Turning a hobby into a business

Over the years, being a business owner, people have often turned to me for advice.

The most popular topics? How to start and when they have businesses, how to turn it into their full-time gig?

In the beginning, I was a little taken aback… why do they want me? I’m just a small fish… however as my business grew, so did the caliber of friends turning to me for advice. And somewhere along the line I have realised, yes I do know what I’m talking about. I started a business at 21 with no clue what I was doing and then, a decade later, I found myself heading a successful business completing hundreds of weddings each year.

As my brand has grown and I have gained more experience, my knowledge on business ownership has expanded, and I have become quite passionate about sharing this. Now fifteen years after starting my little flower business, I’ve made the drastic move to stop flowers. To focus on two things. Helping couples plan weddings and help wedding businesses thrive.

I love helping other businesses. It truly gives me so much joy to help in such an impactful way. I love tweaking their strategies and applying the lessons I have learned over the years.

So… when do you know if it’s time to take the leap?

The truth is none of us have a crystal ball… and whilst hindsight can be a beautiful thing, we don’t have the luxury of knowing what the future will bring. The thing we do know is that no one creates something successfully without taking some risks.

As boring as it sounds you do need to create a good old pros and cons list.

Weighing up the good things like creative control, the ability to create your own hours not to mention that satisfaction you get after a hard day’s work where YOU created something.

Along with the negatives like book work, legal obligations, financial instability and the potential for long work hours and the stress that comes along with it.

Every person will have a unique list of pros and cons, but the number one thing I tell people when they are considering switching to full-time is to consider their support network.

Without a strong support network, your business will not thrive.

This may come in different ways, your partner or spouse,, extended family or friends.

Can you rely on these people to motivate you, to bounce ideas with, to pick up the slack at home, to help you when you are busy and be a financial backup if things don’t go to plan?

Everyone’s threshold for when to take the leap will be different. Without a strong support network, you may need to wait a little longer to make sure you have all these securities in place first.

If you have a passion, a plan for your business and a strong support network there is nothing standing in your way!

If you are unsure if you’re ready to take the leap DM me on Instagram to have a chat.

I’m so excited for this next step of my business journey and can’t wait to start spreading the love!

Gx