At the beginning of this year I started the company 2 Kind Minds with my colleague. Although I had an unsteady on-off relationship with employment, coming up with the bravery to take the step to self-employment took a while for me. It’s scary to become the one responsible for a business. My worst fear was that my lack of understanding of taxes and the connected paperwork would get me into trouble.
So far, nothing like this has happened. The fact that a world-wide pandemic kind of got into the way of normally opening up shop did not help my self-assurance that this was going to be a good idea. Nevertheless, we are still going and things are going surprisingly well.
Here are a few things I learned so far:
- Small businesses usually mean smaller amounts of scary paperwork. Adding the negligible income at the beginning and tax worries are minimal. For now my worries of ending up behind bars for doing something wrong are therefore mostly unfounded. Additionally, having someone to turn to with paperwork-related questions is so so helpful. Luckily my colleague and I know some people who have had their businesses for some time, which is immensely helpful when we have basic or even embarrassing questions.
- I learn so much, every day! From social media marketing to pricing to building and designing a website and establishing a professional social media presence, there is just so much I learned. Realistically, I would have never taken the time to dive into marketing or read books on how to use social media to represent a company. Because I founded 2 Kind Minds, I had very good reasons for doing so, and I don’t regret it one bit!
- Starting a company turns you into an all-round talent. Because we started out so small and with very little funds, we did everything ourselves. We started getting into graphic design, setting up and maintaining our website (even though I am glad my colleague took over this huge job) , social media planning etc. All of these jobs were areas I had basically no experience or previous interest in.
- Work-life-balance is tricky when you are excited. Pretty much right from the beginning I set myself time boundaries. I know from my experience of studying that I have a tendency to ignore my energy levels, especially when I’m in the flow state. This is true also for my work for the company. Straight away I started working deep into the night, because it was just so exciting and fun! I noticed relatively quickly however that my day after a “work-binge” were far less productive. I was experiencing motivation ups and downs like the energy spikes and energy dips of a child left alone in a candy shop. I had to bring in some rules. For example, unless we have paid events planned, I do not work on weekends. I also insist on starting my day with yoga and at least a little bite of breakfast.
- I’m great at working from home. Due to the ongoing pandemic, meeting up outside to work in libraries or at each others homes was out of the question, soon after we started. So we quickly moved our meetings to google meets and Skype. I really enjoy not having to wear uncomfortable pants or log my heavy laptop bag around the city. I also enjoy the option to work on my laptop whenever and wherever in our apartment. Finally, having the kitchen nearby is a great way to save lots of money on expensive, and often nutrient-deficient snacks and drinks that I would have otherwise bought on the go.
- Falling asleep when your head is brimming with ideas and thoughts about the new business can be a struggle. I am not an easier sleeper. I wake up often and sleep so lightly that the smallest noise will rouse me out of my slumber. Adding the excitement and adrenaline of having my own business did not help me. I had to learn that it is important to stay physically active and having a switch-off period before bed is important for me to fall asleep. When you are working at home with no one to check your working times but yourself, it is easy to work ALL the time. I started taking my dogs on longer walks and developed a better understanding of my stress levels. Instead of turning to chocolate when I’m feeling antsy, I take the dogs for a walk most of the time. I also make sure to to socialize (still, mostly online) and always read something light before bed (I can highly recommend the Phryne Fisher novels by Kerry Greenwood).
I constantly learn new things through the business and I can really recommend trying it yourself, if you have a marketable idea that you want to try out. By now I’ve discovered my interest for so many new areas that I would call “starting a business” a success, even if it won’t work out in the end.
Now I’d like to hear your thoughts. Have you started a business yourself? What have you learned from your experience? If you haven’t started a business, what is holding you back or what makes it an unattractive goal for you?
Margaretha Madoures 