06/05/2026
A few things weāve learned over the years:
BIGGER DOES NOT ALWAYS MEAN BETTER
Growth looks exciting from the outside, but if the foundations arenāt solid, it can break everything. We were lucky, we managed to scale back just in time. It cost us a lot, but we survived. Many businesses never recover from this so donāt fall into the growth trap too soon.
WHAT GOES UP MUST COME DOWN
Every business ebbs and flows. When things pick up, itās tempting to spend more, new equipment, extra services, however that resonates for your business, but thatās exactly when you need to be tighter. Keep a close eye daily on whatās actually going out. You never know when things slow down again and youāre out of reserves.
AVOID THE VAT TRAP
We made decisions based on projections that didnāt play out. For a B2C business, this hit hard and affected pricing, margins and flexibility. VAT can be a wonderful tool for some businesses, and fatal for others. Do your research and trust your gut, which leads me on to our next point..
TRUST YOURSELF
Weāve spent thousands on advice that didnāt fit our business. Accountants, marketing agencies etc. Useful, but they donāt live your day to day. No one understands your business like you do.
None of this is talked about enough. Delegating and outsourcing is great when done right, it frees you up for what you do best, and avoids burn out. But make sure you choose the right people and never underestimate your knowledge of your own craft.
Mistakes are unavoidable in business.
You figure most of it out as you go
learn from it.
Keep moving forward.
Youāve got this š
