Thread by @johnqbarber, A thread about going it alone. Eight ago today I left a [...]

John Quinton-Barber

johnqbarber

A thread about going it alone.

Eight ago today I left a well paid and secure job to follow my ‘instinct’ and set up a new company. I was forced to leave early by my previous company. I arrived home to my wife wrapping Christmas presents on the kitchen table.

I said. ‘They’ve kicked me out early. So this is it. I’ve got to make it work.’
My wife had been made redundant the year before and was a happily stay at home mum to our two little girls. We had little in reserves and now no household income. I’ll be honest. It was a scary time.

Facing the future knowing that you’re about to start something that has no guarantee of success and no income certainly keeps you awake at night. But the ‘instinct’ in me knew we would be okay. And despite surviving off PPI claims for the first 18 months - we were okay.

Everyone who has done it from scratch knows that setting up a business is hard. The hours; the lost family moments you’ll never get back, the friendships you lose, the extreme loneliness you feel and the doubt and fear. It’s all there in the early years.

But that doesn’t last forever. Eventually you build a good team around you. Things start to fall into place and before you know it - the hard work and sacrifice starts to have meaning. It starts to work.

Fast forward to today. I’ve built a business from scratch which is now turning over more than £2.5m and employs 40 people, with four P&Ls. And next year we have ambitious plans to extend that to at least 6, maybe 8 P&Ls. We are growing.

There’s no guarantees of future success. I know that. But I’m proud of what we are building. A fabulous and talented workforce. A caring culture and a business committed to the triple bottom line.

I take none of this for granted. Especially in this year like no other. And my heart goes out to all business owners - I actually cry for those who have lost everything because of Covid. It’s horrible. And my only way to have any solidarity with them is this.

Since March I reduced my own personal reward from the business by 40%. This was originally to stand in solidarity with colleagues who were on furlough. But now it’s significance is different.

It’s to stand with those who are facing the future with uncertainly. For me personally I couldn’t justify taking a bonus or a pay rise this year. Given what’s going on around us. That’s just my personal choice. And as someone who started this adventure with nothing..

I’m doing what I can to support those around. And I know many others are doing the same. That’s the real spirit of entrepreneurship. To bloom where we are planted. To help where we can. And to be finely tuned into people, planet and profit.

And so, I’m glad I took the risk and left my job 8 years ago today. My instinct was right. And I’ll always pay it forward where I can.

And if you’ve got the instinct and the risk appetite. Then maybe you should too.

#Entrepreneurship #businessowner #startup

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