I had this wee idea on my bucket list – let’s say perhaps 10 years ago: wouldn’t it be cool if I could set up my own business, employ staff and work in a job that I love doing?
A fanciful idea that many people dream of yet few people actually act on or even achieve. Wouldn’t we all love to do a job we love? What’s the saying:
‘do what you love and never work a day in your life’
Stress is all around us. I was sitting in my favourite coffee shop today, a couple on an adjacent table met for lunch. I’m assuming they were work colleagues, or perhaps just friends, who knows. Their whole conversation (executed very loudly so not only me, but I expect everyone could hear) was about stresses at work and people that were doing things that made their life difficult and annoyed them.
I sat listening and watching their mannerisms. Then thought about my own situation at the moment.
- A client this week managed a full sit up for the very first time. Their face exploded into total glee, they were so chuffed.
- A few weeks ago a client sent me a video of themselves (in pyjamas) doing their first full push up. They were so pleased that it was something they had finally managed, they had to share it with me straight away. They can now do 5 full push ups.
- A client who has always accepted that they have ‘bad knees’ told me that they had almost forgotten about it, they had such little pain for such a long time since coming to work with me.
- A client who came to me a while ago for personal training, then lost 20kg, was so inspired that they talked to me about becoming a personal trainer.
I have many many other examples and I could keep listing them for ages.
Life isn’t so bad, right?
I had a dream…
In my first year as a teacher in 1996 I had a part time job, four days a week. It was all I could get at the time. Although it was wonderful to have a three day weekend, it was never going to pay the bills, specially when I owned my own home and lived alone.
I dreamed of one day having that opportunity again. This weekend it came true. My hous grew to such an extreme that now I cover 47 hours over 4 days and another member of staff works the Saturday. We are already closed on Friday and Sunday.
Leadership is earned. You want your team to feel like they work with you, not for you.
Large leaps
Around 3 months ago it was crunch time. I felt like I was working at max, that my work life balance was not too balanced, yet I wasn’t sure that the business was doing well enough to have more staff.
I ran an advert locally and online. Many applications, but no candidates that were really a suitable fit for my business. Someone suggested why didn’t I use what was right under my nose?
I was mentoring two people through their course but it would be a while before either were qualified. So? I asked both if they were interested in a job. Before you know it, Ryding2Health had become a team.
Fast forward to the end of the first month as a employer: the business did not make a loss despite a new outlay in staff wages. How proud am I?
A bucket list idea..
Head back to the top and re read the bucket list idea: it just came true. I couldn’t have imagined this would ever be the case. I tried to set up in 2011 but I was still working full time. It didn’t work. It took a string of things in my life to force me to evaluate things and wonder what I was doing with my life. I no longer enjoyed my day job, so I created my own. I even built my own team and am blessed to have not only a group of fabulous clients but also a group of fabulous employees.
Think back to those in the coffee shop talking about work stress. Ok, being a business owner isn’t stress free, but it certainly makes me feel happy to be where I am now.
Thank you to each and every person who has been a part of making this whole thing happen.
Feeling pretty proud.
Melanie Magowan 