This year I'm celebrating 20 years since I first established my business, back in 2004.
In this video series, I share some of the insights from what I've learned over that time.
You'll get a lot of people who think that they’ll suddenly have choices and options and a whole lot of flexibility and a really leisurely lifestyle if they start a business.
Don't be misled by what other people's idea of success might look like, because we all have to follow our own path.
You are never too young or too old, for that matter, to start a business or to do something new.
You've got to weigh up the pros and cons of what you might leave behind, the benefits that that might bring, particularly in terms of a regular income or other sorts of non-financial benefits that come with being in a job in a large company or some other organisation.
Quite often there'll be this assumption that once you get started, you're going to grow and expand and that this is what we're here to do.
Now, for some people, that is what they're there to do, but that is not for everyone.
If I think back over the last 20 years or really throughout my life, the decisions I've most regretted have been those where I didn't trust my instincts.
When it’s your business, it’s also your life. Considerations of what you want from your business, also need to take into account what you want in your wider life.
Yes, you are a leader.
No matter how small your business might be, there are people who depend on you, look up to you, are inspired by you and see you as a role model.
You don’t need an exit strategy.
It’s advice often given to new business owners, but your exit strategy is not the first thing you need to consider when starting out.
Vanity metrics don’t matter
There’s plenty of data out there these days. Some of it matters and some of it doesn’t. We need to keep our eyes on the important metrics, not just those that make us feel good.