5 Hidden Fears Keeping Your Maker Business Stagnant (And How To Push Past Them)
You've posted some content on social media, built a website, maybe even have a low-cost product or two to sell, but your Maker business just isn't growing.
The insidious thoughts creep in.
Maybe you aren't cut out to turn your hobby into a business. Maybe people just don't understand your genius. Maybe everyone else who succeeded had an unfair advantage.
Or maybe, you aren't being honest about what's really holding you back (hint, it's you).
Hidden Fear 1: The Blame Game
It's not your fault, but the big bad algorithm's and it's out to get you or someone else had an unfair advantage you should be able to exploit too, but cannot because of suppression.
In reality, you're afraid that your content isn't as good as you think it is and people just aren't interested in it. Stop blaming anyone or anything else, take some ownership, and focus on the things you can control, not some algorithm that no one actually understands anyway.
Hidden Fear 2: "Productive" Procrastination
You know you should be posting consistent short-form video, but you'll do that as soon as you clean your workshop, finish that one project, or get your Notion second brain all squared away.
I have struggled with every one of those (including currently putting off a video because I want to get a haircut first) and it doesn't get easier. Fortunately, all you need to do is spend 5 minutes getting your priorities in order, figure out what the number 1 one is (because by definition we can only have 1 priority), and move all the others to a "later" list.
Hidden Fear 3: Constantly Changing Course
Maybe Instagram or TikTok isn't for you and you need to play the game on YouTube Shorts, or maybe on Facebook, or maybe on Threads, or maybe, or maybe, or maybe.
You're afraid that there is a magical platform out there that is all you really need to be focusing on and that will solve all your problems, but if you constantly change what you're trying to do, you run in circles. Instead, pick what you want to do, set a time limit of 90 days, and give it everything you have (then make a decision based on data, not emotion).
Hidden Fear 4: Analysis Paralysis
To make the perfect project to go viral, all you need is a little more information from 1 more book, 2 new YouTube videos, or reconfiguring your workshop.
The first time you made something, you learned more from doing than you ever could watching years of videos or reading a library's worth of books. Don't let the fear of "not enough information" keep you from doing because valuable information comes from actually doing the thing, not researching it to death.
Hidden Fear 5: Delay Till Tomorrow
You knew this was coming and you dreaded it because how many times have you said, "I'll get serious about content next week," or month or year.
The problem is "tomorrow" never comes and will always be a magical time when the stars align, you have all the time and energy you could ever way, and Sagittarius is finally in the fifth house (or whatever reason you come up with). Be honest with yourself about whether building your Maker business is what you want and, if it is and I hope it is, start now and make just a little more progress every day.
