Running a small business is hard. Damn hard. It can be relentless, thankless and at times, soul-destroying. But we love it.
The challenges are never ending. Competitors who are prepared to do the job for less, or the employee who is all about themselves and have no regard for anyone else, the constant demands of staying up to date and the constant hum and roller coaster ride of the business.
Running a small business means you may need to pick someone up, even when you need someone to pick you up. You must look your best, feel your best and be your best, even when all you want to do is crawl in bed and sleep. Running a business is tough. But we love it.
If you are running a small business and haven’t felt defeated by the challenge at some time, you are either lying or you aren’t trying.
But some of us do it all, simply because we love it. We wouldn’t have it any other way and we can’t see ourselves doing anything else.
We love the contribution we make to create a better place in the world. We love collaborating with clever people who truly love what they do. We love being busy, we love the pace, we love the creativity and we love the art. We just love it.
Ask any person who has been successful at some point in their life, it is no coincidence, that this moment correlates to a time when they were most passionate about their chosen pursuit. It is no different in business. Put simply, they loved it.
But loving what you do means more than waking up in the morning, looking in the mirror and chanting to yourself, I love what I do.
It means having a clear purpose and understanding how you make a difference in the life of those people who rely on you, feeling proud that you have been able to help them and being grateful for the talent that you have to do this. It means being challenged and striving to be a little better each day. It means spending time with people who trust and appreciate you and whom you trust and appreciate too. It means being the best version of yourself.
At some stage, you may achieve your “success”, good luck to you if you do. You deserve it for all the patience and hard work you have put in. But this “utopia” is not a place, it’s not a point in time, it is the journey of running a small business, when you get there, you most likely won’t recognise it, because you will re-set your goals for another challenge. Be mindful to enjoy the journey.
If you have fallen out of love with your business, it may be about time you give us a call and let us help you recapture your passion.