Resilience is Your Superpower: Thriving Through the Tough Moments in your Small Business

In this no-holds-barred episode, I’m sharing the truth behind the sparkle — because no matter how glossy your business looks on the outside, we all have days where we feel like quitting. I open up about the reality of running pop-up shops (spoiler, it can be extremely tiring), moments of burnout, and the behind-the-scenes of QueenMee Accessories — and most importantly, how I’ve built resilience to keep going when things feel hard.

Whether you’re feeling stuck, drained, or just in need of a pick-me-up, this episode is here to help you find your spark again. I’m giving you four powerful ways to stay resilient and keep going, even when things may overwhelming or too hard.

In This Episode, You'll Learn:

• Why even the most passionate business owners feel like quitting sometimes — and what to do when it hits.
• The four resilience-boosting habits that keep me going through the toughest times:
  1. Crystallising Your "Why" – and how it can pull you through anything.
  2. Believing Your Success is Inevitable – and daily mindset shifts to support that. See Episode 11 for more work on this.
  3. Being Radically Kind to Yourself – mirror work, self-talk, and sugary rewards 🍰
  4. Taking a Break (without guilt) – and how rest helped me see new possibilities.

✨ Your Action Step:

Craft your "why" into a short, powerful phrase — one you can repeat daily to anchor your mindset.
 (Need help? Think: “She inspired women to believe in themselves.”)

💌 Connect with Amanda:

Let me know your biggest takeaway or what keeps you going on the tough days — I’d love to hear from you!
 📩 DM me on Instagram: @amandawaterstone

🎁 Free Goodies for You:

Want to build your confidence and visibility as a product-based business owner? Grab your free checklists and guides via the link in my Instagram bio!

