AND WHY SOME PEOPLE DON'T
There's a pattern I've been watching for years. And the last few months have made it clearer than ever. Why do some creative business owners stay so calm when things shift and others don't? I think I finally know what the difference is. Key Moments: [00:00] What prompted this episode, and the pattern I have been watching for years [03:37] The story behind a major industry wobble, and the ve
140. WHAT TO AUTOMATE, WHAT TO KEEP HUMAN
There's a question I've been hearing from many creative business owners lately, and I don't think most of the voices out there are answering it well. Once you accept that AI has a place in your business, the real question becomes, where. What do you hand over, and what do you absolutely hold onto? In this episode, I share a framework built on the same thinking that underpins everything I teach a
139. WHAT CREATIVE BUSINESS OWNERS ALREADY HAVE THAT AI CAN'T REPLACE
I spent two days inside an AI bootcamp this week and the thing I most want to share isn't what AI can do. It's where you, as a creative business owner, already fit in all of this. Because the key skills that matter most as AI advances, critical thinking, creativity and problem solving are exactly what you already have. This episode is for every creative entrepreneur who's been quietly wondering
138. WHY YOUR IDEAL CLIENT REALLY MATTERS
I was asked a question in a recent live session that I think applies to every creative business owner. Whether you're service-based or selling products through stockists, does focusing on a specific ideal client actually matter if you don't control who buys from you? The answer might surprise you. It's not about demographics. It's about values. And once you understand that, everything can shift.
137. WHAT'S THE SO WHAT?
I had a conversation this week with a florist who spent 20 years in banking before starting her flower business. And she mentioned this phrase they used to use at JP Morgan. "What's the so what?" And it's a really interesting question, Listen in to find out more as it very much applies directly to how we manage our creative businesses. Resources Mentioned: Read: This Week's Full Journal Post
136. WHY CREATIVE ENTREPRENEURS KEEP UNDERCHARGING AND HOW TO CHANGE IT
If you've ever caught yourself apologising after quoting a price or felt that quiet discomfort when someone asks what you charge, this episode is for you. I talk about why that feeling of discomfort is so common amongst creative business owners, why the work that feels most natural to you is very often your most valuable and how to reframe this to price with confidence. Key Moments: [01:24]
135. HOW DO I GET THE RIGHT CLIENTS TO FIND ME?
The question I've been asked so many times recently. How do I get the right clients to find me? And it's funny, because the answer is almost never what people expect. It's not about marketing. It's not about Instagram. It's not even about being more visible. There's something else going on, and I think it's the missing piece that nobody's really talking about. This episode has the potential to c
134. WHAT MAKES A REALLY STRONG NEWSLETTER IN 2026
Let's talk about newsletters. Specifically, what makes a really good one for your creative business. And more importantly, why so many of them don't work. In this episode I share what i've been noticing from the newsletters I love the most right now, what's working in my own, and exactly what separates the ones people genuinely look forward to from the ones that quietly get ignored. Key Moments
133. THE DAY I WAS TOLD MY WORK WAS SH*T!
Renowned chef Marco Pierre White once told me my flowers were terrible. Actually, he didn't say that, he said they were "shit"! This was one of the best pieces of business advice I've ever received, because as a creative business owner there's something really important about understanding your own processes and systems, and not being swayed by clients or other people when you know how you work
132. AI FOR CREATIVE ENTREPRENEURS: WHAT WORKS (AND WHAT DOESN'T)
I've been having some really interesting conversations about AI for creative businesses lately, and I think we need to talk about this. Because some of us are using it brilliantly and it's genuinely helping our businesses, some are curious but haven't quite figured out where to start and some have tried it and found it more confusing than helpful. So today, I want to share what I'm finding actual
131. THE SPRING CLEAN: WHEN EVERYTHING BECOMES CLEAR
What if the reason previous courses and business advice haven't worked for your creative business isn't because of you but because they were never designed for the way creative minds actually work? This episode introduces something I've been quietly building for a while: The Bright Line, a six-month programme that takes your exceptional strengths and builds a complete business strategy around the
130. WHY CREATIVES SEE WHAT OTHERS MISS
As creatives you possess one of the rarest business skills there is, and you've had it all along... While visiting the breathtaking mountains of Glencoe on Scotland's west coast and the snowdrop gardens of Cambo on the east, I realised something profound about how we as creative business owners naturally see the world. We have this extraordinary ability to take in enormous scale while simultaneou
