In 2018 I ran a blog series I called Behind the Business- spurred on by the fact that small business owners really don’t get enough recognition for the things they do. I mean, the very name of our ‘small’ businesses denotes insignificance and unimportance. 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% (that’s a whole lot!) of all businesses in Australia fall under this definition. Myself included. We may not be massive, but we are monumental.
Through that series, I interviewed 5 amazing local pet business and learnt about what it was that drove them to start their businesses. The people I met doing this were truly amazing people working SO hard to get where they want to be.
I could relate to their stories. I know that being a business owner can be 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 not wanting to work some days, or just not knowing which way to go, and doing it anyway. It’s learning a whole host of random things you never thought you’d need to know, and doing so on the run. It’s fear and doubts and leaving your safety blanket behind to jump into the unknown. A small business owner is driven, passionate, relentless and so, SO brave. Yeah, maybe they are a little crazy too. Who’s to say?
You need to be all those things. 60% of small businesses in Australia close their doors within the first 3 years of operation, and that’s without something like a worldwide pandemic thrown into the mix! Taking a leap of faith and vowing to fight those odds is an incredibly brave thing. Would you climb a mountain knowing you had a 60% chance of never reaching the top? Not everyone would.
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 when I saw that QLD small business week had been extended to an entire MONTH I was pretty damn happy. I had plans to expand this little series and do another 10 or so with local small businesses. I wanted to push this further and shout it from the rooftops so the world could see how incredible these people are. Unfortunately, I only got one done before the pandemic hit. I will be sharing that one with you. I haven’t decided whether 2020 will see the rest, or if we will save them for an even grander 2021, but regardless, please show some love to your favourite small businesses. They need you now, more than they ever have before. Spend with them, interact with them, share their social media posts, tell your friends about them, just pop by and offer your support. These things seem small, but it means the world to each and every one of them.
monumental
mɒnjʊˈmɛnt(ə)l/
adjective
1. great in importance, extent, or size.
(Much better.)
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