p.s. l love this book, and mention it in this episode

"You are a badass at making money" by Jen Sincero

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:00

Welcome to Bright Lips, Brave Heart, the podcast for creative entrepreneurs, bringing you inspiration and actionable steps to help you grow your business. I'm your host, Amanda Waterstone, and I'm on this journey with you. I've grown my product-based business, Queenly Accessories, from scratch whilst raising my two young daughters. I had a creative flame to design accessories burning inside me that I just couldn't put out, and so I left my corporate job and embarked on a rollercoaster entrepreneurial journey. Quite Quite a few highs and lows later, and here I am with the beautiful six-figure business of my dreams that spreads joy as I help women feel colorful and sparkling through their accessories. I'm always learning as I go along, and I'm excited to share what I've learned in Growing Queen Me with you every week so you can build your dream business perhaps a bit more quickly than I've done. My mission is to help creative entrepreneurs like you build a profitable business so you can shine your light bright I've created several free checklists and guides for you. These are the resources I wish I'd had when I was starting Queen Me. You can find them on my Instagram bio at Amanda Waterstone. So let's dive in. Get ready to be curious, brave and shine your life bright. Hello. I want to ask you a question. How many times have you wanted to quit in your business? Now, It does happen to me more times than I'd like to admit still. And although I now have so much traction in my lovely business, Queen Me Accessories, that it would be insanity to stop doing it. Sometimes it does feel so hard that I do still feel like quitting. And so in this episode, I wanted to share with you my ideas around resilience and how we can stay strong and resilient. on the small business roller coaster. So, you know, the ups are easy, but the downs can be hard, can't they? Sometimes our businesses can feel really, really hard. And I know sometimes for me, it even feels grueling. I would go as far as using that word. And in the past couple of weeks, I've actually found that that much as I love the pop-up shops so I have just come back from doing John Lewis Oxford Street for two weeks and it was incredible on so many levels I met so many wonderful customers I sold a lot which was fantastic I built relationships with customers that you know they were so special it was so I love talking to customers at pop-up shops I love helping them find the perfect accessory it feels like such an honour But there's no denying that pop-up shops are incredibly hard work. You don't really get breaks. And I've done five weeks of John Lewis pop-up shops so far this year. Most of it has been totally amazing. So as I say, I've made some amazing relationships with customers. I've sold a lot and I'm so grateful for those sales and those customers. And the stores have been really supportive as well. And that's wonderful too, when the staff in the stores are supportive and the John Lewis stores it's a it's a lovely feeling and I'm really grateful for the opportunity but there is no doubt as I say it's been very hard work and there have been moments of extreme tiredness for example I've done three pop-up shops at Kingston John Lewis this week sorry this year and I there was one occasion that I was feeling particularly tired and And I just had, I had to leave the pop-up shop an hour early. I thought I was going to pass out. I think I got low blood sugar and, you know, I just, I thought I was going to pass out on the stand. So I never usually leave. I don't think, I think that's the first time I've ever had to leave a pop-up shop early, but I had, I felt like I had no choice physically. And so that was, that came really from extreme tiredness. And then when I was at Oxford Street for two weeks, I was traveling to London every single day and I was getting home either at 10 p.m. or 11 p.m. because I was taking the train and the shop didn't close until 8 p.m. and then it was quite a long journey home. And then every morning I was back on the train again at 8 a.m. I had one day off, so my lovely assistant Maddy helped me on the Sunday. That was Father's Day. But I mostly did it myself because for Maddy to make the journey into London, you know, it just wasn't worth it. wasn't worth it for two of us. So I did it myself and it was wonderful and it was exhausting as well. It did feel at times grueling, I have to be honest. There were moments as well, for example, It was very, very busy, which was wonderful. So I was meeting a lot of customers. But, you know, it was Oxford Street. So there were moments where I had stock stolen. I had quite a lot of stock stolen there. And that felt hard because I felt like I had to be on high alert all the time. And I was very conscious, you know, when I took my eyes off customers that stock might go missing. And so that made it that bit more grueling. And at times, I'll be honest, it all just felt too much. And... Overall, it was a wonderful experience, but there were moments when I was there that I felt like just quitting. That's the truth. And then in terms of my online business, it's obviously you don't get the same pressure of not taking breaks with pop-up shops and stuff. But there are times that I still... I still at points feel like quitting because I still find it hard to carry the financial uncertainty of being a small business owner. I'm getting much better at handling that because I'm working on my mindset every single day and that helps me to handle a lot of the financial uncertainty I found. I've made huge progress in that area. But you know, I crave holidays. Sometimes I just want the chance to have a full break and not have to think about work for a few days. And the reality is that when you're a small business owner That's harder to do. I think when you get bigger and you build a team, then there are certainly you definitely can take proper time off and take breaks for longer periods. But when you're starting out and you're building your business and you're wearing all the hats, we all know that feeling, you know, the posting out the orders, being the social media experts. being the customer service agent, all of the hats, and not to mention the designer and making all the products. You're wearing all the hats and you just never get a chance to have a break. And that can just sometimes get to us. And it can feel grueling. So how do we keep going? Well, I sometimes think, wouldn't it be just easier if I just got a job? There are times that I really, really wonder that. Do you ever think that too? So what is it that keeps me going? Well, there are a few things. There are four things that I'm excited to share with you today that keep me going. And I think if you focus in on them, if you have points where you feel like just quitting as well, they will keep you going too. So the first thing is my why. So my why for Queen Me Accessories is to inspire women to believe in themselves. So I do that through creating... sparkling, colourful headpieces and jewellery that women can express themselves in and for me what's really exciting about that is that it's encouraging women to really believe in themselves and express their own unique style and to believe in their own signature style and I find that an incredibly exciting idea and It also translates into what I'm doing here on this podcast. I'm excited to help women to believe in themselves and their businesses and that they can grow their businesses. So it works in both areas of what I do. Now, four years ago, a very close friend of mine sadly passed away. It was tragic and it made me really question what I'm doing with my time. It made me reflect on how precious time is. And I felt at that point that it was important to write my why. There was an exercise that I heard about from Carrie Green where she said, well, how would you want people to remember you at your funeral? And that was what made me write my why in such a kind of short, crystallized form. She inspired women to believe in themselves. That's what I want people to say about me at my funeral. And that's what drives me. So whenever I am feeling like quitting something, And I just feel like getting a job will be so much easier. Then I remember my why I feel so called to inspire women to believe in themselves. And if I quit, then I wouldn't be able to do that. So that why keeps me going over and over again through the hard times. And I would recommend that you really hone in on this idea too. Perhaps you already know your why. If