129. WHY PLAYING SMALL FEELS SAFER
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 impossi
128. I'M GOOD AT WHAT I DO... SO WHY IS BUSINESS STILL SO HARD
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 busin
127. NO ONE TALKS ABOUT THIS
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
126 WHEN THINGS DON'T GO TO PLAN
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
125. WHY AUTHENTICITY & STORY TELLING MATTER MORE THAN EVER
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
124. FEWER THINGS DONE BETTER
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
123. A DIFFERENT KIND OF YEAR
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
122. TAKING TIME TO CELEBRATE HOW FAR YOU'VE COME
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
121. LESSONS FROM TAYLOR SWIFT'S TOUR
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 te
120. WHEN YOUR 'SERIOUS' BACKGROUND MEETS YOUR CREATIVE BUSINESS (AND WHY THAT'S YOUR SUPERPOWER!)
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
119. YOUR CREATIVE MIND IS YOUR COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE
Welcome to the very first episode of the Creative Strengths podcast. This foundational episode examines something backed by research but often overlooked: how your creative thinking isn't a quirk misplaced in business, it's one of your biggest competitive advantages. Leading research consistently identifies creativity as the number one factor for future business success. This episode explores wh
118. THE LAST PASSION TO PROFIT EPISODE: THE NEXT CHAPTER
This is the very last Passion to Profit episode. After 118 weeks and over two years of conversations, the podcast is evolving into something that better reflects this work and where it's headed. From next week, everything changes. Make sure you are subscribed to see what comes next. Something I've never admitted: I never actually loved the name Passion to Profit! But I didn't wait for perfection
117. LET'S TALK ABOUT AMBITION: WHAT IT REALLY MEANS FOR CREATIVE ENTREPRENEURS
Somewhere along the way, ambition became associated with things that don't resonate with creative entrepreneurs, hustle culture, sacrificing everything for growth, becoming someone you're not. So when people talk about scaling or being ambitious, many of us instinctively recoil. Not because we don't want success, but because we don't want the version of success being sold to us. In this episode,
116. WHY I DO WHAT I DO!
This episode is a deeply personal one. I'm sharing why the last episode about 'expensive hobbies' was quite difficult for me to create, and why the work that I do matters so much to me. Key Moments: [01:45] Philippa's childhood experiences and understanding of financial independence [03:50] Learning about entrepreneurship through a transformative family in London [09:13] The importance of support
115. AN EXPENSIVE HOBBY VERSUS A REAL BUSINESS
"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
114. THE QUESTION THAT CHANGES EVERYTHING
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. Key Moments: [01:37] The story of Kate and how changing one business questi
113. THE FOUNDATION THAT MAKES EVERYTHING ELSE WORK
Over the last few weeks, we've explored what makes you a creative business owner, why your creativity is your most valuable asset, what's working right now for creative businesses, why 26 Pinterest visitors matter more than a million views, and ways to generate revenue that feel aligned with how you work best. I've been getting messages from so many of you saying, "This all makes complete sense.
112. GIVING YOURSELF PERMISSION TO SHOW UP AS YOURSELF
Today's episode is different. I'm in conversation with Vicky Hagen, founder of Hattie & Vic, a personal styling business that empowers women through beautifully considered clothing. What makes this conversation special is that Vicky participated in The Base Notes first cohort earlier this year, and you'll hear how understanding her exceptional strengths has transformed not just her business clari
111. FINDING REVENUE OPPORTUNITIES THAT ALIGN WITH HOW YOU WORK BEST
In the final months of the year, many creative entrepreneurs feel pressure to "finish strong" by launching something new, addind yet another service or completely reinventing what they are doing.. But what if the most straightforward path to additional revenue is already sitting right in your existing work and relationships? In this episode I share five practical approaches specifically designed f
110. WHY 26 VISITORS MATTER MORE THAN A MILLION VIEWS: MY PINTEREST EXPERIMENT MONTH TWO
After watching Pinterest webinars promising millions of views and instant success, I uncover the game-changing truth about sustainable marketing for creative entrepreneurs. Discover why 26 strategic website visitors matter infinitely more than vanity metrics, and how authentic, strengths-led marketing can transform your business growth. Key Moments: [02:27] The problem with Pinterest webinars
