What happens when you reach capacity and you know you can’t keep going the way you are?
Some folks rebrand, hoping a fresh look will fix the bottlenecks and lack of leads (spoiler alert, this is rarely the source of your problem). Other folks choose to walk away entirely, which is a valid and sometimes necessary decision. Some folks keep things intentionally small, which works for them.
HOWEVER, if you are that gritty someone who wants to learn and grow but doesn’t know how (probably because you are stuck in the maelstrom that is your day-to-day), the starting point is not a new logo, new service or product launch, it is your internal setup and mindset.
The less glamorous truth about running a business is that growth is nurtured by looking at your business’ inner workings. Your systems, processes, customer journey and your digital infrastructure, your consistency. When things feel stuck or chaotic, it is often because your systems are operating at capacity, or not even operating at all.
The founders I work with at Studio Folklore are talented, passionate, and utterly committed to what they do. They have built beautiful businesses, often through intuition, networking and sheer hard work. But as success builds, so do the orders, and the demand, and the visibility, and the marketing, and the collaborations, and the partnerships and the photoshoots.
AND I find the founder burnt out with systems that will never keep up.
Are your orders still fulfilled manually? Is your CRM a spreadsheet, or worse…in your DMs? Do you rely on word of mouth or Instagram to generate sales / leads? Whilst you think your website may be visually lovely, DIY DNW (does not work) when you are scaling. You lack the tools and that is COMPLETELY fine and normal. Strategy and automation, genuine messaging, clarity and structure.
All this creates friction at the exact moment you need flow.
This tipping point is a critical moment, and the unfortunate reality is that around 20% of UK businesses fail within your first year. 60% fail within the first three years. In many cases, these businesses didn’t fail because the product was not great, you failed because the founder didn’t have the systems or support to scale.
If only you had known how to grow or had someone in your corner to help them do it with purpose.
This is where I come in handy. I work with creative founders like you, to upgrade, to bridge the gap between your craft and the digital ecosystem that supports it.
This might look like a new website (design and platform), a Redesign, Website Optimisation or a Website Strategy Workshop. Each of these is an opportunity to lay the foundation BEFORE making big moves. We can upgrade your clucky WordPress bohemoth to a custom Shopify or Webflow website that truly reflects your brand’s next evolution. Website Optimisation will fine-tune what is already there; or focused business strategy sessions to help to move you forwards with confidence and structure.
You do not have to stay stuck.
Growth doesn't have to mean chaos or hundreds of thousands of pounds. It can look like half a day spent in a workshop or 2 weeks of websitt analysis and optimisation.
With the right foundation, your digital ecosystem can support your craft, giving you space to breathe, create and delegate the jobs you do not need to be doing. Like looking after your website.
If you are at capacity and wonder what might come next, you are not alone and you don’t have to figure it all out on your own.
– Production can't keep up.
– Lead times get longer, customer experience suffers...refunds happen.
– Fulfilment is clunky or manual.
– Inventory gets mismanaged.
– No clear plan for managing demand spikes.
– Still using spreadsheets, WhatsApp messages, or DMs to manage business?
– Processes live in the founder’s head.
– No CRM, automated emails, or backend logic to support customer journeys...
– Everything feels reactive instead of planned.
– No roadmap, strategy, or clear path to growth...
– Unsure what growth should even look like (more products? wholesale? digital? partnerships?) argh!
– Afraid scaling = burnout or compromising on product or service quality.
– Feel overwhelmed by all the advice, tools, or tech
– Have you refused to delegate due to control issues, cost, or trust?
– Packing orders yourself, answering all the emails, posting on Instagram...I've been there.
– No time to work on the business, only in it. This has got to stop.
– Beautiful but static website with no automations, poor SEO, unclear storytelling, no strategic flow.
– Customers get confused or bounce off on the homepage (check your Google Search Console data).
– No systems for upsells, abandoned carts, newsletter flows, or pre-orders...
– No content plan or brand consistency
– Posting sporadically, launching things quietly without any build up
– Relying solely on Instagram or word of mouth
– Don't know how to convert interest into action
– Decision fatigue is all you feel
– Your business feels like an uphill treadmill, not a joyful creative practice.
– You want things to feel lighter, simpler, more sustainable, but don’t know how.
– Your Shopify theme or website no longer reflects you brand’s evolution.
– Messaging feels unclear or outdated
– Branding and visuals feel very DIY
– Your customer base is shifting, but the backend systems have not caught up.
– Constant fire-fighting
– No space for long-term thinking, product development, or creative dreaming
– No time to test, tweak, or experiment
– Projects go on and on and on and on and on and on and on...
– No team to bounce ideas off
– No trusted partner to help guide strategy
– Outsiders don’t understand the nuance of craft or design-led businesses
You get the picture.
You can sort it out.
You know who to call...