Facing the World…Head On

14 Jun Facing the World…Head On

Running a small business has all sorts of challenges, especially when it’s just yourself or a few of you – each of you has to pitch in everything at some stage.

One trend I’m seeing though and taking a disliking to is the negativity surrounding running a small business! I’ve seen countless articles describing that you’ll work 80+ hours per week, make no money and be really stressed. Although some of these things can be true at times, here are the things I feel are amazing about running a small business.

#1 You’re Changing Your Community

Wherever you’re running your business from or whatever sort of industry you’re in, the fact that you’re doing your own thing means that more money will be going into your community, thus supporting the area you live in.

You may not feel like you’re doing much, but to give you an example we spend over £3,000 every month locally on food and drink with our small team of 6. That £3,000 wasn’t there before we decided to launch this business.

#2 You’re Actually Doing Your Own Thing

One comment I hear from so many people I talk to is “I have always wanted to run my own business” or “You’re so lucky to be your own boss!” and although it’s not for everyone, running your own business is an extremely satisfying feeling.

The secret isn’t a secret at all: Just make it happen, in absolutely any way you can. Once that idea’s out of your head and into the real world, you’ve started on your journey. Do something about it every day, even if it’s just a tweet or a Facebook post.

Before this business I held down a role in a large, FTSE 10 corporate working 60+ hours per week. I still spent 10+ hours per week getting my own thing out into the world.

#3 It’s Amazingly Good Fun

Yes, running a business does mean long hours – I’m on just over 50 hours this week already and it’s only Thursday! But here’s how yesterday went:

6:00 – Wake up, check e-mails on phone and head out for a short run to wake up

7:30 – Head to the office, fortunately just a short walk for me!

8:00 – Meet the wonderful team at Peppermint PR and discuss/move forward the various campaigns we have with them.

10:00 – It was a great meeting with Jess and Alice from the team, now time to get some desk work done and websites built.

12:30 – Lunch and another meeting, talking about how to build a website for a video game this time.

14:00 – Time to make some “warm calls” from the interest which has come in from our website this morning. The anxiety doesn’t subdue with these calls over time, even though I’ve made hundreds! Part of the fun, I guess?

15:00 – 4 calls made, 4 new clients signed up. Very happy, need to brief the team!

15:30 – Team briefing. We had a record breaking 23 new customers today who want websites – great news but a busy few days ahead! It’s imperative the customer service remains high.

17:00 – Tired, team are starting to go home. Time to brush myself off as Josh and I crack on with the 2nd half of our day! For the next 4 hours we will try and completely build 2 websites between us from start to finish.

21:00 – Time to settle down, get some dinner and rest. Couple of hours of “chill out” time before I get my head down and do it all again tomorrow!

22:20 – I can never help but plan the next day before I get my head down. 10 actions written down to start my day off tomorrow. Must. Get. Rest.

The Verdict?

Yes being a small business owner is hard work, incredibly stressful at times and takes a lot of courage to overcome the risks presented and tackle them head on.

However, the positives of being a small business owner far, far overshadow the downsides and all I can say to those of you already on the journey is welcome onboard and I’m looking forward to taking the journey with you.