109. WHAT MAKES YOU A CREATIVE BUSINESS OWNER?
"What actually makes you a creative business owner?" Last week, I was asked this brilliant question at a creative business event and it made me think deeply: While it sounds simple, how you answer this question could fundamentally change everything about how you see your entrepreneurial capabilities. Key Moments: [02:05] A transformative conversation at LineUp, London [04:22] Defining what tr
108. WHAT'S WORKING RIGHT NOW FOR CREATIVE BUSINESSES
Last week, I had dinner with a brand strategist named Sarah who was completely deflated. She'd just lost a potential client to someone charging half her rates. But here's the fascinating part: that client had spent twenty minutes explaining why Sarah's approach felt so different, so thoughtful, and exactly what they needed. They praised her insights, described her process in detail, even said th
107. WHY THERE'S NEVER BEEN A BETTER TIME TO BUILD A SMALL CREATIVE BUSINESS (AND WHAT ACTUALLY WORKS)
The combined creative economies of Western Europe, US, Australia, New Zealand and Canada are now valued at over $1 trillion - driven primarily by solo entrepreneurs and small teams. So why in these seemingly booming times do many creative entrepreneurs still feel like they are struggling? Today we explore the disconnect between this massive opportunity and the way most creative entrepreneurs are t
106. MY PINTEREST EXPERIMENT: ONE MONTH IN
One month into my Pinterest experiment and I've discovered that everything I'd heard about Pinterest was wrong. Everyone says post daily (some say 30 times a day!). But three strategic pins per week actually works better than seven rushed ones. The results? 11,000 impressions in month one and people clicking through to my website. Sometimes the sustainable approach beats the overwhelming one! Ke
105. IN DEPTH: 5 QUESTIONS TO CREATE YOUR NEXT CHAPTER
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. Key Moments: [00:00] T
104. A COFFEE INVITATION: THE QUESTIONS THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING
Last week, a simple Instagram post about our family summers in Greece generated over 110,000 views and more responses than anything I've shared in a while. But it wasn't the Greece part that resonated, it was the underlying message about designing your business around the life you actually want to live. The messages revealed the same question: "I can see what I want, but I don't know how to bridge
103. FROM CREATIVE TO CREATIVE BUSINESS OWNER
There's an invisible line that many creative entrepreneurs struggle to cross, from seeing yourself as a creative person who happens to sell their offerings, to stepping fully into being a creative business owner. It sounds like a small difference, but it changes absolutely everything about how you operate. This final episode of our summer series is about making that shift and owning your identity
102. THE PERFECTIONISM TRAP THAT'S COSTING YOU CLIENTS
As creatives we often think perfectionism makes our work better, but it's actually costing us clients, opportunities and genuine connections with our audience. While you're perfecting, polishing, and waiting for everything to be "ready," your ideal clients are working with someone else - someone who showed up, shared their work, and made that human connection. In this episode we explore why "good
101. WHY YOUR NATURAL SKILLS ARE YOUR BIGGEST ASSET
"It's just something I'm naturally good at." "It feels too easy to charge for." "Anyone could do that." I hear these phrases constantly from creative entrepreneurs who are unknowingly dismissing their most valuable business assets. What feels effortless to you is often exactly what clients will pay premium prices for. In this episode, I'll show you how to spot your undervalued strengths and turn t
100. THE ONE THING HOLDING BACK YOUR CREATIVE BUSINESS
"I'm not a real business owner yet." "I'm just starting out." "I don't have enough experience." I hear these types of phrases constantly from creative entrepreneurs - even ones who've been successfully running businesses for years. This single limiting belief is costing you money, opportunities, and confidence, but the good news is it's completely fixable. As we reach our 100th podcast episode, he
099. BE YOURSELF IN BUSINESS!
That email you've been staring at for twenty minutes, trying to sound "professional" but ending up sounding like a robot?! I've been there. For years, I thought being professional meant hiding my personality behind formal language and corporate-speak. Then I met Elisa, a Sardinian event planner who was completely herself in every interaction... warm, direct, enthusiastic, while running a hugely su
098. THOUGHTFUL PERSISTENCE: WHY SILENCE DOESN'T MEAN NO
That beautiful pitch you sent months ago? The one that never received a response and left you feeling completely rejected? This silence almost never means what you think it means. After two years of rejection from Selfridges, I was told I "wasn't fashionable enough." Instead of giving up, I created fashion-inspired flower arrangements and turned up at their offices. That persistence became the fou
097. WHY SETTING HUGELY AMBITIOUS GOALS CAN ACTUALLY MAKE THINGS EASIER
That dream you haven't dared say out loud? The one that feels embarrassingly unrealistic? It might be exactly what your creative business needs. I started my flower business delivering bud vases to rural pubs, secretly dreaming of working with luxury brands and venues. That impossible vision didn't make building my business harder, it made everything clearer. When you aim for something extraordina
