I’ve had my own business for ten years to this day. What a milestone. I wanted to give it a shot for seven years and the fact it’s still going is a testament to the joy it gives me – it’s a like a child, having your own small business. There were some real tests early on, but those early joys were probably the best. I recall fondly the first time I got a click on a Google Ad that led to a phone call, to a paid sale (I’m sure there were many that didn’t lead to a phone call) – and that first sale was about R3,100 (~$140? A guess at the time). That money went mostly into my mouth – and not into the business, as I’d sunk everything into it to get it off the ground – but I am sure a good chunk went to petrol, equipment, and such at the end of the month; I can’t actually recall to be honest.
Anyway, the point is, to see that cash arrive in the bank account was very special, and I still recall where I was sitting when I got the text from the bank. It really encouraged me to do the next job, and the next one, and mostly: know I had a viable service offering, something people would pay for. I encourage anyone to start a business, even if you’re 16 and at school, wanting to sell “car washes” to grannies in your street, or perhaps you’re 60 and need some extra cash, and don’t have the guts to take a risk and start selling something. It’s invigorating and challenging, and a guaranteed source of adrenalin.
A decade later, what have I learnt? Plenty of things.
- Things I would rather not to do, regardless of the size of the invoice
- People that ghosted me, or are rude and really not worth dealing with
- So much of business is so simple, and easy – you just need to start and develop a process and keep doing it
- Most people are so busy with their time/work/family that they are happy to pay someone else to do something they could do themselves, but just couldn’t be bothered to do on a weekend. A good example is I wanted to deep clean my home (a baby and its lungs become a priority at some point in your life) and I spent 5+ hours on YouTube looking into it and seriously thought about starting a new “deep cleaning” business, only to choose not to (for now!) and pay someone who does it well. All that to say: it’s quite an easy sell to say ‘I do this, save time and get me to do it, and enjoy your weekend’.
- There are pros and cons to having your own business, and I have moments when I want out, and moments when I never want it any other way. Taking time out to reflect and get perspective always helps this.
- Freedom is very cool – the freedom to run your business your way!
- Investing in your business sometimes is the best option – at other times, just using it as a cash cow, and using the extra funds to invest in other things is wiser: eg. buying commercial property, or shares etc.