I’ve spent many years interviewing small business owners. They all work hard to build their dream job.
But everyone has obstacles to overcome, and often, over coffee, I end up commenting, “I met someone else who overcame that by….”
I’ve interviewed small business owners doing an amazing range of things, from potter to poet, from archer to archaeologist. All are different, yet all have similarities.
From time to time, I do special investigations of an aspect of running a business, such as training, selling, or joining a trade association.
I love meeting someone who’s come up with a new idea and is turning it into a thriving business. I never fail to be impressed at people’s ingenuity and dedication. I’ve met people who’ve conjured a business from the most unlikely basis. A beachcomber became a fossil-hunter, a lady who enjoyed socialising set up a dating agency.
Others make use of what they have: the woman with ten children set up a day nursery to look after more children: the farmer with fields of barley set up a brewery to turn it into beer.
They’re all unique, except in one thing. When I ask if the careers teacher at school suggested this, everyone says, “No!”