So today marks the first-year anniversary of my business and I could not be happier with the decision I made all those months ago. Was it scary? – terrifying! Did I think I could do it? – sort of, about 75% of the time?! Has it been easy? – nope although sometimes easier than I imagined it might be. Was it worth the gamble? – every time!

I have worked with over 50 schools across the country, 5 Local Authorities, 3 Music Services and a number of support services for schools. I have done training, coaching, audits, reviews, consultations and combinations of all of the above. I have worked from home, worked in schools close to home and travelled miles. Every single day is different, every day is interesting. 

I have been fortunate enough to have incredibly supportive family and friends around me, who believed I could do this probably way more than I did. I have also been fortunate to have worked with some fantastic people, some of who I knew before and some who I have developed incredibly positive working relationships with, and I feel like I have known them forever. 

I have learnt so much about myself, which sounds cheesy, however its true. I have also learnt lots about other people. It is only when you take a leap of faith that you see who really has your back. People have been amazing, and not necessarily the ones that I thought would be. There were those that I knew I could rely, and then there were others who blew me away with how supportive they were. l am genuinely lucky to have developed such a network of dedicated, passionate and kind people. 

The hardest part for me has been the finance stuff – how much to charge created endless debates, sometimes with other people and mostly in my head. Its hard to quantify knowledge, experience and support and put a value to it, however I have realised that people understand that too and are happy to pay for a good service. Its also hard to have to think about finance when you have always been an employee, and it takes more time and headspace than I appreciated. I’m definitely a ‘work in progress’ here!

The easiest part has been embracing the opportunity to do work I am passionate about and genuinely enjoy, without having to clarify how its part of my job description or remit. My ‘job description’ changes frequently and that is such a luxury. I do however have to work harder at saying no – because in the beginning you daren’t say no to anything! The last few weeks leading up to Christmas were crazy because I had far too much booked in, and I need to manage that better. I am a sucker for trying to squeeze someone in if they need me! 

I guess I am writing this as a reflection on the last 12 months, and also to help anyone who is considering any sort of change right now. It is the classic time for resolutions and life changes and so I hope reading some of my thoughts might be helpful, provide some nuggets of inspiration or put you right off. Whichever it is its good as long as it’s the right decision for you. 

So, what would my top tips be? Not necessarily for running your own business (still have to pinch myself when I write that!), just top tips for making a significant change in your working life. These are things I think, advice I was given or things I have learnt along the way…..

If you can make a change and it means that you get to do things that you enjoy and are passionate about on a more frequent basis then it is definitely worth considering.

There is no such thing as a risk-free choice, so which risk is the most exciting?

Don’t leave in anger, leave because you can do better work elsewhere – for you or for others.

You don’t have to prove anything to anyone, and success is a completely subjective measure.

Work out what you actually need to earn, not what you currently earn or what you need to fund your current lifestyle. This doesn’t mean be tight or unrealistic either, however it definitely took some pressure of me in the early days. 

Know who you can lean on when things are tough, especially if you are leaving employment and going solo. My husband and Mum particularly deserve medals for listening to my worries, concerns, random questions, worst-case scenarios, celebrations, rants etc etc

Develop a new group of ‘colleagues’, obviously this will happen naturally if you’re moving jobs, however if you are setting up on your own, you need people who you can talk to who get your work world. I have the most amazing team of ‘colleagues’ who are really like the Avengers without the costumes!

If you are going to make a change, aim for better work/life balance not worse. Even if you like the job more, I think you will regret the change if your family, friends or emotional wellbeing are sacrificed. 

There is no such thing as a safe job, I think we all know this after the past few years. So, don’t stay in one that you hate because it feels safe – it might not be, and the safer choice might be to jump (for someone fairly risk averse I had to really force myself to embrace this concept). 

Nothing has to be a permanent choice. If you set up on your own and it doesn’t work out as expected you can get another job or do something different. If you move to a new job and its not as you hoped, you can move again. I am not being flippant, and obviously you have to consider your financial position, however realising that setting up on my own didn’t have to be a ‘forever’ thing, made me realise it was worth a shot. 

Know what you’re good at and what you can offer, and then make sure that your niche is not too niche. Work out what is transferrable to other areas and spend time investing in good quality training that will help take you beyond your current skill set. 

Listen to all the advice, then choose what is relevant to you. People were so helpful and insightful, and I needed to hear it all. I will be forever grateful to anyone who gave me their thoughts on my business in the early days and I continue to take advice at every opportunity. It is then important however to be discerning about which advice you follow and to what extent. 

Don’t look back. My journey so far has been so exciting because that is exactly what it has been – I keep moving forward and seeing where it takes me next. Am I doing now what I thought I would be doing 12 months ago? – yes, no and sort of. However, I was limited by my own expectations then, whereas now I have accomplished things that I wouldn’t have ever set out to do. Some of my favourite pieces of work have started with neither the school or service or I really knowing what they needed, working it out between us, and then ending up somewhere even better. 

And finally, be yourself. I realised early on, that trying to do things like other people wasn’t going to work for me, because I am not them. I had to work out where I was different and use that as a positive rather than see it as a failing. Anyone who works with me I think will agree that I say it as it is. I am honest, open and challenging, however always aiming to be supportive, progressive and impactful. I don’t do things for the sake of doing them, and I am not the person to call if you want a tick in a box. I am passionate about developing others, whether that is through training, coaching, consultation or reviews – and not because I know everything, it’s because I want to find solutions and help people do the best job they can, for the children they work with. And it all comes back to that, I knew that from the outset that my values had to be my focus. If I was going to set up on my own, then there was no point if I was going to spend time doing work that compromised my values. 

So here I am one year on and my plan for the future is to keep doing what I’m doing. I aim always to be supportive, be curious and be kind and here’s to that being my business plan!

#besupportive #becurious #justbekind