Starting a business seems to be a bit like standing on the edge of a cliff and not quite falling off.
I’ve stepped right out of my comfort zone, and am wobbling about on the edge of the cliff. As I get more customers, more contracts, I am building up the business around me but step too far ahead and I will go crashing down, never to be heard from again. Half of business seems to be having the guts to ask for the work. I have to learn to price my services appropriately, allow enough time for the work, then march up to the customer and say “You need x service, y product, and it will cost you z thousand.” Amazingly, when I do that, it works! The problem is, I agonise over every detail, don’t allow enough time, charge too little, and then worry that I am trying to sell the customer something they don’t want.
Things are changing now though. We are beginning to get enquiries, requests for quotes, referals. Suddenly starting a business is like a roller coaster. The long, slow, tedious build up. The fear as you reach the top. The rush, the adrenaline as you suddenly shoot forward in to the unknown, the big loop turning your world upside down. But then, you come to a halt at the end of the ride. And you want to go again and take everyone you know on it too.