Why did you start your business? What was it that made you want to leave the security of a regular paycheck, employee benefits and never having to calculate your own tax?
For me it happened by accident. I started this blog to document my wedding planning. I always loved to write and wistfully pondered a vague notion of one day finding a topic that I was passionate enough about to properly pursue… and them baaamb! I felt in love with weddings, but more so with wanting to inspire other brides to do things their own way.
As time went on I found that I also loved writing about the process of running my own business. As someone with no formal business training or qualifications (I didn’t even do business studies at school), who is brought out in a cold sweat by the thought of accounts, taxes and budgets, I’m certainly not the most obvious candidate to have branched out in this direction! But I love it, and in many ways the community I’ve become a part of because of this area of my blog is even more satisfying than the wedding one. Of course I adore every single one of my bride-to-be readers, but usually (there are a few exceptions!) as soon as their weddings are over they’re off and Rock n Roll Bride becomes a distant memory. Those of you that read these business rambles are the ones in it for the long haul. You’re the ones I like to think of as my long lost friends and my blogging comrades, and for each of you I am immensely grateful.
So I guess I started this blog to give myself a voice, and because of some deep-rooted desire to want to belong and to find ‘my people’. That’s something I need to always remember, as do you. Remind yourself of your own reasons for staring your business and refer back to them if the road starts to feel a little rocky.
It’s easy to forget those first few flurries of excitement that coerced through our veins at the dawn of our business idea. I don’t want to be cynical but after a while apathy, or even burnout, can creep up on you like a creature in the night. It’s difficult when you hit that wall because you love your work and you want to make a difference, but it’s getting hard… or you’ve forgotten that initial passion and you’re just going through the motions. You can start to lose sight of why you even started to do it in the first place.
If you’re still struggling, take a well-earned break. Holidays are amazing, but even stepping away from your computer for a day or two can really help you to refind that passion. I don’t know about you, but whenever I’m away from the office for a prolonged period of time, I always come back with fresh eyes and a notebook full of ideas. I’m raring to get back to it and I may even have a brilliant idea for a new project or direction.
Whether, like me, you started as a hobby, or you went into this wanting to make it your full time job, it’s a really beneficial exercise think back and revisit your old goals. I bet you’ve achieved a lot more than you give yourself credit for. Whatever your reasons were, if they were exciting enough for you to start in the first place, I bet ya that remembering what they were will excite you yet again.
