SUPPORT SEASONS IN BUSINESS + BUY SARAH A COFFEE

〰️

SUPPORT SEASONS IN BUSINESS + BUY SARAH A COFFEE 〰️

In this solo episode, I share three of my favourite mantras — simple phrases that help me embrace the good days and gently lift me on the not-so-good ones. Running a creative business can feel joyful and energising, but it can also be lonely, overwhelming, or full of self-doubt. These three little reminders, “Done is better than perfect”, “Comparison is the thief of joy”, and “It takes a village”, help me stay grounded, keep perspective, and embrace both the highs and the lows, giving me a positive nudge exactly when I need it.

Episode themes

How simple mantras can help steady your thoughts and ease self-doubt.
Recognising and managing comparison and perfectionism in a creative business.
The value of community and support for sustaining wellbeing and creativity.
Reflection and action: celebrating wins, sharing work, and nurturing your support network.
Noticing the phrases that resonate with you and using them to guide your work.

Welcome to Seasons in Business, a podcast for creative business owners who want to build something thoughtful and sustainable, at a pace that actually feels good. I'm your host, designer and printmaker Sarah Phelps, and if, like me, you're craving a slower, more spacious way to grow, with a little gentle encouragement along the way, you're in the right place. So turn off your notifications, grab a cup of tea or coffee, and get cosy.
Welcome back to Seasons in Business. Today I'm going to talk about the words and phrases that motivate us, keep us grounded, or have the power to drag us out of a pit of despair. We all have them, and today I'll share three of mine — the ones that I come back to again and again.
These are the words that have stuck with me and helped me most in running my business. They’re simple little phrases, the kind I've scribbled on post-its and stuck above my desk, but over the years, they've helped me to keep moving forward when I felt stuck.
I've said it so many times and I really believe it — running a business and working for yourself is great. I absolutely love it. And as an introvert, I'm pretty content spending most of my days in my own company. But working alone does mean spending a lot of time in my own head. And when challenges come up or insecurities creep in, my thoughts can sometimes weigh pretty heavy and really affect my day to day.
And that's why I love a good mantra. They act like touchstones: little phrases I can return to when everything else feels a bit wobbly.
The three I'm sharing today are my favourites because they're the lessons I've learned the hard way. They've carried me through tricky times, and to be honest, they're the ones I still need to remind myself of. They're my go to phrases for dealing with comparison, perfectionism, and just feeling a bit lonely. I hope at least one of them lands with you too.
I'll start with what's probably the biggest realisation I've made over the years: comparison is the thief of joy.
Yes, falling into the comparison trap, or trying to avoid it, has been a huge challenge for me. And I'm sure a lot of you know exactly what I'm talking about.
You pop onto Instagram to share an update and have a little scroll first, and see someone celebrating a sellout launch, or posting about how many orders they have to take to the post office. And yes, you feel happy for them, but your brain gets to work and before you know it, your own success suddenly feels tiny, or even non-existent compared to theirs.
Comparison really does suck the fun out of creating, and the crafts and processes we love. And what's worse is that more often than not, what we're comparing ourselves to isn't even the full picture — it's just a highlight reel. We only ever see what people want us to see, so using that for comparison just doesn't work. And it's not fair.
And there's more to comparison than scrolling on social media. Sometimes the hardest comparison is with ourselves — looking at last year's work and thinking it should have been better, or imagining where we should be by now. At its worst, it can trigger self-doubt or even imposter syndrome.
So why do we fall so easily into the trap? Often, it's as simple as losing sight of how far we've come and the successes we've had along the way. When we're so busy doing the work, we don't always stop to notice and celebrate the wins.
And the modern world we live in doesn't make it easy to escape comparison. With so much media content surrounding us 24/7, available at the tap of a button or the swipe of a finger, is it really a surprise that it's a struggle? I know growing up in the eighties and 90s, I remember a time when we didn't know what everyone else was doing. And honestly, life felt a lot easier then.
No matter how long we've been running our businesses, comparison can sneak up on all of us. So how do we stop it in its tracks?
I know when I notice myself slipping into comparison mode, I try to pause and take a step back. It might sound silly, but I'll ask myself: what have I done lately that feels like real progress? Or what's one small win that I can celebrate today? Because acknowledging every win, no matter the size, helps keep perspective in check and comparison at bay.
Another key step is managing what we consume. This can be as simple as muting or unfollowing accounts that trigger comparison. They might have inspired you once, and they might again, but if they're making you feel bad, just step away. And just be mindful of your scrolling and screen time in general, so your energy goes into creating, not consuming.
Now, comparison doesn't just steal joy, it can also fuel perfectionism. And that leads nicely to my next mantra, and it's another big one: done is better than perfect.
For too many years, I really believed that perfection equal professionalism — that if something wasn't flawless, it wasn't worth sharing, or that launching before it was perfect would somehow mean failure.
The problem with that way of thinking is it keeps you stuck. The paralysis of perfection feeds procrastination. As a recovering perfectionist, I know exactly how many ideas I've left sitting in sketchbooks because they didn't feel ready, or how many projects launched far later than planned because I kept endlessly tweaking as a designer. Even my own brand and website updates took over a year because I got lost in chasing perfection.
So why do we set ourselves these impossibly high standards? It's really important to know the difference between aiming for excellence and striving for perfection. Excellence, simply doing your best, is absolutely achievable. Perfectionism, on the other hand, is a very imperfect defense mechanism. It convinces us that if we do things perfectly, we can avoid criticism and judgment.
