Things I Never Thought I'd Do In Business

I'll be the first to admit that more often than not, I get lost in the "doing" of business. Emails, phone calls, conference calls, meetings, research, client work, accounts - all of the practical "stuff" you do for work. Because I get lost in the doing a lot, it leaves me with precious little headspace leftover to remind myself how far I've come. I say this for myself, but wonder if it resonates with other business owners. If so, I'd love to hear your thoughts below.

In the spirit of stopping and being more mindful about running my business, here's my list of things I never thought I'd do in business and why...

• Survive longer than 3 months. Seriously.

I was convinced I'd never get the hang of running a business. I'd do my first tax return wrong and HMRC would come and shut me down like a SWAT team.

You see, I was nothing like the entrepreneurs you see on TV or read about. I didn't wake at 5am to "hustle" or have savings for my savings which meant life as an entrepreneur came with little risk. I didn't wear a suit and I definitely didn't resemble anything like an Apprentice candidate.

Instead, I was 23 years old, fresh out of a job I loved as an Editorial Assistant for a company with a terrible culture. Office politics, no HR policies and a high staff turnover. In fact, the job affected me so deeply it actually put me off writing for quite some time incase I ended up in that kind of bizarre Devil Wears Prada-esque situation again. This really took the edge off my self-confidence, not the greatest foundation to start a business where the main focus is yourself and your skills which meant I definitely wouldn't last longer than 3 months.

• Go on a work trip abroad

When I got the opportunity to fly solo to Copenhagen on a Trade Mission in March 2017 it was a dream come true. It felt bizarre, because up until that point (almost 3 years into business) my role as a Marketing Consultant had only ever taken me on the train or in the car down south. That was familiar territory. Exploring the potential of doing business in another country? Woah.

• Working with a small business owner

I never forget the day when every company I've ever worked with chose MY BUSINESS to handle their marketing. What a privilege! They trusted me, my knowledge and passion to manage their social media, blog, email marketing, copywriting and so on. That excitement of winning their trust and a contract to start working together that pinged through on email, or over the phone is like shaking a bottle of champagne inside your stomach. You get all fizzy with excitement and pride.

• Work for a "big name"

I'm now five years into my entrepreneurial journey and none of my grandparents still quite understand what I do for a living. They didn't take me very seriously, until I started working with clients they'd heard of. Lindt, Gü Puds, The Cambridge Satchel Company, Crew Clothing, Jacobs Creek, Campo Viejo, Tena... suddenly I had made it "big". I felt it too. Word of mouth marketing spread like wildfire and business was coming to me through referrals. My brain soaked it all up like a giant sponge, segmenting what would be helpful for smaller clients to know and what would help bigger clients connect more with their customers.

• See my work outside of Selfridges

It's not often you plan a media campaign displayed on billboard screens outside the door of one of the most famous shops in England, but when I found myself devising a 12 month ad campaign strategy for a client this was a big deal for me. Not a single person in Birmingham's Bullring walking in and out of Selfridges with their bright yellow bags knew who I was, but I stood there proudly watching my ideas flash up on screen right outside the door.

• Plan an entire new store concept

Having worked with the wonderful Rush Trampoline Parks for four years, getting to play a part in planning and designing their new concept food court was real fun for me! Researching concepts, planning ideas and pitching why I thought it'd add value to the brand was like playtime. Hours slipped by as I lost myself in my work. I love the chance to be creative and use my skills in another way to help build brand loyalty and develop the clients' USP.

• Be able to offer people a job

Bumble and Bloom Media is still (happily) a very small business, but one of the things I wished for was to one day be able to help someone in need of experience get a job, or get out of that scary cycle of working in an industry you don't care about but having no time or money to leave so you can upskill. Despite being small; Bumble and Bloom offers people work experience placements, internships and freelance job opportunities. It was exactly the kind of thing I wanted, but it didn't exist when I was trying to make a change in my career before starting my business, so I made it exist when I had the opportunity to do so.

• Buy a house

Technically this one hasn't happened yet, as I don't have my completion date, but I remember several people "advising" me how difficult it would be to get a mortgage as a self-employed person. "The banks will hate you" - so much so I half convinced myself it wasn't for me. Then I met my mortgage advisor Danielle at First Mortgage NE and she was everything I could have wanted and more. She proved the naysayers wrong. I got a mortgage, I found a house and fingers crossed, it'll all be signed off and sorted before the end of summer. It seemed my little business didn't hinder my chances of my buying my first home after all. In fact, it'll also help me buy my first buy-to-let property too.

• Host two sell-out workshops

Working in partnership with Northumberland-based enterprise agency NBSL, I benefitted from EU funding and hosted two "Blooming Marvellous" workshops to small business owners in the local area. The second one had such a long waiting list, I had to move venues at the last minute (thanks for stepping in Newcastle Library!) I planned everything, from the content to the marketing and event experience. Being a new entrepreneur at the time, the opportunity finally helped me pay off my student overdraft and I was finally able to keep every penny I earned.

• Win an award

Coming from the girl who was convinced she wouldn't be able to keep this business going for longer than 3 months, being shortlisted for, and winning local and national awards was a special kind of out-of-body experience! As I write this, I'll be heading to London in a few days time to the UK Final of the Federation of Small Businesses where I've been shortlisted as a UK Finalist for their Young Entrepreneur of the Year after winning the North East round. Keep your fingers crossed for me?

• Work with a celebrity

When BeDigital asked me to host their glamorous Women in Business event(s) at Alnwick Castle I was honoured. Sharing a stage with Michelle Mone OBE and get to introduce her as she told her story to over 100 women in business was definitely a moment in my career I hadn't envisaged but I loved every minute of it. It was also the perfect excuse to dress up!

Running Bumble and Bloom Media has been tons of fun. It's taught me more than working for any employer possibly could, it's forced me to step out of my comfort zone hundreds of times and really learn to love my own company.

I wonder what else I'll be adding to the list in the future?

Now, go tell me yours! I'd love to hear about all of the things you never thought you'd do in business - or would want to do if you took the plunge to start a business!

Chloe x