Summer is always a time of shift, especially for creative entrepreneurs (doubly true if you have school-aged kids like me). 

As creative business owners, we’re constantly doing the cha-cha with our schedules. One step forward, two steps back, and a dramatic dip when a client decides to “circle back in September.” Add in team members jetting off for summer vacations, and the natural ebb and flow of your industry, and you’ve got yourself a choreography for chaos.

This year, my family is shifting how we’re doing summer, and it’s a perfect example of how embracing change can fuel success in both our personal and professional lives.

My family’s summer shake-up is reminding me of some pretty valuable lessons about running a creative business. 

In this post, I’ll share how our new summer routine connects to some key principles that apply to any entrepreneur facing change. We’ll explore adapting to new circumstances, finding opportunities in shifting schedules, and keeping your business thriving even when everything else feels up in the air. 

Whether you’re working from a beach towel, your studio, or a home office this summer, these insights might just help you navigate your own seasons of change with a bit more ease and maybe even some fun.

Our Summer Evolution

For the past few years, our summers have followed a familiar pattern. It all started by accident during the COVID summer of 2020 when we moved to the beach for the season. With remote work and ever-changing social distancing guidelines, we seized the opportunity to move to the beach for the summer. 

By 2021, we made this a deliberate choice, packing up our lives and relocating to the Jersey Shore for the entire summer allowing us to soak up all the morning beach walks and sandcastles with the kiddos. We cherish these memories and the flexibility that remote work has granted us over the years.

During this time, we have been incredibly fortunate to have a dedicated babysitter down at the shore who watched the kids each day, allowing my husband and I to focus on our work when we needed to. 

I had built my business to be fully remote, with flexible hours that worked around our family’s needs making this arrangement possible (an important part of my own vision and definition of success). This continued smoothly through the summer of 2023.

But this year, things are changing. 

We’re setting out on a new summer rhythm, splitting our time between the beach and our hometown in PA, despite how much I crave being at the beach all summer long. 

Why?

Several factors led to this decision. Our reliable babysitters have moved on to new chapters in their lives – one graduated college, while the other (her younger sister who took over) is preparing for her summer travel abroad!

Additionally, as our kids have grown, they’ve become more involved in activities back home that we didn’t want to completely disconnect them from.

We’ve also realized we missed building summer memories with our friends at home. Disappearing for three months each year meant missing out on barbecues, impromptu gatherings, and the simple joys of summer in our own community. 

And, I’ll admit, my husband pointed out that living and working from the beach had somewhat diminished the unplugged ‘vacation’ feeling of our shorehouse. For him, it was no longer just a place to relax but had become our full-time life and work space for a quarter of the year.

So, we’re trying something new. 

We’re spending 2-3 weeks at a time in each place, going back and forth throughout the summer. The kids are doing a patchwork of camps in both locations, with my parents stepping in to help with childcare when needed (it takes a village!).

We’re still spending most weekends at the shore (thank goodness), and I’m looking forward to those long, uninterrupted beach days when neither of us is working. And of course, the kids are still enrolled in their beloved surf camp.

It’s an experiment, and we’re approaching it open-mindedly. I’m overall optimistic, but also a bit hesitant about the logistics of heading back and forth so often for a few weeks at a time…

Case in point: just this past Monday at 8 am, on the way to camp, we had to make an unexpected stop to buy my son another pair of sneakers. 

Over the weekend, he had taken his sneakers to the beach and left them in a basket by the door. While I remembered to pack my daughter’s sneakers, I didn’t realize my son’s had been left behind. 

Since sneakers are required for camp, our Monday morning turned into a hectic rush, resulting in a stressful, last-minute Target run before finally heading to the first day of camp.

All that to say, we’ll see how it goes and reassess for next year. We’re not committed to this new arrangement one way or the other – it’s all about finding what works best for our family and my business in this current season of life. 

As parents and business owners, we are so incredibly in charge! With great power comes great responsibility, but also the ability to always change your mind if things aren’t working the way you had hoped!

Lessons from Our Changing Summer Traditions

This whole summer flip-flop got me thinking about how we run our creative businesses. Turns out, juggling family summer plans can teach you a thing or two! 

