Six Months in Business: Successes, Challenges & Why it Was the Best Decision!
Six months ago, I launched my own business. This was a HUGE decision for me but also a long-term dream. I’d been thinking about it for years but also worrying about it and putting it off.
When I launched my website, I was terrified. I am an introvert, prone to perfectionism and overthinking, and I had zero experience of web design or of marketing myself (or even of using social media in my personal life). However, I also knew that I could do it – that I had the skills, experience and drive to make it happen.
For the first week or so, the only emails that came through to my new work email account were from my children. They had looked up my website and took great pleasure in writing me sweet little messages like ‘Nice website’, ‘Hello mummy,’ and ‘Hello, it is your child.’ A little later, I started to get enquiries and I haven’t looked back!
It’s 6 months since I launched my business and I could not be happier! Here are some highlights from the last 6 months:
I designed my own website through Squarespace. I am not very confident with tech or design. However, it was massively liberating to do it myself. I was surprised by how fun it was and also how intuitive it was. I know it could be better/slicker but I’m also really proud of it, mainly because I feel that it’s genuine - it reflects me, and it reflects my work.
Securing a contract with Ara to do a piece of work relating to their criminal justice resettlement aspirations. Ara is a leading provider of housing and recovery services in Bristol. It’s an extraordinary organisation that has a huge impact of so many people’s lives. It was amazing to work with Ara and to learn more about the criminal justice sector, both locally and nationally. It was also lovely to get this feedback on my work, “It is brilliant! Well done on writing something of such quality from near enough scratch!”
Securing a contract with Home-Start Banbury, Bicester and Chipping Norton to provide fundraising support. HSBBCN does incredible work supporting families with children under 5 in some of Oxfordshire’s most deprived areas. I continue to be amazed by their work and their passion. It was wonderful to get this feedback from Aimee, Senior Organiser: “I can see why your writing skills are so highly praised. You capture everything perfectly!”
Working with Laura Howdill again, who is another fundraising consultant. This is our third charity collaboration, and, as always, it’s fantastic to combine our skills and expertise.
Doing a range of work for the amazing StoryTerrace, who I’ve been working with since 2016. My work over the last 6 months has included completing the fascinating biography of a star poker player, doing a wide range of proofreading work, and working on a memorial project that has involved travelling north to meet and interview clients. This is a deeply moving project and it is a real honour to be involved in it. Over the last months, it was lovely to get this feedback from one of my editors: “Rosia is so great with storytellers, a wonderful communicator, extremely positive, a great listener, eagle-eyed, and a skilled and gifted writer. How lucky we are to be able to work with her!” And how lucky I am to be able to work with StoryTerrace!
Taking baby steps in terms of social media and networking. Highlights have included being brave enough to post on LinkedIn from time to time, starting my blog, attending some fantastic networking events, joining Bristol Creative Industries (BCI), and being featured in a BCI article about running my own business.
Perhaps the most important thing of all has been the fact that I have had a much better work/life balance than what I am used to. I have spent lots of quality time with my husband and kids, I went on holiday without feeling overwhelmed or burdened with work, and I have managed to write the first 8,000 words of my own memoir for a writing competition.
And these have been the main challenges:
Sometimes feeling quite out of my depth in terms of the business side of things – pay rates, contracts, SEO, etc. Local business support and local networks have really helped.
Feeling fearful of putting myself out there. I am quickly realising that once you do it then it very quickly becomes much less intimidating. It’s certainly not as scary as it seems, and that’s true of social media and networking. Some of it does still terrify me though! The key is clearly consistency, and I’m not very consistent with this right now. If I take a long break from it then it also feels much harder to get back to it.
Focusing almost entirely on my paid work at the expense of working on my business. This is still a real challenge and I know that I need to carve out more regular time to focus on things like blogging, social media, new business, etc.
Setting up my little business was one of the best things that I have ever done, and I feel happier in my professional life than ever before. I am loving the diversity of my workload and the autonomy, I’m loving working with incredible people and fantastic causes, and I am so happy to be my own boss and to be learning many new things. My work life is flexible, varied, challenging and inspiring. And one of the most inspiring things of all is the fact that I am finally edging out of my comfort zone and pushing myself. It can feel really hard at times but it’s also incredibly liberating . . . As they say, life begins at the end of your comfort zone . . .