But the truth is, perfection doesn't exist. And waiting for it can stop us from ever starting. Taking messy, imperfect action is what allows us to learn, grow, and actually improve. A flawed but finished task still brings value and gives you something to build on. An unfinished one, does nothing at all.
And here's the other thing: aiming for “perfect” can actually make our work feel less authentic. Remember the highlight reel from earlier? Well, when we polish and polish, we risk sanding away the honesty and rawness that makes our work resonate. Sometimes it's the slightly rough edges — the quirks, the realness — that people connect to the most.
In practice, for me, done is better than perfect means sharing at 70 or 80% and trusting that I'll improve it as I go. It also means taking regular breaks so I don't sit in front of the same design file for hours, hyper focused on tiny details that other people are unlikely to notice.
This podcast is a not-so-perfect example. The sound is not flawless, I stumble over words sometimes, and listening back to my own voice still makes me cringe a little on the inside. But it exists, and that matters more than polish. Even just a couple of years ago it would not have existed at all, because trying to make it perfect would have meant it was never ready. Over time I'll improve my editing, get more confident, and hopefully sound smoother. But right now, it's good enough, because the message hopefully matters more than a bit of background noise.
So how do we quieten our inner perfectionist? Well, sometimes we just need to remind ourselves that done is better than perfect. And that doesn't mean being careless, it simply means choosing to move forward. It means giving your work a chance to exist in the world, and accepting that flaws and mistakes are a part of the process.
Think about whether you've been holding back on sharing anything because it doesn't feel “ready”, and give yourself permission to put it out there. You'll learn more by doing than by waiting.
Taking action, even imperfectly, is vital. But sometimes moving forward also means leaning on others. Which leads me to my final mantra. The one that keeps me sane and reminds me I don't have to make this journey alone: it takes a village. We usually hear that phrase in terms of raising children, but honestly, for us business owners, our businesses can feel a lot like babies too.
I mentioned community briefly in the last episode, but I want to dive a little deeper because no creative business is ever built in isolation. Behind every launch, every order, every milestone, there's a whole web of support: friends, collaborators, clients, customers, mentors, even quiet cheerleaders you may never meet.
Running a small business can be incredibly rewarding, but it's also demanding, perhaps now more than ever — and it can take a real toll on mental health. In fact, in 2024, almost half of UK small business owners reported experiencing poor mental health in the past year and four in five experienced symptoms of poor mental health at least a few times a year. Trying to go it alone often leads to burnout and isolation, and that pressure makes having a support network not just helpful, but essential.
And support comes in many forms. Sometimes it's practical, like asking a friend or collaborator for a second opinion when you're too close to see clearly. Other times it's emotional: reaching out for a pep talk on those days when the walls are closing in and you feel like a failure and want to give up. I've had those days myself, and while years ago I would have struggled in silence, now I know I can message my creative friends, sometimes typing through tears and moments later receive encouragement and practical advice that gets me moving again.
In practical terms, your “village” may also include the people who help you keep your business running smoothly — the ones you trust with tasks that free up your time and energy. Outsourcing photography, for instance, has been one of the best decisions I've ever made. Not only do I now have much better images of my work, but it also frees up hours I can spend serving clients, and stops me tearing my hair out trying to do it all myself.
And don't worry, finding your people doesn't mean you have to endure those awkward networking events, the kind where you'd rather hide in a corner and talk to a plant. Yes, I'm talking from experience. Having five or six people you can count on — and call on when needed — is enough. They might be industry peers, former clients who've become friends, or like-minded people you've met online. These are your creative superheroes, there to lift you up when you need it.
Start small: meet for a weekly coffee or plan virtual co-working sessions to tackle some of the admin you've been avoiding. Over time, if you'd like to grow your circle, you could reach out to other business owners, join an online community, or pop along to a local creative meetup.
Of course, it goes without saying that support is a two-way street. Offering encouragement, sharing resources, or simply reminding someone “you've got this” builds the kind of community where everyone can thrive.
So think about who's already in your corner, and don't be afraid to lean on them. The small business world can be such a supportive space when you let people in.
So what do you think? Do you have phrases that you live and work by? Words that help you through the good days and the not so good? Take a moment to notice the words that feel grounding, motivating, or calming to you. And if one of the three I've mentioned today resonates with you, or you have a mantra of your own that keeps going, I'd love to hear it.
If today's episode got you thinking, I'd love to hear from you. Come and say hello over on Instagram or threads @sarahandmaude. And if you enjoyed the episode, feel free to hit subscribe, share it with a friend or leave a quick review. It really helps more people find the show and means so much at this early stage.
Thanks again for listening and I'll see you next time.

Listen and subscribe

You can listen to Seasons in Business wherever you get your podcasts. Make sure you hit follow or subscribe so you never miss an episode:

Apple Podcasts | Spotify | RSS Feed

If you’re enjoying the show, please leave a 5* rating and review — it really helps more small business owners discover it.

Join the conversation

I’d love to hear from you! Leave a comment below or reach out on Instagram or Threads.
You can also join my email community, where I share gentle seasonal business insights.

Get in touch

Have suggestions for topics or guests? Email me at podcast@sarahandmaude.com.

Recent episodes

Featured