For better or worse: What are the pros and cons of running your own business?
That’s a good question. I think a lot of people don’t realise how hard it is, myself included! We were so naive about so many things going into it and there were so many times where I just wanted to give up and move on. Thankfully my husband is insanely stubborn but also incredibly resilient, which has taught me a lot. I am forever grateful for the lessons I have learnt and for the growth personally that having this business has given me. I am so much stronger and more resilient because of it. I am also grateful for the time and flexibility it’s given us.
When we started, I was pregnant with our son Leo, and having our business allowed me to stay home with him and have all that time together that I definitely wouldn’t have had otherwise. We’ve also been able to take breaks and family holidays together when it suited us, which I also don’t think we would have been able to do as easily had we both been working in other jobs. Obviously a large part of satisfaction comes from establishing relationships with customers and fellow business owners through social media, as well as our passion for trying to do better for our planet and support other small, family-owned businesses from all over the world.
The downside of it all is that you are always working. There are not really set hours like a 9-5 job so it can be quite demanding in some ways. There’s also a lot of unknown and it can be quite fragile. One bad decision can really cause a lot of damage, so there can also be a lot of pressure and a lot of stress that comes with it all. I think when I was working for someone else, it was reassuring knowing that they were in charge and had to make all the hard decisions, but when it’s your business, that all falls onto you and with all the other everyday issues that arise, it is a lot to deal with.
Hopes and dreams: What next?
That’s hard to say but our dream is to move to a quieter area out of Sydney and continue to grow Happy Go Ducky. We’d absolutely love to open a retail space so that’s a goal that we will continue to work towards. Given all the challenges that we’ve faced recently, we are really grateful to still be operating and growing. We’ve sadly seen a lot of small businesses in our niche close their doors, which is always horrible to see, so we really appreciate that we’re still here and are able to continue doing what we love.
Visit the Happy Go Ducky website to find out more and to browse their gorgeous range. You can also follow them on Facebook and Instagram.