096. YOUR LOCATION ISN'T HOLDING YOU BACK!
What if the very thing you think is holding back your creative business is actually your biggest competitive advantage? This episode completely reframes how we think about our location, moving from limitation to opportunity. Drawing from real examples including TOAST, Eileen Fisher, and my own journey building a seven-figure floral business from the countryside, we explore how distance from major
095. THE COLLABORATION OPPORTUNITY: HOW GETTING OUT THERE GROWS YOUR CREATIVE BUSINESS
Last week, I found myself interviewing Cath Kidston in front of 50 creative entrepreneurs, and whilst I could tell you all about her incredible journey, what's more valuable is understanding how I came to be on that stage in the first place. The truth is, you cannot build a creative business in isolation. Behind every successful creative entrepreneur I know is a network of genuine relationships th
094. THE QUIET REVOLUTION HAPPENING IN CREATIVE BUSINESS
What I've discovered about creative entrepreneurs who are thriving is fascinating. They're quietly stepping away from doing things like everyone else and building businesses that actually work for them. This isn't just about being different for the sake of it; it's about recognising what you're naturally brilliant at and having the courage to build everything around that foundation. In this episod
093. THE POWER OF CREATIVE COMMUNITY: WHY SURROUNDING YOURSELF WITH LIKE-MINDED PEOPLE CHANGES EVERYTHING
Running a creative business can feel remarkably isolating. While friends and family are wonderfully supportive, they don't always understand the specific challenges of pricing creative work, the vulnerability of putting your designs into the world, or the constant balance between creativity and commerce. What I've discovered is that when you connect with other creative entrepreneurs who truly get
092. THE BASE NOTES HANDBOOK: BUILD YOUR CREATIVE BUSINESS BY DOING WHAT COMES NATURALLY
After months of development, I'm revealing the complete framework that transforms struggling creative businesses into thriving ones. Many creative entrepreneurs unknowingly struggle against their natural strengths instead of building from them. In this episode, I introduce The Base Notes framework, a proven approach that helps you align your creative business with what you naturally do best. Learn
091. THE INTEGRATION EFFECT: WHEN BUSINESS AND CREATIVITY WORK TOGETHER
Do you find yourself mentally "switching hats" between your creative work and business tasks? Have you ever felt that business systems somehow constrain your creative freedom? You're certainly not alone. In this episode, I explore what happens when we stop seeing business and creativity as opposing forces and instead allow them to genuinely enhance each other. I share real examples of creative
090. WHY CARE AND DESIGN MATTER IN BUSINESS
What if the invisible care you pour into your creative business is your greatest differentiator? Inspired by a powerful interview with Sir Jony Ive, (legendary designer behind Apple's most iconic products) this episode explores the spiritual dimension of design and why genuine care-beyond aesthetics and functionality can set your work apart in a noisy world. Philippa shares why intention, meaning,
089. THE RIPPLE OF AMBITION: WHY YOUR CREATIVE BUSINESS GROWTH MATTERS
Have you ever caught yourself downplaying your ambitions for your creative business? Maybe you've hesitated to voice your bigger dreams, or even allowed yourself to fully imagine them. You're not alone. Many creative entrepreneurs start with modest goals-enough work to pay the bills, flexibility for family life, or simply doing what they love. But when you align your business with your exceptional
BONUS EPISODE: A LITTLE SOMETHING EXTRA: BRINGING YOU BEHIND THE SCENES
Show Notes: In this special Tuesday bonus episode, I'm pulling back the curtain to share some exciting behind-the-scenes changes. I'm introducing a brand new "Real Life, Right Now" section to our weekly newsletters, a space designed to bring you closer into my world and offer genuine, meaningful connection for creative entrepreneurs. This thoughtful addition reflects what I've noticed: as creativ
088. PERMISSION TO BE OBSESSED: WHY CREATIVE ENTREPRENEURS SHOULD BUILD DIFFERENTLY
"I love thinking about my work all the time. It doesn't feel like an imposition, it feels like the privilege of doing something I'm obsessed with." When a friend said this during dinner recently, it struck a chord... This powerful episode explores why creative entrepreneurs often unconsciously limit their potential by trying to fit into industry norms or downplaying their ambition. We're constant
087. 2025 DESIGN TRENDS: WHAT CREATIVE BUSINESS OWNERS NEED TO KNOW
I've been noticing something fascinating happening in design right now – While AI innovation rushes forward, there's this equally powerful pull back towards handcrafted work and genuine connection. But, rather than feeling pressured to chase every trend (who has the time!?), through insights from Creative Boom's latest industry report this episode shares which 2025 design trends actually matte
086. WHY COMPARISON FADES WHEN YOU LEAD WITH YOUR STRENGTHS
Struggling with that constant urge to compare yourself to others in your industry? You're not alone, that nagging sense of comparison doesn't just affect how you feel, it can fundamentally limit what you build. In this episode we explore why comparison is so persistent for creative entrepreneurs and reveal the subtle mindset shift to make it finally fade away. Discover how leading with your natura
085.THE ENTREPRENEUR IDENTITY CRISIS: OWNING YOUR CREATIVE BUSINESS WITH CONFIDENCE
Do you ever feel like you're "playing" at being a business owner, even while running a legitimate, successful creative business? In this episode, we delve into the entrepreneur identity crisis so many creatives face, that disconnect between doing the work and fully owning the title of business owner. We explore how creative entrepreneurs can bridge the gap between their craft and their CEO mindset
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