I have started a monthly blog to explain just some of the challenges a small business owner has to go through in the wonderful world of promotional merchandise.
As I explained in last months blog the last year took its toll on small business owners. The constant wondering if we were going to make any money to pay ourselves, keep the survival of our business, the worry about our staff, family and clients. Remember if you run a small business, you were not classed as self-employed, so when the chancellor looked at who to help and support as a group we were left with nothing. I was given a grant of £10,000 to pay for the running of the building and the electricity, but this soon goes.
The stress were huge but like most small business owners you adapt and find otherwise to make a living, I ended up selling PPE. Now to be clear I found out what certification I needed and made sure it was checked and was legal (unlike the government procurement!). This allowed me to tick over, but I can honestly say I never want to see PPE again!!! It wasn’t fun.
There were however a few huge benefits that came out of the lockdown, I suddenly got some time. I say time, juggling between my family’s needs and the business needs, there was not much time, but I wasn’t being pulled from pillar to post by the business. I got a grant from the EU to re-do the website, which was fantastic, the website we decided to take in a more agency feel rather than your traditional promotional merchandise website and I am so pleased with how it looks. Check it out and let me know what you think? It allowed me to look at what was important in my business and what was important to me.
It also gave me time to connect with people in my own industry and ask how they were feeling? I mention this because it is strange the idea of calling a competitor and being open and honest with each other. I thank all those that I had a chat with, as it gave me huge comfort to know I was not alone in how I felt. My peers were feeling the same things I was feeling. This was important to my own mental health as I felt like I wasn’t the only person carrying the weight of burden.
I think the vast majority of small business owners, are passionate about what they do, but they are also passionate about the people they work with. The sense of responsibility to them and their families is the biggest pressure I carry on a month-by-month basis. It is something that drives me to do more and be better all the time.
Coming out of the pandemic, that trust they had in me has been shown to be worth it. The staff have worked tirelessly from the point of furlough ending to make things work. They have been willing to do what it takes to help. I honestly couldn’t have asked for better. The same way I hold the pressure of being the boss and ensuring they get paid every month, I also take huge pleasure in seeming them grow and drive the business forward.
This last 6 months we have won one award and been nominated for two more at the industry awards in April. This is not me that has won the awards, it is an amazing collective effort from all the staff to strive to be better and I thank them for this. We have a saying in the office that help us do the right thing, I suppose an ethos of sorts.
“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
The quote is from Maya Angelou, but has resonated with me ever since I started my business. How people feel, the environment you create will go a long way to determining how successful you will be.
Ben is the owner of Manic Merchandise which has been in business since 2016. He has been in the promotional merchandise industry for over 20 years.
