Depending on the day of the week, the time, and how I am feeling depends on how I answer this question. When I’m busy, things are going well, the team is happy, and everything is running smoothly — I would never dream of doing anything else. At those moments, going into business for yourself feels like the only way to work. But when times are tough — when work is quieter, or things at home are difficult — I find myself questioning why I ever did this.
I never really wanted to go into business for myself. It wasn’t something I had planned or thought about. I used to work for a large countrywide firm, and when I first started I thought: this is me. Regular work, a pension, a known monthly wage. No pressure if work was quiet. No accounts to do. I thought I was sorted.
Unfortunately, things didn’t quite work out that way. The way things were run, the way management wanted me to deal with families — it simply wasn’t right for me. In the end we parted company. I had spoken to other firms and could potentially have gone to work for someone else, but there was never anything quite right. Some simply weren’t willing to pay enough for what they would get out of me. So really, I was only left with one option: to set up my own business.
The Freedom of Being Your Own Boss
Looking back now, it was certainly the best decision I ever made. The freedom you get from being your own boss is massive. You make your own decisions, and those decisions come from what you personally believe is right. On the whole, the balance I have now — even being on call 24/7 — is absolutely in my favour. I am only a small company, so while I am always contactable, I’m not called constantly. Families can deal with me during the day, and they know if they need anything out of hours, they can speak to me directly. That’s something only the smaller independents can truly offer, and it gives me great satisfaction.
The Challenges
One of the toughest things when first starting up was securing the finances. I took a risk, but those risks paid off. What I also noticed in the first twelve months was how many people tried to take advantage — scammers, and companies trying to sell me things I didn’t need. Everyone wanted a piece. You have to be very clear about what you want and have a business plan. I drew mine up on a large sheet of paper and stuck it on the wall — I would look at it every single day. If anyone tried to sell me something, I would go back to that plan. If it wasn’t in it, I wouldn’t even have the conversation.
The worst situation I encountered involved a scammer who claimed I owed him £2,500 from a verbal agreement I never made — and a “bailiff” supposedly on his way to the business. I had to sit and arrange a funeral with a grieving family while carrying all of that in my head. The knock never came. But it was a significant learning curve.
A Final Thought
So, I am very glad I went into business for myself. I have learnt and grown a great deal, and every day is still a learning day. For me it isn’t about growth for growth’s sake — it is about evolution. It is important that the business keeps evolving in how it looks after people, while at the same time it remains vitally important that I can be a good dad and husband. Over the years I have learned that my mental health has a big influence on everything. Managing the stresses of life in a positive, controlled way — that is most important of all. And at this stage of my life, I am happy to say I have managed that.