I recently watched the first two episodes of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour docuseries, and whether you’re a fan or not is completely irrelevant to what I want to talk about today.
It was the business operation behind it all. The leadership. The dedication. The strategic thinking. The discipline. I kept seeing parallels to building an exceptional creative business.
The Scale of What She Built
The Eras Tour was one of the most strategically planned business operations I’ve ever seen documented. A $2 billion tour. Every single decision was intentional and thoughtful.
149 shows. Not a single one cancelled for illness, exhaustion, or personal reasons. She performed through injury, through heartbreak, through complete physical exhaustion.
It wasn’t just talent or fame or resources. It was thoughtful, strategic decisions about how to serve her audience, lead her team, and build something sustainable.
Making It Look Effortless (Through Preparation)
Taylor Swift wanted to over-deliver on everything and make it look absolutely effortless. But behind the scenes, the work was intense.
She trained for six months before the first show. She wanted to be so over-rehearsed that she could be relaxed and in the moment when it came time to perform.
This is such an important lesson. Making something feel effortless requires incredible preparation.
Think about your own business. When you’ve prepared thoroughly… when you know your process inside out, when you’ve thought through every detail—that’s when you can be present with your clients. That’s when you can respond naturally to what they need.
The effortlessness your clients experience comes from all your hard work behind the scenes.
Execution Matching Ambition
The logistics were staggering: 90 trucks, 60 custom outfits, 250 pairs of shoes. When you have a clear vision, you need equally strong execution to match it.
This resonates with what I see in successful creative businesses versus struggling ones. You can have the most beautiful brand concept, but if your client experience doesn’t deliver on it, it’s just a lovely idea. You can have incredible artistic talent, but if your operations are chaotic, clients will rarely come back.
Creating Participants, Not Spectators
Fans started making and trading friendship bracelets at her shows. But she never asked them to. One lyric in one song mentioned friendship bracelets, and her audience ran with it.
She created a culture where her audience felt like participants. They felt like they belonged. The friendship bracelets became the defining symbol of the entire tour.
She didn’t try to orchestrate or control it. She created something meaningful, and then trusted her audience to make it their own.
Are you building something meaningful enough that people want to participate in and naturally see themselves as part of it?
The Power of Personal Touches
She wrote handwritten letters to her entire team. Two weeks of writing—time that could have been spent rehearsing or resting. Instead she invested in personal messages to the people making the tour possible.
In a world of automation and scale, personal touches become so much more valuable.
Continuous Evolution
She changed the setlist mid-tour, revamping entire sections while the production was already in motion. Most artists lock their show and never touch it. She treated it like a living thing that kept evolving.
Finishing something doesn’t mean you stop improving it. The creative businesses that thrive keep asking, “How can this be better?” They don’t just find a formula and stick to it rigidly.
Following Your Own Path
She did things that were unique and didn’t follow a normal path. You have to know your business, your audience, and what makes you unique. Focus on what makes sense for you and your audience, not just what everyone else is doing.
The businesses that become genuinely distinctive are the ones that have the courage to do things differently when they know it’s right for them.
The Standard You Set
Whether you have a team of hundreds or you’re working solo, the standard you set through your own commitment becomes the standard everyone around you maintains.
I’m not suggesting you push yourself to burnout. But there is something powerful about genuine, consistent dedication to what you’re building.
When you show up consistently, when you do what you say you’ll do, when you maintain your standards even when it’s difficult… that creates a culture of reliability.
What This Means for Your Creative Business
Preparation: The effortlessness your clients experience comes from your dedication behind the scenes. Over-prepare so you can be present.
Execution: Make sure every detail of your client experience matches your ambition.
Culture: Build something meaningful enough that people want to participate in.
Personal touches: Invest in the details that show you care, even when no one will know about them.
Evolution: Keep iterating. Keep refining. Let your work continue to evolve.
Your own path: Focus on what makes sense for you, not just what everyone else is doing.
Standards: The consistency you maintain creates the trust you’re known for.
The Real Message
Building something exceptional is never about luck or talent alone. It’s about the choices you make behind the scenes. The preparation you’re willing to do that no one sees. The discipline you maintain when no one’s watching. The personal touches that don’t scale but matter enormously.
You don’t need Taylor Swift’s resources or reach to apply these principles. You need commitment, discipline, and a willingness to do the work that makes excellence look effortless.
Whether you’re building a creative business that serves five clients a year or five hundred, these principles apply. They’re about how you approach the work. How you treat people. How you maintain standards.
And that’s within reach for all of us.
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