What It’s Really Like Starting from Scratch (Again)
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Starting from scratch again? Been there. Several times, actually. And while it can feel a little embarrassing—or even defeating—I want to share what I’ve learned from pivoting multiple times in business (and how it might actually be your secret weapon).
This post is for you if you’ve made a big switch, are thinking about pivoting, or just need permission to not have it all figured out yet. You're not failing, you’re GROWING!
1. First Things First: It’s Okay to Pivot
I've pivoted about 3 or 4 times at this point, and so I get that it's embarrassing, You wonder if people are silently judging or thinking “she changed her mind again?” But here’s the truth:
Most of those people aren’t entrepreneurs themselves. They don’t get how hard building something from scratch is.
The ones who are entrepreneurs? They’ve pivoted too—and they’re probably cheering you on.
Every time I’ve pivoted, I’ve felt closer to what I actually want to do. More aligned. More excited. If a pivot makes you feel energized, creative, and like the ideas are finally flowing again—that’s a good sign. If it makes you feel worse… that’s a different conversation. But if the spark is back? You’re moving in the right direction.
2. Pivoting Helps You Understand Other Niches (and Yourself)
When I first started out, I thought I’d teach people how to start a blog. How ironic is that..? I hadn't even “made” it myself and decided it'd be a good idea to try and teach others.. like what?
While I kick myself about that sometimes, I do admire that old Rachel who had the guts to get started.
I always had a passion for making money on your own and I wanted to help others who aspired to do that. I had been learning LOTS and I mean A LOT about starting your own business, how to make money in different ways, and everything in between.
I do think I could've made it work but I felt so much like an imposter. I had no real results of making this work, yet I knew I had good ideas of what could work. But in the end it just didn't feel right.
I will say though that when people teach that it's good to be in saturated markets, they're not wrong. The con is that things like ad spend are more expensive. However, I was able to get the most money out of that niche after only doing it for 5ish months. I just needed to learn how to make more money than I was spending.
3. Every Pivot Gets You Closer
Here’s something no one talks about enough: every pivot brings you 5 steps closer to “making it.”
Why? Because you’re not starting over completely—you’re building on what you’ve already learned. And you know what doesn’t work for you.
When I was focusing on helping others start their own blog/online biz, I had this grand idea to make these niche workbooks. These ebooks were 20-30 pages full of useful info for whatever niche you picked. They taught you what you needed to know about the niche, some of your competition, how to make money with that specific niche, and so much more. I did it for all the most saturated niches: lifestyle, fashion, travel, pets, parenting, home, etc.
This took me a long time and when I finally launched it, I got absolutely no sales. That sucked. But I was able to learn so much about all these niches, and it was super fun. And now I can carry over that knowledge into what I'm doing now - like the do's and don'ts of blogging, what makes specific blogs successful, and so on.
Another nice “perk” to pivoting is that you can carry over your website and other marketing platforms over as well - you don't have to start from absolute scratch. You will lose some people because they may not be as interested in your new niche, but hey, it's much better for them to leave rather than waste your time (or ruin your open rate and email deliverability).
4. It Feels Like Starting Over… But It’s Not
When I first kicked off my business, I called it Can't Sit Still. It felt like the perfect name for me because I had all these different passions I wanted to share. But then I switched to Rachel Madsen Studio when I decided to just focus on selling my art. That just made a lot more sense for that niche.
It was frustrating to rebrand after investing time and money into my first site, but I was able to repurpose a lot of what I’d built—thank goodness. Since I'm now doing what I originally planned when I chose the name, I’m slightly considering changing back to Can’t Sit Still... I kinda miss the name! But having my name in my business is also kind of fun and I think "studio" is broad enough that it allows me to be flexible.
Platform-wise, I’ve:
Started on Squarespace (great for design),
Used their email marketing (don’t love the 5-email-a-month limit unless you upgrade),
Switched to Kit (formerly ConvertKit) for better flexibility,
Went to Shopify for my art biz (hello, learning curve)—I had to buy Gempages with it to allow me to customize pages fully how I wanted to.
Experimented with WordPress (major nope for me—too clunky without a custom build),
And ended up coming back to Squarespace, where I gave my site a full makeover.
I’m also still using Shopify where I will sell all my (physical) products—still deciding whether I sell digital products on Squarespace or Shopify.
MailerLite will be my email marketing platform until I have to start paying for it (over 1,000 subscribers)
It felt like I was starting all over… but I was actually bringing years of experience to the table. My friends and family would feel bad for me because they saw me working a lot, but I was genuinely enjoying what I was doing. That’s how I knew I was in the right place.
5. Final Thoughts: Pivoting Isn’t Failure
In the end, don't be afraid to pivot. it's much better to pivot than to hate what you're doing.
Just make sure your pivot is:
Aligned with what excites you,
Backed by a plan,
And not just a reaction to short-term struggles.
Because yes—every business gets hard at times. Even the one you love.
Tell me in the comments below!
Have you ever pivoted before and what your experience was with it? OR Are you considering pivoting? I’m happy to guide you on if it’s the right decision for you or not, and what your next steps should be.
Also I want to know your opinion—do you like Can't Sit Still or Rachel Madsen Studio better?
Your comments mean a lot to me – feel free to leave one below!