The innovation: What was the biggest breakthrough for you with your business?
The biggest breakthrough is yet to come as I aim to build my e-commerce website, which will allow customers to purchase baskets and furniture with ease. As much as I love markets and will continue to engage with people this way, I also understand that we live in a fast-paced world with busy family lives and work commitments. Many families are time poor, so this ease of access is important to move the Pic-a-nic Nook forward.
The drive: What challenges have you overcome?
For me, the biggest challenge I overcame was moving the concept forward from what could have been just a hobby to a business. This involved seeking out professional advice from others who had taken the leap and gone before me. Listening to others talk about their failures and successes in their businesses greatly assisted me in instilling my own ideas. One of the challenges has been balancing my personal time and time spent on my business, finding the times that I was most effective and productive.
For better or worse: What are the pros and cons of running your own business?
A definite one for the pro list would be the absolute creative freedom I have as a sole business trader. I can literally dream up an idea and implement it into my business without seeking permission. I realised that I am at my personal best when I have creative freedom.
Possibly one for the con list would be the inability to switch off. My brain can tend to run in circles at the best of times but suddenly I found myself not in a typical nine to five job, with a predetermined role and structure. I wasn’t finishing at the same time each day, packing up and switching off. My home was my office and I then realised I needed to dedicate spaces that were ‘work’ spaces and spaces that were for leisure. I found myself thinking about business-related decisions at all hours of the day. This was a huge learning curve for me.
Yin and Yang: How do you balance work and family?
Clearly this was an area I needed to improve upon. Self-care is often mentioned but easy to forget. Do things that make your soul happy, then you are able to come back to family and friends as the best version of yourself.
Hopes and dreams: What’s next?
Is the sky the limit? I know the future is never certain but perhaps one day I would like to see the Pic-a-nic Nook open up as a dedicated purpose-built space welcoming all those who wish to visit. A space where community can gather and children have a safe environment to learn and play.
My advice to anyone that wants to start up their own business? Just take the leap. Yes, it is incredibly scary, but the pandemic gave me the push I needed to decide to live without regrets. I will absolutely make mistakes and will continue to do so. I am learning as I go. But for me, the personal benefits outweigh any negatives.
To find out more, head over the the Pic-a-nic Nook website and join their communities on Facebook and Instagram.
