5 Reasons Why You´re Not Making Money With Your Creative Business (And How to Fix It)

I would like to say that I`m lucky to make 6-figure every month. But to be honest, running a 6 and 7-figure business has nothing to do with luck. It´s all about MINDSET and SKILLS.

It saddens me to see how many creatives give up on their dream because they struggle to make money. They blame themselves, lose confidence and doubt if they are good enough – when really, what they lack is business know-how.

It can be super depressing and frightening to realize that you do not make enough money to cover your monthly expenses.

You feel lost and alone. Like you are this huge failure that cannot figure out how to make a living doing what you love.

I know the feeling. I´ve been there.

As a young mother in my early twenties, I collected empty bottles in the streets and exchanged them for money, so that we could get something to eat. It was not my proudest moment, but I was broke. I was a young, frustrated + struggling artist.

And I gave up my dream back then because I wanted a better life for my children. Today, many years later I wish I knew back then what I know today.

I get questions all the time on how creatives can make money in their businesses, and it goes something like this;

“My business is not making enough money, how can I increase cash flow so that I can afford to pay my bills and so I don´t have to worry about money ever again?

“I don’t know where to begin or what to do, and because I never get bookings I feel like I’m the worst photographer ever!”

So, today I’m sharing the top five reasons why creatives don´t make money with their businesses. These are POWERFUL steps, and if you commit, you’re well on your way to making it work.

5 Reasons Why You´re Not Making Money With Your Creative Business (And How to Fix It)

Don’t freak out if some of these apply to you, because it´s totally normal. The first step to change is to acknowledge you need change. Being real and honest with yourself will help you get things back on track.

Reason #1: You are not fully committed

Let me ask you this; are you fully and totally 100% committed to making money?

If you do not do at least ONE thing daily to grow your bank account, grow your profit and sky-rocket your sales – you are not fully committed.

You got to let go of that old story about the struggling artist and be laser-focused on growing your income.

I didn´t start to make money in my business until I decided. I decided that this is what I want and I wouldn’t accept anything less. I stopped giving up and backing off, and I made a conscious choice to believe that I could have whatever I wanted.

Making money starts with a mindset shift and a whole lot of action. This is you being really clear on what you want, stepping up, and doing the work.

So if you want a profitable business, the first step is deciding that’s what you want, and that’s what you’ll have… because there’s no other option.

KEY TAKEAWAY: Every day ask yourself; “what action can I take today to actually put money in my bank account?” Asking yourself this question will help you focus and get what you want.

Reason #2: You play hide and seek

The number one reason why so many women don´t make money in their business is that they don´t show up.

They hide, thinking it´s so much easier to play safe and color so far inside the lines that they don´t stand out as being too much.

As humans… we crave safety. It’s one of the top human needs. We need to feel safe.

So when presented with the idea of getting out from our hiding place… it can feel terrifying!!!!!

Perhaps you know the feeling. You want success with your creative passion, but you avoid showing yourself to the world – hoping that one day will be your lucky day and someone will discover you.

Let’s get serious for a moment.

Have you ever noticed how much time you spend presenting the EVIDENCE about why you need to hide and play small?

Because it’s way, way, way too scary to show up as YOU and you find yourself thinking; “Let me put everyone else first and let me just hide in the shadows and then….”

Someday, I will put myself out there…
Someday, I will promote my products…
Someday, I will ask for the sale…
Someday, I will show the world how great I am…

But here´s the truth; visibility is critical to the success of your business: people can’t pay you if they can’t find you.

“Someday”, will not make you a profitable + successful business.

“Someday”, is an excuse to hide and play small.

And YOU are better than that!

YOU deserve more!

You have SO MUCH to offer. And it doesn’t do anybody any good if you keep it to yourself.

You’re done disappearing into the background. Beige was never your color anyway.

Now, is when you stop hiding. Now, is when you forget about “someday” and act TODAY!

This is your time to step out into the light and show the world what you have to offer.

KEY TAKEAWAY: You can’t wait for a miracle, sign, or lucky break. You have to make your own luck. If you are serious about your dream, you must go for it – every day!

Reason #3: You are a perfectionist

One of the biggest causes of creative dry spell is the need to “get it right.” We strive for perfection, and when we fall short, we feel less than and worthless.

What we don’t seem to realize is that perfectionism is the enemy of done. CREATING something and being WILLING to share it with the world is super important.

Why? Because though your content might not be perfect, it will help people who were once in your shoes.

You don´t have to be an expert; you just need to be a small step ahead of those you wish to help.

And if you help and inspire people, that´s an accomplishment in itself, regardless of your need to be “perfect”.

Let´s be real. To run a profitable business, you need to create products and content that solve your clients biggest pain points.

And this takes time and effort to create. Many business owners get overwhelmed just by the thought of this. They want to make the perfect product, the perfect newsletter, take the perfect photo for Instagram or write perfect caption for social media.