you can crystallize it into a short phrase that you can repeat to yourself over and over again, then I think it can really sink into your subconscious in a powerful way. Repetition is really good for that. So if it's a short phrase that you can easily remember, that makes it even more powerful. So the second thing that keeps me going is It's holding on to the belief that my success is inevitable. I touched on this a couple of episodes ago when I talked about the room with all the doors and how would you feel if you knew your successful business was behind one of those doors. So it's the idea that your success is inevitable and I do mindset work around this every single day and that really helps me to keep going when things are tough and I can't see the way through. when you come across challenges understanding that they might seem big now but that in your successful future which is inevitable they will just be a distant memory has really helped me as well so when I feel like a challenge is getting on top of me it's kind of bringing me down it feels really heavy I just think about the fact that in a few years when my success is inevitable a few years down the line that challenge will just seem so tiny now Yeah. However hard it felt at the time, once you've overcome it, it just starts to seem insignificant. So remember that you will feel like that about your current challenges too as long as you keep going. And even if you can't think of a time in your business, I mean, maybe there are some times when you first started your business where things seemed intermountable. Can you think of any? And now you think back and they just seem tiny. I mean, for me, another thing would be when I first started my email marketing. Oh, my word. It seemed like such a huge mountain to climb. And I got started with Klaviyo and it was very technical. I'm not always the most technical person. And I felt like I was never going to get my head around all of it. But I knew that I was committed to doing email marketing and I persevered and I got through. I got through that challenge. And now I look back and it just doesn't seem that significant anymore. It really doesn't. So you probably have things like that in your business too. But even just in your life in general, even if you're just getting started with your business and everything feels totally overwhelming now, think about how hard it was, for example, to secure your first job. You know, that job... after school or after university, it felt so intimidating going for it. Then you got it, you smashed it. And now that challenge feels like it's small, like it doesn't feel big anymore. It feels like you just, oh yeah, you overcame that. Or maybe there was an exam that you can think about that from that point of view. So remember that that's how you'll look back on the challenges that are in your life currently. You'll look back on them as just tiny little bumps that didn't hold you back, that you overcame. So I draw on that idea a lot when a challenge is playing on my mind at the moment or it's weighing me down. I know that it's only, I am only feeling that for this moment in time, that the moment is going to pass, that things will keep moving and that that heaviness, that weight will just seem like a little blip when I look back on it in the future. So the third way I keep myself going is by being kind to myself. So when things are really, really tough, when I'm having a really bad day and it all just feels like too much, I just feel like quitting. Maybe I've had a really hard day at the pop-up shop, haven't had enough breaks, I'm feeling totally exhausted. You know, I got back at 11pm, I'm on the 8am train. I will get in front of a mirror and do some mirror work. And I look myself in the eye and I say... Amanda, you're doing a great job. You can do this. Look how far you've come so far. Look how far you've come so far. You can get through this challenge. You can get through this, Amanda. And it's important that you look yourself in the eye. Selfies on your phone don't work. You need to look yourself in the eye in the mirror. And then you say the words that you need to hear. And it's incredible how powerful that can be. When I say positive things to myself in the mirror and I tell myself the words that I need to hear, it gives me so much energy just to keep going through those hard times. And it really lifts me. It makes me feel empowered and like I'm stepping into my future self. I find it such an incredibly powerful exercise. So I would really recommend that you give that a try too if you haven't already. And saying kind, positive things to yourself is part of that. The other thing I do about being kind to myself is to give myself a few treats. So I have a bit of an Achilles heel for cakes. I love sugary things. I love cakes. So when things are hard, I go and get myself a cake. I just treat myself. I say, hey, I deserve this. Or maybe sugar isn't your nemesis like it is for me. Maybe your self-love thing is to have a spa day or go for a long walk. Maybe it's something a bit healthier than having a cake. But whatever it is, do it. Get through that challenge by looking how far you've come, by being kind to yourself, doing the mirror work and just treating yourself as well. It's so important that we that we practice self-care and we do something for ourselves. And that helps just pick us up, pick up our spirits. Now, the other thing I think it's really important to say in a conversation about quitting or about wanting to just give up and how we build resilience is that if it all gets too much, you can just take a break and come back to things. That's not necessarily quitting. It's important to recognize that Taking a break is different from quitting and I have actually done this in my business several times. Most recently I had a break from everything last summer so I felt like things were going down a path that I was successful, I was making a lot of sales, but the business was not shaping into a form that was supporting me in my life. The hours were too long, I was working too many weekends, and it made me feel unhappy. And so I decided to just take a break so I could get a fresh perspective on it. That was really a really good thing. So taking a break can be so positive and it can help us to just see things in a completely different way. And often if we have a challenge that we're finding it really, really hard to overcome, then from taking the break, we can see another way around it. We just get a fresh perspective on it. And I found that last year. So when I had the break, it reinvigorated me. And I was finding it hard to see how I was going to scale Queen Me from six figures to seven figures. I just couldn't see a way forward. And taking the break helped me to suddenly see things from a completely different perspective. And I got some new ideas about how I could do it that just hadn't occurred to me before. So I would really encourage you to take a break if you need one. That was what led me to starting this podcast, taking the break and seeing things from a completely different perspective. And I'm so, so glad that I did. And so don't ever feel like taking a break is quitting. It's not quitting. It's just taking a break. And in fact, it's a very positive thing to do. So if you are feeling like you just can't keep going, as I have done at points, and when you're starting out and you haven't got much traction, those points can be quite scary. When you haven't got the evidence in your business that you shouldn't quit, then sometimes it can feel overwhelming. But just remember that to do these things, to focus on your why. Remember that the challenges that you're facing will seem much smaller in the future and that your success is inevitable if you believe it. Be kind to yourself. Say kind words to yourself in the mirror. And take a break if you need one. So my action point for you today is to turn your why into a short phrase if you haven't done this before then think about your why and make it into a short phrase that you can repeat over and over because above all that is what keeps me going and I would love to know if it's important to you too I'd love to know if you ever have points where you feel like quitting and what keeps you going and I would love to hear from you and to see what you think of this episode so do get in touch with me on instagram at You can DM me and lots of love. Thank you so much. Thank you for listening, Bright Heart. I so appreciate spending this time with you. If you've enjoyed this episode, I'd be very grateful if you could subscribe and write a review to help this podcast grow and spread the light. Thank you.