If you run a crochet (or creative) business, you know the journey is filled with passion, creativity, and the drive to share your art with the world. But let’s get real for a moment: are you stuck in habits that keep your business small? Let’s take a behind-the-scenes look at behaviors that make me cringe as a crochet business coach. Then I’ll give you some concrete advice to stop those unhelpful mindsets from holding you back.
What drives me crazy is not the behavior, it’s the ceiling it creates. It’s watching makers with massive talent stay in hobby energy when they’re capable of CEO energy. It’s seeing someone who could build real, profitable, sustainable business settle for guessing hoping, and reacting.
– Pamela Grice, Crochet Business Coach
Things that Make Your Crochet Business Coach a Little Twitchy
Whether you’re just getting started or have been running your crochet business for years, breaking these bad habits can save you headaches, boost your confidence, and set you on the path to true entrepreneurial growth.
Hobby Energy vs. CEO Energy: Which Are You Bringing?
This first thing that makes me a little twitchy is this important distinction: Are you operating as a hobbyist, or have you embraced your role as a CEO?
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Hobby energy sounds like: |
CEO energy reframes to: 
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|---|---|
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“I’m just a small business.” |
“I run a business.” |
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“My cute little crochet biz …” |
“I serve customers.” |
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“I’ll raise my prices someday, when I get it perfect.” |
“I make courageous decisions, even when they’re scary.” |
Key Takeaway:
Small thinking creates small results. If you want bigger outcomes, you must shift to the mindset of someone expecting those outcomes.
⚡ Action Tip: Start introducing yourself as a business owner: “I have a crochet business. I serve [your audience] by [what you do].” Ditch the “just a little” language. You’re not just anything—you’re building something real!
“I Just Want to Crochet, Not Market” – Why This Hurts Your Business
Many creatives fall for the myth that their passion alone will lead to success. I can empathize. It’s natural to want to focus on the fun part, not the marketing or business systems. But here’s the reality:
Business is an engine. Results follow behaviors. You can’t expect consistent sales without:
✉️ Building an email list
🏷️ Understanding pricing strategies
📢 Learning basic marketing
📈 Tracking numbers
🔀 Making changes based on data
Painful Truth: Hope and fun are not marketing strategies.
⚡ Action Tip: If you truly want your business to support you, invest in learning the business side. The more you practice, the easier it gets—and yes, it can even become fun!
Drama & Blame Culture: Stop Sabotaging Yourself
Have you ever muttered, “The algorithm hates me,” or blamed social media platforms for low reach? Statements like these are self-sabotage.
Blame patterns:
- “Instagram shadowbanned me.”
- “She copied me.”
- “No one supports small businesses anymore.”
Reality: It’s usually a lack of systems or consistency, not outside forces, holding you back.
Empowering Mindset Shift: Recognizing what’s within your control is powerful. Systems and consistency can be built.
⚡Action Tip: Ask: “How can I respond to create the results I want?” Move from reactive drama to strategic action.
“Can I Pick Your Brain?”: Valuing Expertise
Whether you’re a crochet business coach or a creative seller, you’ve probably heard requests for free advice or work. I compare “Can I pick your brain?” to “Will you make this for just the cost of yarn?”—it’s hobby energy masquerading as business energy.
What Professional Respect Looks Like:
- Serious business owners invest in mentorship.
- Respect expertise and understand time has value.
Structure your access: For example, I offer both paid calls and a free “Pick Pam’s Brain” form for future podcast/social post answers.
⚡ Action Tip: Protect your value. When people ask for free labor or advice, offer structured ways to engage. Respect yourself as a business owner.
Helplessness & Relinquishing Power: Take the Driver’s Seat
You’ve seen this in Facebook groups: “What should I charge for this?” “Is it okay to sell trademarked characters?” “Should I start a crochet business?” This type of energy feels disempowered—asking others to make decisions for you.
Healthy Alternatives:
📚 Do your own research first (Google is free!)
🤔 Ask empowered questions: “What are the legal and long-term implications?” “What pricing models support sustainability?”
🙋 Own your decisions and outcomes.
⚡ Action Tip : Reframe your questions for information and insight, not for someone else to rescue you. You’re the driver, not the passenger in your business!
you don’t have to do it alone
If you’ve been stuck in “I don’t know what to do next”…
This is exactly why I created the Crochet Business Summit. For three focused days, you’ll be surrounded by:
Honest conversations about what’s working right now
Strategic clarity
Real implementation ideas
Proven revenue models
Crowdsourcing vs. Ownership: Elevate Your Circle
I advise against crowdsourcing your business strategy in Facebook groups full of disgruntled makers. Surround yourself with people who are succeeding, who believe in the value of handmade, who invest in personal growth.
Growth Principle: Your business will only grow to the level of the rooms you put yourself in.
⚡ Action Tip: Seek out mentorship, mastermind groups, summits, or courses where you’ll be inspired and challenged by ambitious, business-minded makers.
One Rule for Me, Another for Thee: Integrity Matters
As a crochet business coach, a major cringe point for me is when makers demand respect, protection, and fair pay for their work—but don’t give the same to others:
- Selling trademarked characters while demanding protection for original designs
- Complaining about customers low-balling you while low-balling suppliers or support professionals
- Expecting to be paid fairly, yet disrespecting the value of others’ work and rights
Mature Business Stewardship: Align your values and behaviors. If you want respect and legitimacy for our industry, model it yourself.
⚡ Action Tip: Before complaining about how you’re treated, reflect: Are you extending the same respect and fair treatment to others? Operate with ethical standards and integrity.
Elevate with Strategic Environments: The Power of Community
I’m not shy about pitching my own solutions—they exist because I saw the need for strategic, uplifting environments:
Crochetpreneur Business Academy and Crochet Business Summit are designed to get makers in the room with industry experts, high-level strategies, and inspiring stories.
The Crochet Business Summit is a free 3-day virtual event with thousands of attendees, offering proven frameworks for growth and profitability.
⚡ Action Tip: If you’re serious about growth, join industry events (like Crochet Business Summit). Surround yourself with solution-focused, forward-moving peers.
real success stories await
If you’ve been sitting at your desk thinking,
“I just need someone to show me what matters right now…”
Come join us.
It’s free.
But the clarity you walk away with won’t be.
Embrace Discomfort: Growth Starts Here
If this post made you uncomfortable, good—growth is uncomfortable! Self-awareness is where change begins.
- You’re not powerless.
- You’re not stuck.
- You’re not “just” anything.
Empower Yourself: Step fully into your identity as a business owner, and watch your confidence—and results—soar.
Key Takeaways & Action Steps
- Adopt a CEO mindset—ditch “just a hobby” language.
- Commit to learning and implementing business systems.
- Replace drama and blame with strategic ownership.
- Value your own expertise (and others’) by structuring access and protecting your time.
- Own your decisions—do research, ask empowered questions.
- Surround yourself with ambitious, ethical peers.
- Attend industry events for proven strategies and inspiring conversations.
- Self-awareness and discomfort signal that growth is happening.
Ready to Move Forward?
Want the business of your dreams? At Crochetpreneur, we’re here to help you step up, strategize, and thrive. Dive further into these lessons by attending the Crochet Business Summit, connecting with ambitious makers, and joining supportive rooms that propel your growth.
Leave your hobby energy behind, and embrace your role as CEO. The world needs your artistry, your leadership, and your business!
If you enjoyed this post, share it with your fellow makers and leave your thoughts in the comments! Let’s move forward together as empowered crochet business owners.
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