What a One-Star Review Taught Me About Running This Business Alone

A few days ago, I got a one-star review. Anonymous. Just a single line saying they never received the free digital downloads that came with their order. Luckily Shopify made it easy to find the order in the back end and I was able to get the customers name and order details.

Here's the thing: I sent them. I know I sent them. Whether they landed in a spam folder, got swallowed somewhere in email heaven, or slipped through some other digital crack, I honestly don't know. What I do know is that the person never reached out to tell me something was wrong. They didn't email me. They just left a bad review and moved on.

And it stung. It still kind of does.

If you run a small creative business, you already know why. When you're a one-person operation, doing your own web design, planning every workshop, writing every social post, packing every order, a review like that doesn't just feel like feedback. It feels personal. Because it is personal. There's no team standing between me and the customer. There's no customer service department to absorb the hit. It's just me, and everything with my name on it.

I'm also, by nature, a sensitive person. I think most creatives are. We pour real care into what we make and how we show up for people, and when something goes wrong, even something out of our control, it's hard not to internalise it as a failure. My brain wanted to spiral into "what did I do wrong" when the honest answer, this time, was nothing. I sent the files. The system did what it was supposed to do. Sometimes the internet just loses things.

So what do you do with a review like that?

Here's where I've landed. I can't control what happens after I hit send and I can't control whether someone reaches out before they react. What I can control is how I respond, quietly and professionally. I resent the files with a heartfelt apology. I keep reminding myself that one star from someone who never gave me the chance to fix it doesn't erase the thousands of people who've had a wonderful experience, love the work I do and the workshops where we create together.

It also reminded me why I always try to make it easy for people to reach me directly. If you've ever ordered from me and something didn't arrive the way it should have, please just reply to your confirmation email or send me a message. I promise I'll sort it out. I'd so much rather fix a problem than never get the chance to.

This also goes out to anyone in business, chin up on those days that are harder than others. Being in business is hard, especially when it is so easy for anyone to flick off a publicly posted 1 star review these days.

Running a creative business alone means wearing every hat and it also means the wins and the knocks both land close to home. This one stung. But it hasn't changed how much I care about getting things right for the people who paint with me, and it never will.

I will pop on my big girl pants and carry on…..

Paint more, stress less, even when a one-star review tries to convince you otherwise.