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Is It National ‘Be Patronising Week’ or Something?
Been a ‘normal’ week, went ballistic at our pedometer printers who sent me two proofs for the same item, followed by realising what I have achieved on the first phase of Tyrer Sorrel and punctuated by being patronised and worrying about having no money in December. The joys of being a small business 🙂
Ballistic – I could have gone to China myself the saga these pedometers have turned into.
Realisation – I watched part of a BBC TV show about bankers going into businesses and ‘helping them’. Anyone who saw the tears in the farmer’s eyes at laying his staff off will understand what small business is really all about. In the show there was an old lady who was talking to the banker about his year off. I have never seriously thought about what it meant when I took a “year off” (it was more like 18 months) till I heard her words. I now realise what that means to people. Sorry to everyone who kept trying to tell me but I didn’t get it. It was just numbers to me, another plan and perfectly normal. But I realise it wasn’t now. I realised how hard I have worked, why I needed time off and what I have achieved. I realise who helped me and who actively didn’t. This is why I keep saying thank you to everyone. I am sure it is getting boring but here’s a few more thank-yous anyway. Myself and Kirst would never swap PC Bryce (it’s obvious by the way that you are both doing a great job); ‘Sneaky Crisps, Shots & Quiz Machines’; ‘Quavers & Abramovich’; ‘Mel and The Ashton Triangle’ (now who should I get to play them?); ‘Tom’s Thumbs Up’; ‘Every Black Mini’; Sean; Joe; ‘the finest coffee shop in town’. I am glad I did it, even if it is much harder and more scary now. Putting it in the past also helps me detach from the first phase and move on with Tyrer Sorrel to a bigger place.
Patronisation – I am developing another Challenge (the £553 Start Up Challenge, to go along side the 153 Mile Challenge). The working title is ‘Homeless to Millionaire’. As part of this challenge we will be following the stories of Social Entrepreneurs, firstly Homeless Social Entrepreneurs as they grow or restart their own businesses.
http://www.tyrersorrel.co.uk/plusenterprise/socialentrepreneurs/welcome.asp
To develop the challenge I am blogging about my own business (hence these posts) and learning ‘What do I want to say?’; What don’t I want to say?’; ‘What do I forget if I don’t post quickly?’. I am also learning what it is like to be a start up all over again – I am living our future challenge and starting 153 Mile with £553. Difficult but what I am realising more than anything (I probably missed it the first time) is that start ups are constantly patronised and treated like second class businesses. Kirst told me about a story on BBC news once. A man with his own boating business had been trading for 20 years or something and was turning over £17m a year and was treated like an idiot by his bank. Maybe I am more sensitive to it, who knows. It’s something I need to explore for the £553 Start Up Challenge.
Notes:
Original Blog at www.silentfullback.co.uk | Category: Tyrer Sorrel.