E57: Pivot With Purpose: How to Evolve Your Business the Right Way

Today, we’re diving into a topic that so many business owners wrestle with...change. Whether it’s a full pivot, a subtle tweak, or a natural evolution, knowing when and why to shift direction in your business can make or break your success.

In this episode, I explore:

• The difference between changing, pivoting, and evolving and why it matters
• The biggest mistake I see entrepreneurs make: “niche flicking”
• Why changing your business model too often (or not often enough) sends mixed signals to your audience
• The importance of making intentional, data-informed decisions not reactive ones
• How to know if the problem is your niche, your marketing, or your messaging
• The role of alignment in sustaining momentum and attracting the right clients
• Why tracking your data and staying tuned into the market is non-negotiable

💡 Key Takeaway:

Change is essential, but it must be intentional. Don’t pivot because you’re frustrated or comparing yourself to others. Pivot because your data, your market, or your personal alignment tells you it’s time. Evolving is not about starting over... it’s about building on strong foundations with clarity and purpose.

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Website: https://www.emmahine.co.uk

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Transcript

Hello & welcome to Dream Business Dream Life, helping ambitious people, like you, to grow a business they love.

 I’m Emma Hine and I’m on a mission to show you that it is possible to grow a business without sacrificing your life.

 Having experienced the rollercoaster of making millions of pounds, but feeling overwhelmed, anxious, and totally unsuccessful, I know first-hand the importance of growing a business on your terms.

 On this podcast I'm going to share with you lots of tips and advice that will enable you to grow a business that gives you the financial freedom to live the life of your dreams while sharing with you some inspirational growth stories from other fabulous business owners.

 Ready to live the dream? Then let’s get stuck in…

Hello & Welcome to today’s episode of Dream Business Dream Life.

 I want to talk about something that I see a lot of people doing for the wrong reasons, I see a lot of people judging others for doing it, and a lot of people miss the memo completely.

 I’m talking about pivoting, about change, about evolution because it is something we all need to do but we need to do it for the right reasons and at the right time.

 I think the first thing to talk about is the difference between pivoting, changing and evolving.

 Now they all represent a shift, a growth if you like but there are subtle differences.

 My interpretation of them is simple.

 Change is a new direction completely…when I went from my ecommerce business to supporting others who want to grow and scale a business on their terms it was a change of direction. A new start…yes, I utilised skills I already had but what I created was brand new.

 Pivot is more of a tweak, more of a subtle change…maybe you niched down a little more.

 Evolve is you growing and moving to keep ahead of the game. It is about moving with the times and adapting to your evolving client needs and of course the market which is changing constantly. This is more of a continual process than a ta-daa this is new kind of change.

 So lets talk about why people get this wrong.

 First of all, if something is not selling after a month of winging it in terms of marketing you do not need to start again.

 If you have been trying to sell your offers for months, years maybe and failing constantly this does not mean you need to start again.

 If you see someone else doing something similar to you that does not mean you need to change.

 Niche flicking as I like to call it is not a strategy…it is not progress…it is not growth, and it happens a lot.

 One week someone is a mindset coach, the next they are social media managers, the next they are a brand expert…yep I see you and so does everyone else.

 Flicking from business to business from niche to niche is just going to send out mixed messages, your audience will lose trust, and they will not have a clue what you do or how you do it.

 Any change or pivot you make needs to be intentional…it needs to be done seamlessly and with a valid reason to back it up.

 You need to make sure that your reason for changing is not going to still be the issue when you pivot or change and what I mean by that is…was your marketing strategy not working, was your messaging not on the money, was your offer not clearly solving a problem….but not just any problem your ideal clients actual problem.

 Most of the time this is the problem and when people keep niche flicking they just replicate the same systems, the same processes, the same strategies or lack of strategies and yep the same thing happens…no sales so they niche again. Hoping that the next niche is the right one!

 So look at your data and look at the foundations of your business, your ideal client, your messaging, your offers etc and make sure that is not where the change is needed first.

 Then there is the opposite of that, there are the people that keep flogging the dead horse, what a horrible saying that is, anyway you know what I mean people who never tweak and change, who just keep doing what they have always done.

 The world changes, we need to change with it. If we don’t, we will be left behind.

 Staying still is equally not a strategy that will work long term.

 So, yes you can pivot and change too soon and equally you can pivot and change too late…so how the hell do we get it right?

 We track data, we monitor the data, and we act upon what it is telling us.

 We constantly keep our ears close to the ground in terms of what is going on in our industry, our client behaviours and of course the bigger stuff like technology and regulation changes.

 If your business is stagnating, slowing down or plateauing…you need to understand why, the data is going to help you to understand that and then you can look at what changes you need to make. It may be simple system, team or process change, it may be a pivot, or it may be a change to your offers or the way you market your business. 

 If you no longer feel aligned with your business, you need to understand this as lack of alignment will lead to inconsistency which will lead to a decline in sales. Has your vision, your dream, changed or have you just outgrown something…whatever is causing the alignment to be off, you need to understand it and you need to make the changes. You need to find a way to get back into alignment.

 If the market changes you need to understand how that impacts your business…AI is a prime example this…you can ignore it, you can complain it is going to take over jobs or take away the human touch or you can learn how to work with it.

 Change is essential for business, and personal, growth so you should never be afraid to do it but you do have to do it for the right reasons.

 Yes, it may well be uncomfortable and yes it will bring with it lots of work but a business that never changes will get left behind and we don’t want that now do we?

 So here’s your challenge: Look at your business today and ask am I changing for the right reasons, or am I avoiding the real issue?

 Thank you for listening; see you next time

You have been listening to Dream Business Dream Life with Emma Hine. If you want to know more about how I can help you to build your dream business and your dream life, then visit my website emmehine.co.uk. Until next time remember you really can have it all!