Here’s what I’ve been reminded of:

1. Embrace the Ebb and Flow. Just like our family’s summer plans have evolved, the needs and demands of a creative business shift over time. Instead of fighting against change and creating resistance, learning to work with it will allow you to find more flow and ease. 
   
   
2. Adaptability Fuels Growth. One of the keys to success as a creative entrepreneur is the ability to adapt. Whether it’s changing client needs, market trends, or personal circumstances, the ability to pivot and find creative solutions is essential.
   
   
3. Let Go of the “Old Way.” The entrepreneurs who thrive are the ones who can release their grip on the familiar and embrace the new possibilities that change can unlock. Don’t just do things because it’s the way they’ve always been done. Do things because it’s what works NOW. It’s not always easy, but it’s necessary for growth.
   
   
4. Celebrate the Journey. As we navigate this new chapter of our family’s summer story, I’m reminded to approach it with the same mindset I bring to my creative business. I am embracing that change is inevitable and needed, celebrating the journey, and finding beauty in new circumstances, focusing on presence rather than just focusing on what’s ahead.
   
   
5. It’s Okay to Try New Things. Yes, even if you’re a creature of habit like me!   Trying new things in your business is like picking up speed on a bike. That first push? It’s harder than resisting a sale at Target. But once you build momentum, you’re flying. Whether you try that new marketing strategy, revamp your client process, or maybe even learn TikTok, who knows? That change you’ve been resisting might just be the best thing that ever happened to your business.
   
   
6. Compromise is Often Necessary. Finding a balance between family needs, personal desires, and business demands often requires compromise. The key is to remain flexible and open to creative solutions. It’s not about losing – it’s about being smart enough to know when “good enough” is actually pretty great.

These lessons from our family’s summer transitions? They’re gold for your creative business. So next time things get a little crazy or you feel yourself sensing that a change to your old tried and true approach is necessary, remember – it might just be the shake-up your business needs!

Managing the Logistics of Change

As my family’s been navigating the evolving logistics of our summer plans, we’ve had to get creative, resourceful, and proactive. The same principles apply when adapting your creative business to change because in the world of creative entrepreneurship, being flexible isn’t just nice – it’s as necessary as caffeine on a Monday morning:

1. Communicate Openly. Share updates early and often with clients, partners, and your team. Address concerns promptly and remain open to feedback.
   
   
2. Optimize Your Workflows. Evaluate your current processes and identify areas for improvement. Automate repetitive tasks to increase efficiency and equip yourself with the right technology to facilitate adaptability – because robots don’t need coffee breaks or mid-afternoon naps.
   
   
3. Prioritize and Plan Strategically. Use collaborative tools like digital calendars and project management software. Carefully map out deadlines, priorities, and schedule adjustments, but be willing to reevaluate when life throws a curveball. (Spoiler: It will.)
   
   
4. Build a Supportive Network. Surround yourself with mentors, peers, and experts who’ll talk you off the ledge when you’re convinced everything’s falling apart. Don’t be shy about asking for help – vulnerability is a superpower.

Remember, just as your life changes year after year as you (and your family) grow and circumstances change, so will your business. You don’t always need to do things the way you have been doing them – in fact, that’s a trap that usually backfires or breaks eventually.

When we’re open to change, that’s when the real fireworks start. I’m talking sparklers-in-both-hands, grand-finale-at-Disney-World kind of magic. And not just in your personal life, but in your business too.

By riding the waves of change instead of frantically doggy-paddling against them, we’re not just surviving – we’re thriving.

So here’s to new seasons, letting go of what was right for the past, and welcoming the possibilities that change brings!

Make This Summer Count

And hey, if your summer is feeling more spacious than jam-packed, why not lean into some CEO time and fuel your business? 

My “Business Building for Creatives” course is a self-paced digital goldmine that’ll help you put the right things in place now to serve you well in the future. My clients say they come back to these resources constantly – it’s like having a business coach in your beach bag (minus the sand).

So why not use this summer lull to set yourself up for year-round success? 

Check out the course here!