As of 9th July 2022 I have officially been running my business full time for a year, so in recognition of this little milestone I thought I’d let you in on the 12 important lessons I learnt in these first 12 months.
1. You'll Wear Too Many Hats to Count
Ever wanted to be a small business owner? Well you’d better be prepared to be a product designer, social media manager, customer service operative, fulfilment assistant, project manager, accountant, packaging designer, and content creator. All these roles are things you’ll have to take on, and succeed at (for the most part) in order to be successful as a small business owner. And of course, when you start running your small business you have no clue how to do any of these. When I started my business in 2020, I had no idea what it would entail, I just knew that I liked to draw; so I jumped in and learned on the job. Therefore whenever someone asks what my biggest piece of advice is for people who want to start a small business, it’s just to jump in with two feet and start, there is no substitute for on-the-job learning.
2. It Can Be Lonely...
This is a tricky one, it’s the one everyone says and it’s definitely true, being self employed is a lonely life. Luckily I am an incredibly introverted person who lives with her boyfriend so I get my social interaction from him and I’m very content with that. However I can definitely see how if you’re self employed and live alone it could be a very isolating life, and how for some people that would be absolute torture. For example, I know for a fact my brother would hate being self employed, he’s such a social person and working on his own would drive him mad! So it’s not for everyone but I bloody love it!
3. Comparison Will Kill You...
There’s a fine line between admiration and comparison, I’ve fallen into this trap so many times. I follow lots of people who have much bigger and more successful small business than me, people who grew to six figures in a year, employ 5 people and support their whole family from their one business. It’s so easy to see that and compare it to your (very) small business and feel frustrated or upset, because your business barely supports you and the idea of having an office space feels like a pipe dream.
But thinking like that will put you in the most negative, destructive headspace, you’ll feel like nothing you do is good enough and it’ll stop you from being truly creative. You’ve got to the point you have by being you, and so comparing yourself and trying to emulate someone else’s success will not work for you, in fact it may turn people away.
Another thing to remember is, while yes, it seems like they have this amazing life with this big business it doesn’t mean they don’t have stress, if anything they probably have more than you. If they have a bad month they have to worry about paying their employees and making the rent on their warehouse space. Also with a bigger business and a bigger social media following come more customer complaints and horrible comments online, the emotional toll of dealing with some of the comments I see on big creators accounts must be so difficult. So although I’d love to grow a business to that size, for now I’m happy with my tiny business and the minimal stress that I have to deal with on a daily basis!
4. Adapt or Die...
To adapt the famous quote, the only constant (in social media) is change. Even since I entered the small business/social media world just under 2 years ago everything has turned on its head. The pandemic saw the rise of TikTok and with it being the most downloaded app of the year its no wonder why every other social media platform has tried to emulate their success. Instagram has Reels, Pinterest has Idea Pins, and YouTube has Shorts. In 2022 I would say its pretty impossible to grow a business without using short form video content. For example if I look at my Instagram analytics, my Reels get 10x the reach that my grid posts get and often 100x the reach that my stories get, so if you want to be reaching as many customers as possible you need to be adapting to the platform’s wants.
5. It's an Emotional Rollercoaster...
One day you’re flying high, you’ve done over £100 in sales for the day and your TikTok is getting loads of views, then the next you make £2.50 and get 8 likes on the Instagram post you worked on for ages. Owning a small business is the biggest rollercoaster ride you’ll ever go on, but definitely worth the ticket price! Over the last year I’ve found that you really have to talk to yourself in very different ways in both of these situations. When you’re having a bad day you have to remind yourself that it’s just a small dip and it will go back to normal soon, don’t let it ruin your mood. Then conversely when you’re having a good day you have to remind yourself to not get ahead of yourself, save your money and prepare for the tough times. Because they will come and you don’t want to have blown all your money during the ‘good’ times.
6. Make Connections...
Owning a small business can be so lonely, it’s just you, on your own, trying your hardest to build a future for yourself. The pressure can feel insane and consume you in stress and worry. So it’s really important to reach out to others in the space, the odds are, if you’re having a hard day, so is another small business owner. In a space where the vast majority of small businesses are run by one person, we need to create our own co-workers through social media. Instagram is a great tool to create friendships with other people just like you, so today just send a message to someone you admire or would love to be friends with, I’m sure it’ll make their day to chat with someone who understands them and their business!