But you can´t create perfect stuff all the time… and if this is your goal, you´ll most likely never get your business up and running.

Instead of berating yourself for messing up and stumbling backwards, give yourself a warm-hearted pat on the back for trying, for making progress, and putting things out there.

KEY TAKEAWAY: Solving problems your clients have is more important than you showing up perfect.

Reason #4: You don´t know your target audience

If you are confused about exactly who your target audience is and what position to take in your industry, you will struggle to make money – it´s that simple.

You need to know your potential clients inside and out and make sure you can answer these three questions:

#1: What do your customers want and need most?
#2: What are their pain points, that is, the most urgent problems that they need to solve?
#3: How can you help them?

Customers are looking for solutions and if they are confused about how you can help them or if they don´t understand the exact benefits from working with you – they´ll move on.

Potential clients are constantly asking the questions, “What’s in it for me?” and “Who can provide me what I need, in the most convenient way?”

With so many websites and businesses online, you need to answer that question from the moment they show up at your website or discover one of your products online.

KEY TAKEAWAY: Get really clear on the value you provide your clients and charge accordingly.

Reason #5: You are afraid to ask for the sale

Do you get a dry cotton mouth when people ask you how much you charge?

Do you avoid selling your products and service because you are afraid to appear pushy, salesy or icky?

If so, you are not alone. From working with thousands of women around the world, I´d say that 95% of creative women feel this way.

The number one excuse for not going for the sale is lack of confidence.

But here´s the truth. It´s not lack of confidence. It´s lack of skills.

How can you be a world-class sales queen when no one never taught you how?

I mean, no one wakes up one day thinking; “I´m going to be a professional ballerina”, and then the next day dance with the New York ballet, right.

You need to learn how to promote yourself. You need to learn how to communicate to your desired audience. And you got to learn how to love selling.

And just to be clear; selling is not about being annoying, or trying to force your products on someone.

Selling is LOVE. If you love what you do, all you sell is LOVE.

Selling is sharing inspiration. If you feel inspired to inspire others, all you sell is inspiration.

Selling is storytelling. Forget icky sales emails. Talk about your journey. Share how you got from where you were to where you are today.

Share how you overcame your struggles and how you now are ready to help people who are in a similar situation as you once were.

KEY TAKEAWAY: Talk about the experience and the benefits people will get by working with you. Be passionate about what you do and what you offer and share your excitement.

Alright, that´s it for today. Now commit to changing just ONE thing at a time.

Allow yourself to step outside your comfort zone because it´s outside your comfort zone you will sky-rocket your profit.

Need help going from BUSINESS overwhelm to six-figure PROFIT, IMPACT AND FREEDOM? The doors for my exclusive program Optimize Your Creative Life are now open!

I poured my heart and soul into this program because I know what it’s like to race from task to task but nowhere closer to your income goals.

In this program we’re going DEEP into:

EXACTLY what you should be doing each day so you can actually make some MONEY!
Branding yourself to stand out like the creative star you were born to be.
Mastering and knowing your target audience so you know exactly who you’re serving and how to sell to them.
Designing your signature products like a pro to bring in the revenue you deserve and leave your audience hungry for more.
Overcoming your money blocks so you can develop a 6-figure mindset and skyrocket your income.
The exact workflow you need to follow so you can stay in your zone of genius without the burn-out.
Building automation and systems that let you step out of your business and into your power and make money while you’re sleeping.
The Art of crafting your website, sales page and sales script. No more guessing. You get all of my templates!
Turning your creative skills into a profitable online course, so you can work from home in your yoga pants while helping a ton of people around the world.

Are you as excited as I am?!

Sign up today and join this life-changing program!

This is the only way to work with me, so if you’ve been thinking about getting my strategy and support in your business, it’s time to hop to it.

With Love,

Christina

Unleash Your Inner LION and Become Unapologetically YOU

9 / 25 / 1711 / 17 / 17

To be honest, I´m a very impatient women. As soon as I get an idea, I want to bring it to life. I love that I don´t have to ask anyone for permission, I can do exactly what I want when I want. I´m my own boss.

But I wasn´t always like that. I was raised to be a people pleaser, to be the good girl. In school, I was afraid to speak up or even raise my hand. When I later was accepted into to art school, I was afraid to show my work. I was afraid I wasn´t good enough. And throughout my childhood, I was working really hard for applause and approval – yet it never came, and it limited me big time.

I knew deep in my soul something was wrong with my life. I wasn´t meant to be a quiet girl. I was meant for bigger things. I felt a wild lion inside of me just waiting to break out, but I kept it locked up. I was afraid of the lion, not realizing it was my passion – my fire, my soul´s driving force.

