small smɔːl/ adjective 1. of a size that is less than normal or usual. 2. insignificant; unimportant.
That's the definition of small. In terms of businesses, the Australian Bureau of Statistics defines a small business as a business employing 20 people or less and/or turning over less than $2 million per annum. More than 90% of all businesses in Australia fall under this definition. Myself included.
Small business defined by me is a little different. Perhaps it’s that I dislike the term small, and its connotations that we are unimportant.
We may not be massive, but we are monumental.
I am not certain that I could do anything other than be a business owner now. The ultimate freedom that being a small business owner brings is something I am lucky to have. I get to spend every single day pursuing my passion, working on something that I love and sharing it with the world.
Saying that, a small business isn’t always glamorous. In fact it's often not at all. It’s long nights, early mornings, the need to be flexible, and a constant battle to prove wrong all those people who think you’re crazy. It's learning things you never thought you’d need to know, and doing so on the fly. A small business owner is driven, passionate, relentless and brave.
Maybe they are a little crazy too. Who’s to say? I suppose you have to be.
It's not a lie that 60% of small businesses in Australia close their doors within the first 3 years of operation. Something that I have been told countless times myself. Taking a leap of faith and vowing to fight those odds is an incredibly brave thing.
People look at our websites, the little (or big!) brands we have created, and they see our social media posts, and I think it’s incredibly easy to forget that it’s often just a single person behind it all. 61% of small businesses are sole traders with no employees. Just a business driven by a single persons passion for that little thing they feel the need to share with the world.
So for Queensland Small Business Week 2018, I aim to celebrate my fellow (hint: also dog crazy) small business owners. I will be releasing a blog daily between May 28 and June 1 for my series - Behind the Business. I set off armed with my camera and a notepad, and have interviewed the people behind 5 local small businesses to learn why they took the leap into the unknown and I will be sharing their tails with you.
monumental
mɒnjʊˈmɛnt(ə)l/
adjective
1. great in importance, extent, or size.
(Much better.)