7. You'll Become More of a Workaholic Than You Ever Thought Possible...
Before I started my business I would have never described myself as a workaholic, maybe a hard worker, but never a workaholic. Sure, I’d worked incredibly hard for my GCSEs and A Levels, and I’d worked semi-hard for my degree. But I feel like I didn’t know what hard work was until I started my business, I also didn’t know how much I could love work until now. Before I’d worked hard because of negative emotions, because I was worried about failing or not getting into university, but I never worked hard because I loved it. With a small business there’s always something that needs doing so you’d better love your business because it will take up 99% of your time, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
8. You Need to Take Time Off...
It can be so hard to schedule breaks into your calendar, especially as I feel that part of being a small business owner is that you feel behind on everything, all the time. But over this year I have learned that I am completely useless when I’m tired. Sometimes it’s more productive to give yourself the afternoon off and come back fresh in the morning. Though obviously that’s not always possible, so what I do to combat being useless when tired is split my to do list into two sections, ‘Feeling Fresh’ and ‘Brain Dead’, the former is full of tasks that require thinking or creativity, big tasks to tackle when you’re full of energy, like designing a new collection or filming TikToks. The latter is full of tasks you can do with your eyes closed, for example, checking and making note of social media analytics for the month, or making listing images for a new collection. This allows me to be as productive as possible however I’m feeling. Though I am going to reiterate the importance of rest when you are overwhelmed or burnt out, there’s no substitute for some trashy tv and a good nights sleep!
9. You Never Stop Learning...
This is the problem with being a small business owner, you’ll think you’ve cracked the code, your instagram is booming, your posts are getting tonnes of comments and saves, life is good. Then all of a sudden, the algorithm shakes up, what worked last week no longer works, your posts that got hundreds of likes, get 20 and your sales shrink. It’s a constant learning process to figure out what the algorithm wants and deliver it before it all changes again. And that’s just instagram, you’ve then got Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter and TikTok; each with their own set of demands on your time, and really if you want to make any money you need a strong, growing presence on at least a few of these. For example I’ve spent a huge amount of time over the last month working on my Pinterest, it’s something I’ve only really used for my own personal use but I’m seeing the benefits that being on Pinterest as a business can bring so I’m dedicating time to learning how to use the platform more effectively, and through research I have achieved 10x the engagement that I was getting when I started taking it seriously a few weeks ago. So much of my time is taken up by watching videos explaining algorithm changes on various platforms and reading creator forums to find out what’s working for other people. It can be exhausting but when you crack it, the feeling is incredible.
10. Your Support System is Everything...
As a small business owner you really need to rely on the people around you, in this lonely little world you have created they are your lighthouse. I know that I could never have got to the point I have without my incredibly supportive boyfriend, he’ll sit and listen to me talking about new launches and social strategy and give me so many ideas that I don’t know what to do with them all. He’s been an emotional support, a physical support, helping me to pack orders when I’m busy, and at times when business is slow, a financial support, a true partner, all he wants is both our businesses to succeed and I couldn’t have done any of it without him. In fact, I know that I would never have started it if it wasn’t for him, so all of you who love my stickers, you owe Kyle for that!
11. You Are Solely Responsible for Your Success...
This is one that all small business owners feel deeply. The only person responsible for your business’s success is you. If you don’t feel like working or are ill, no one else is there to pick up the slack. If you don’t post on social media for a week you can almost guarantee that your sales will dry up and the algorithm will punish you. It’s an incredibly stressful feeling and can lead to burn out as you feel like you can’t ever take a day off. It’s one of the more negative lessons I’ve learned but it’s true, the buck stops with you, and you have to own your mistakes, there’s no one else to blame it on.
12. You'll Fall in Love...
You’ll have had other jobs before that you put up with or kind of liked but was really boring, or you loved the people but hated the job. Being self employed is the best job you’ll ever have, take out the stress of earning or progressing, you get to wake up every day and decide your to-do list, decide what you feel like wearing, what time you want to start and you don’t have to deal with any annoying co workers. If you wake up and feel like being around people you can go and work in a coffee shop or if you want to be on your own you can sit in your lounge and work in the quiet. It’s true autonomy and in this world that is a real luxury, I love being able to work on whatever sparks my interest in that moment, it has allowed me to be more creative and also allowed me to create a work schedule that is optimal for my life and productivity. It’s given me both freedom and creative challenge in spades, and is truly the best job I’ve ever had.
I hope this list has given you a little insight into what its like to be a small business owner in 2022, any other small business owners reading this, I’d love to know your insights and what lessons you’ve learned about running a small business.
If you loved reading this and want to see more behind the scenes of running my business head over to my Instagram or TikTok and give me a follow!
Bye for now,
Grace x