Why I Started

One of the biggest reasons I started The Pink Gorilla Collective was because I got tired of watching brilliant people give up.

Not because they weren’t talented. Not because their products weren’t good enough. Not because nobody wanted what they were selling. They gave up because they became convinced everything was against them.

The algorithm hated them. Social media wasn’t working. Customers weren’t buying. Other people seemed to be flying while they felt stuck in quicksand.

I heard it all the time.

“I’m rubbish at social media.”

“I don’t understand marketing.”

“Nobody sees my posts.”

“Maybe I’m just not cut out for running a business.”

The truth is, what I was seeing wasn’t failure. It was people being in the learning stage and believing that meant they were doing something wrong.

Running a small business is hard enough. One minute you’re the CEO, the next you’re the marketing department, customer service team, accountant, cleaner, photographer, content creator and tea maker. Then someone tells you that if you don’t dance on Instagram three times a day your business will die.

It’s no wonder people feel overwhelmed.

It reminded me of learning to drive. Remember those first few lessons? You’re trying to change gear, indicate, check your mirrors, watch the road and listen to someone talking at the same time. It feels impossible. You genuinely wonder how anyone manages it all without driving into a hedge.

Fast forward a few years and you’re brushing your teeth with toast at the wheel and wondering how you’ve somehow arrived at your destination without even thinking about it.

The driving didn’t get easier.

You got familiar with it.

Business is exactly the same.

Social media is exactly the same.

Marketing is exactly the same.

When you don’t know something, it feels scary. When it feels scary, we avoid it. When we avoid it, it never becomes familiar. Then we convince ourselves we’re bad at it.

Most people don’t need another course, another strategy or another shiny object. They need someone to remind them that being uncomfortable is often a sign that they’re learning, not failing.

That’s what I wanted The Pink Gorilla Collective to become.

A place where people can learn without feeling stupid.

A place where they can ask questions without worrying what people think.

A place where they can admit they’re struggling.

A place where they can celebrate wins, however small.

A place where people realise they’re not the only ones lying awake at 2am wondering if they should just get a proper job.

Because behind every successful business owner is usually a long list of mistakes, wrong turns, failed ideas and moments where they nearly packed it all in.

What I’ve learnt so far is that people don’t join communities because they need more information. The internet is overflowing with information. People join because they need support, encouragement and the confidence to keep going.

The future of The Pink Gorilla Collective is simple. I want it to become the place I wish I’d had years ago. Somewhere small business owners can learn, grow, collaborate, laugh, ask for help and realise they’re far more capable than they think they are.

And that’s why anyone in the Collective can reach out to me.

Not because I have all the answers.

Far from it.

But because I’ve been the person sitting in the workshop wondering if any of this is worth it. I’ve been the person staring at a post with three likes wondering what I’ve done wrong. I’ve been the person convinced everyone else knows something I don’t.

The truth is most of us are figuring it out as we go.

The difference between those who make it and those who give up is often much simpler than people think.

The ones who make it stay in the game long enough to learn the gears.

Another huge part of this journey has been realising that not everything can be done alone.

That’s one of the reasons I asked Steph from Steph Briggs Marketing to join me in The Pink Gorilla Collective.

We’ve known each other since the trenches of the upcycling world back in 2016. Back when we were all painting furniture, trying to figure out social media, running businesses from workshops, spare bedrooms and kitchen tables, and generally making it up as we went along.

What I’ve always loved about Steph is that she’s never been precious with her knowledge. If she’s learnt something, she’ll share it. I’m exactly the same. I think that’s because both of us know what it feels like to be figuring things out on your own and wishing someone would just tell you what they know

Knowledge shouldn’t be guarded like some secret club. The more people we can help, the better.

The Collective has taught us both a lot already. We are about to open the doors properly and, honestly, the beta trial has been one of the best things we could have done. The members have helped shape what this community is becoming. We’ve learnt what works, what doesn’t, what people need more of and what they need less of.

I’ve tried so many different ways of sharing my knowledge over the years. Facebook groups, Patreon, courses, memberships, workshops, live sessions, one-to-one coaching. Every version taught me something valuable. But this feels like where I am supposed to be right now.

The platform feels right.

The systems are working.

The people are showing up.

Most importantly, it feels like a community rather than just another place to consume content.

Will we continue to develop it? Absolutely.

We’re only just getting started. With plans of networking events, meet ups and face to face events.

But there is something incredibly satisfying about looking back and realising I didn’t give up after the first attempt. Because the first version of this idea was actually back in 2024 and, if I’m honest, it wasn’t ready. I wasn’t ready. The systems weren’t ready.

At the time it would have been easy to write it off as a failure and move on to something else.

Instead, I kept coming back to it.

Because sometimes when an idea won’t leave you alone, there’s a reason.

Sometimes that gut feeling is trying to tell you something.

So if you’re working on something right now and it feels harder than you expected, don’t automatically assume it’s the wrong path. Learning is rarely comfortable. Growth is rarely straightforward. Most things worth building take longer than we think they should.

I am living proof of that.

The things that have changed my life the most weren’t the things that worked immediately. They were the things I cared enough about to keep working on long after the excitement wore off.

If you have passion for something, don’t give up at the first hurdle.

Keep learning.

Keep tweaking.

Keep showing up.

One day you’ll look back and realise that all those frustrating moments weren’t stopping you getting there.

They were teaching you how.

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