Gosh, where do I start this one. How about a pearl of wisdom? I don’t believe that a change in direction is indicative of failure. I believe it takes a strong person to change their circumstances.
I’ve been involved in small business for 13 years. It’s rewarding and it’s hard. Under the guidance of some great people it enabled me to firstly dip my toes into management and then plunge into total business ownership with my husband, as the sole income source for our family. It enabled me to work through two pregnancies and raise two gorgeous little girls. On the upside, I saw all of their first moments and kept up to date with the changes in my industry at the same time. On the downside, I’ve never had a maternity break, I’ve always worked when my kids slept and I’ve lost sleep worrying about clients and money.
Small business has taught me so much: about people, about sales, about money but most of all, about me. And now I’m hoping to pass on some of those skills to another small business and learn some new ones myself too.
On July 17 I will join a small business that provides security, medical and emergency response for venues and events. This will build on my experience with the SES and expand on my capability as a trainer. This role will enable me to get the kids out of the door and off to school and I’ll be working with a group of dedicated, professional people (some of whom I already know and trust).
Our small business will still be capably led by my husband, with me in the background. He’s the main engine of the business anyway. I won’t be digging my hands into Small Business Server error logs anywhere near as much as I used to, but I probably won’t resist the temptation to get all technical in my spare time. You can take the girl out of the geek … 🙂
I have no idea how this is all going to pan out, but I’m brave enough to take an opportunity that’s come my way. In making this move, I had to turn down another opportunity and disappoint two brave small business owners. That was incredibly hard to do.
With the rest of my life yet unwritten, I’m starting a new chapter. I hope you’ll keep reading.
You can also follow me on Twitter at @Cuff_S (http://twitter.com/cuff_s)