That’s fantastic!!

That is the response I get from everyone when I tell them that I have started a small business.

Not the why, the where the how, just those two words “That’s Fantastic”.

Is it? Well, I don’t know……yet. But over time I hope to find out.

So why start a business?

It was necessity really. At the time I started to think about running my own business I had had 5 different employers within a one-year period. This was crazy, so many people wanted me I just could not keep up let alone find the hours in my day.

The thought had been rummaging around in my head, but I had never really done anything about it. So, there it sat a thought whilst I continued working with multiple employers. Then the push came along, a lone phone call to ask whether I could do some work BUT not be an employee. We want your skills, and we will pay you to do them.

This was it. This was what I needed, time to start my small business.

My skills are quite diverse. Over the course of the last 13 years, I have worked in Childcare, working my way from Educator up to Director all whilst studying and raising my family. Throughout that time, I realised that whilst I was a great Educator, I was also good at the business side of Childcare. I could also understand what it took to be the director of a childcare centre. The many ‘hats’ that were needed to be worn on a day-to-day basis.

And so, after much research, and advise from others I took the plunge. I thought up a thousand weird and crazy business names and finally came up with Admin Saviour. My goal to save childcare director’s time by doing the tasks either too difficult or too time consuming and sharing my knowledge along the way. At the time I also started working casually writing Grants and Tenders, a totally different type of work that has been so rewarding.

So where did I start. Everyone told me to go to the Business Enterprise Centre (BEC), https://www.becnt.com.au/ I had in the past dealt with a Small Business Champion through operating the not-for-profit childcare centre. So, I took this advice. They offered a small free online training course – Essential Business Skills Course. Whilst I did know some of this information, you always have room to learn more. In writing this blog and looking back I feel I may even revisit BEC, they have so many options to help small businesses and I feel the business is evolving and I have a 3-year membership with them (Free). I also read a lot. I have the Small Business for Dummies book by my bed to flick through every now and then although most information I read is just found through scrolling on the internet or checking out information from newsletters.

Probably one thing I do a lot of is ask questions and advise and listen to the answers. Sometimes this works by solving a problem and sometimes it doesn’t work creating more questions to roll around in my mind. I do embrace the knowledge of others and how they can offer me support. That could actually be my superpower the way I can connect with others, communicate, and ultimately learn. People often comment amusingly how everywhere I go I know someone!

So, there you have it my fledgling little business idea is moving along, and I am excited to see whare it will go. I hope as time goes on I will have flexibility in my work life balance. Don’t get me wrong this is hard work, and I don’t always know what I am doing but I am glad I took the plunge. I have had to learn so many new skills especially with technology and time management, but I’m a keen learner and committed. I’ve managed to set up a home office, learn to avoid distractions and have slowly adapted to this change.

So that’s it really, Admin Saviour has started giving me the flexibility I want. The pull of remote work is enticing, and I hope to one day sit in that café on the beach in Thailand and do my work with the best view in the world. Will this happen? Who knows but it’s worth a try I think, I feel I deserve to give it a go.