I used so much energy locking my inner lion up that I became depressed. I wasn´t turning into the person I wanted to be. I was constantly directing and designing my life after other peoples agenda and expectations, striving to be the good girl – the people pleaser.

But one day I just had enough. I decided to let the lion out and from that day on my life completely changed. I gave myself permission to be me, allowing myself to speak up, be wildly creative and go after my big dreams.

You see, we humans tend to wait for permission, and for those perfect circumstances to fall into place. Before we know it, life has already passed us by. We wait for approval from people who think they have our best interest at heart—we’re crushed when it never comes. We miss the amazing life that could be ours while we wait for someone to show us the “go” sign.

We think we need permission to live the way we want to live. We believe that all the stars have to align before we can change things. We think that we have to be at a certain point, or that the circumstances have to be just right.

It´s time to stop waiting!

Give yourself permission to live a big life. You are meant to thrive and expand, not stay small and scared because of limiting beliefs. You are meant to dive fully into what this incredible journey has to offer you. You have so many gifts that you can use to create fulfillment and love.

The resources you have within you (your passions, talents, desires) are meant to come forth.

Your purpose is to share these resources with the world rather than play it safe and stay within your comfort zone. You are meant for great things, but first, you must give yourself permission to SHINE and live your full potential.

Give yourself permission, and you will see who you truly are. A magnificent being that is always worthy of love no matter how often you fall. Your amazing spirit is here for a limited time, and you owe it to yourself and the world to live a big life.

Go ahead, start today. Make a promise to yourself to move past your limiting thoughts, shed all worries and step fully into the world with greatness and courage.

You’ll never live up to the standards of what “everyone” wants you to be, so why fight a battle you can never win. Instead focus on being MORE of who you’re meant to be and focus less on what THEY think you should be. You might not see your own beauty but if you continue to conceal and hide who you are, the people that’s right for you won’t be able see it either.

Regardless of how you view yourself, regardless of your past experiences, regardless of your personal story—you can start over today!

The past has gone, and the past does not define how your future looks. You are not your past, and every second, every day, you can make a new decision about who you want to be and how you want to show up in your life.

Go shine and show the world your light.

Unleash your inner LION and become unapologetically YOU!

The Fine Line Between Being Inspired & Being Overwhelmed

7 / 31 / 17

Over this delicious dinner with a friend we talked about information overload and how creative entrepreneurs are constantly being bombarded with tips, ideas, how-to’s, podcasts, blog posts, videos, and stories.

Now, don´t get me wrong, I absolutely love that we have access to so much inspiration and knowledge. I´m a complete information junkie myself. I love to read and learn. Knowledge is fabulous.

But the downside is that it’s easy to lose your focus if you´re not careful. Be very selective in what you allow yourself to embrace, see, hear and listen to. You are the boss of your brain – you decide what to do with all the information and when to pull the plug and take a break.

Too much information can lead to confusion and frustration. Suddenly you find yourself doubting if you’re on the right path, wondering if you’re doing things the right way. You risk losing connection to your own inner compass and gut feelings.

There’s a fine line between being inspired and being overwhelmed. To navigate all the daily information and use it for optimal growth be sure to keep focus on your purpose and your life goal.

One huge trap to fall into is the idea that you need to follow specific strategies and steps recommended by experts, gurus and highly successful people. Of course, it´s great to seek inspiration and motivation – but know that it´s okay to do things your way.

I guess business success is found in the balance between following expert advice and doing your own thing. No matter what you’ll always be the secret sauce in your brand. So allow yourself to let your true personality shine.

There are no rules in life so why limit yourself to what everybody else is doing?

Pooh-poohing the rules can be so freeing and a refreshing way to spark your creativity too. Listen to your gut feelings and respect yourself enough to do things on your own terms.

5 Tips for Dealing with Information Overload

#1: Don´t feel obligated to spend hours and hours on social media if you rather spend your time doing other things. You don´t have to reply to ALL comments, you don´t have to post daily, and you don´t owe anyone your time!

#2: As the boss of your brain be VERY selective in what you spend time on. Your mind is super sensitive. Reduce access to whatever drains your energy and makes you feel bad. Allow yourself a break from the News, gossip, and negative people. Protect your creative mind at all costs.

#3: Remember, there´s a time for creating and a time for thinking. Avoid trying to create and research at the same time – it confuses the mind and slows you down. When you´re creating, make sure to block out all unnecessary information.

#4: Don´t let FOMO (the fear of missing out) control your mood or your life. It´s okay to let go and just focus on being in the moment doing something you love. It´s okay to take it slow and just doing nothing. Moments of doing nothing can help you become productive later as it recharge your creative mind and prepares you for thinking.

#5: Clear your desk, your desktop, and your head as much as you can. Turn off the computer and your phone for a little while to meditate and stretch. The renewed energy you gain from this will help you navigate through all the information you receive.

With love and passion,