Small business rocks!
Homonyms can be tricky. They are spelt and sound the same, but mean very different things. Let’s take the root word “rock”. It can mean cool and fun, but it can also be an object found in nature, something solid or even movement. The adjective “rocky” can mean tough and hard. Talk about a word with a split personality, the yin and yang, black and white and trying to have things both ways!
Being an entrepreneur, starting something brand new and trading the corporate high life for “small business” is akin to having rocks in one’s head, some believe. People say the first year, second year, first five years are going to be tough. The road to success will be rocky, they add. Statistics of how many new businesses fail in their first year are often quoted. And as added cold comfort, if you are retarded enough to venture out on your own in a recessionary economy… These are the very reasons so many don’t even try. Fear of the unknown. Fear of the hardship. Fear of failure.
So why do we risk so much and do it? Simply because small business rocks. I really enjoy nothing more these days than listening to entrepreneurs who have trodden this rocky path regale us with their own stories and advice based on their own experiences. Not one has said it was easy, but none have said they regretted the risks and the journey. Given the choice, they’d do it all again.
The camaraderie amongst entrepreneurs is amazing and uplifting. Fellow small business owners really “get” each other and truly want to support and help.
The September campaign sponsored by Nedbank to support small business really rocked my boat (in a good way). What an incredibly positive initiative for this country. I truly hope it grows in status and into a well supported initiative. There is so much promise and goodwill to be had.
I was fortunate enough to do the “save the rhino” 12km mountain trail run this past weekend, albeit with an injured ankle. Those damn little rocks underfoot had my attention, especially on the last kilometre. They were sharp, small and a little rough around the edges, just like Twisted Toast. (Gotta love those homonyms!)
The first six months of year two at The Toast are dust in our rearview mirror. We’ve totally rocked some months, whilst others have been rocky. September was about regaining balance, re-focusing our energy and renewal. We’re now amped to rock October!
