Anything Worth Doing Takes Time
The 10-year overnight success story
I’ve been self-employed for over 10 years, and amongst the bucketload of lessons I’ve learned, there’s one that stands out more than the rest — everything worth having takes longer than you think it will.
I’m not just saying this; I’ve lived it.
Every venture I’ve embarked on in my working life has taken years of work just to get off the ground, let alone reach the point I’d consider calling it a success.
After graduating — and a brief spell floundering aimlessly for good measure — I co-founded a small business that designed and manufactured bespoke furniture and fittings, mainly for restaurants, cafes and bars. Honestly? I figured it would be easy. We would turn a few friends who already owned establishments into clients, use that to build a portfolio and boom, we’d be filthy rich. The reality couldn’t be further from that delusion. It took 4 years of constant battling to barely establish a reputation for the business in our local area, only to watch Coronavirus shoot it all to hell.
The same pattern applied to my writing career. When I first started, I knew I had a knack for it. Throughout my education, I was great at writing and was eager to start punching my keyboard again. It would be a simple process. I’d write some pieces…
