242: Why Growth Feels Harder in 2025 (And What Actually Changed)

Foreign welcome to the Creators MBA Podcast, your go to resource for mastering the art and science of digital product entrepreneurship. My name is Dr. Destiny Kopp and I help business owners generate consistent revenue from their digital product business without the need to be glued to their desks, constantly live launching or worrying about the social media algorithms. I hope you enjoy our episode today. Hi there, Destiny here and welcome back. And before we jump in today, I want you to think back to when online business felt easier, when your funnels ran well, when. When visibility felt doable and when one good collaboration could carry you an entire quarter. And if you have been wondering why things feel different now, you're right, they are different. We are in a completely new era, one that is shaped by AI, has smarter buyers, there are shifting algorithms in a marketplace that demands clarity and connection like never before. And that is why I created this special episode series where we're going to be talking about the creator's growth Flywheel. So over the next few episodes, I'm going to be breaking down what has changed, what still works, and how to rebuild the system your business needs going into 2026. Because here's the truth. Your business is not broken. You already have built so many of the pieces that you need. The offers, the funnels, you have the audience. What is missing is the structure that pulls them all together so that your growth compounds. And I want to start there. So let's first talk about the shift you are feeling. Number one, traffic is softer. So if you have been a blogger, you know that the traffic that you are getting to your website has decreased dramatically. And funnels that used to convert aren't converting the same way. If you participate in like summits and bundles, you're not getting the same momentum that you used to get out of them. Discovery is definitely harder and engagement is harder too. And just growth overall feels heavier. And none of this has anything to do with your talent or your work ethic. It's simply that the system you built three, four or five years ago wasn't designed for today's environment because consumer behavior has evolved, attention has moved, and business owners who are struggling the most right now are the ones still trying to run a 2021 strategy in a 2025 world. But let me say this. People are still buying digital products. They're still signing up for events, they're still investing in themselves. They're just buying from people who are human, have relevant offers, and are trustworthy, not from people who are just flying by the seat of their pants, throwing anything and everything out there. And hoping that it sticks. So let's talk about the three big shifts that broke the old playbook. Number one, attention moved off your website. People are no longer browsing, they are following. Their discovery happens on podcasts and newsletters, on YouTube or LinkedIn or Instagram, anywhere but your homepage. So if your strategy still relies on that, I'm going to drive traffic to my website and hope you're going to feel invisible. The other shift that has definitely changed this year is that generic content doesn't work. AI can now answer those broad surface level questions, but what it cannot replace is your judgment, your perspective and your lived experience. That, my friend, is the differentiator. Now, it's your point of view that is the product and that is what people will pay for it. The other shift that has changed is that disconnected tactics don't work anymore. A funnel is not a complete system. A lead magnet is not a complete system. A newsletter is not a complete system. All of these can work, but when they're only working once and they're only working in isolation, none of them are going to work. Predictable growth only happens when all of these pieces work together, when they're feeding into each other, when they are supporting each other, and when they are moving people through a clear customer journey. So let's now talk about what still works even in 2025 and what's going to continue to work in 2026. And there's still a lot here. The fundamentals didn't disappear, they just evolved. Clear, specific offers that solve one meaningful job to get done still work. Consistent weekly content that builds that trust and positions you as a real guide and authority thought leader. That still works. Align collaborations with people who are already attracting your ideal audience. That still works. And simple connected funnels that don't end at the thank you page, but lead people into a deeper part of your world. That still works. So the reality is online business still works, just not in the old way. It works when you have all of your actions working together as a system. And I want to talk about and introduce to you the creator's growth flywheel. And this is the model that we are going to unpack across this entire series. And it has five parts. The first one is the Attract stage, so that's becoming discoverable in the places your ideal customer is already spending their time. The second stage is the Engage stage and that is giving them a strong first experience. It could be through a lead magnet, a very good welcome sequence or, or a tripwire that actually sets them on a guided path. And number three is the nurture stage. So in this nurture stage, you are showing up with a weekly newsletter, a podcast or YouTube video, or whatever you're doing to build that trust and reinforce your positioning. The fourth stage is the retain stage. And this is where you are turning customers into repeat customers with post purchase support, any type of next level step offers in ongoing programs. Okay? And then the fifth stage is the advocacy stage. And that is when you are encouraging your best customers to share, promote and amplify your work. And when all of these move together, your effort creates momentum, your momentum compounds because you have this growth flywheel working for you and your business changes. So before you move on to episode two, I want you to get a very clear picture of where your biggest opportunity is. Not where you think it is, but where it actually is. And you can do that in less than five minutes with Sloan. She is my free custom GPT and she will give you your creator's growth diagnostic. So she's going to walk you through the stages of your customer journey and she's going to help you identify your biggest gap, your biggest lever, and your biggest opportunity for compounding your growth. It's quick, it's accurate, and honestly, a lot of people are shocked when they see what is actually holding them back. So you can go to destinycop.com forward/sloan, and I'm also going to put the link in the show notes here and this will give you the clarity you need as we move into the next episodes. So here's your homework today. I want you to take five minutes, I want you to run Sloan and see exactly which part of your growth slide wheel needs attention. Because starting tomorrow we're going to dive a little deeper. Episode two is one is all about one of the biggest misunderstandings in our space and it's all about funnels and why they're failing. So if your funnel results have dropped or maybe plateaued, this episode is really going to hit home for you. So go take Sloan, come back tomorrow, and I want to help you rebuild your momentum piece by piece and system by system. Thank you so much for joining me and we'll talk later. Bye for now. Thanks for listening all the way to the end. I hope you enjoyed this episode today. If you like the show, I'd appreciate a review on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast platform. Have a great rest of your day and bye for now.