Natasha Chadwick shares three big lessons she learned as a leader from starting a small business, just before a pandemic struck.
When the pandemic hit in March 2019, I’d been self-employed for just over 6 months.
A voluntary mission to Uganda with International Citizen Service in 2019 was the catalyst for me to refocus on my purpose. I chose self-employment to change the way I lived my life and I initially thought that I would just work on different freelance projects.
At the start of 2020 I realised that I wanted to build something bigger. And so I did.
But along came the pandemic right as I started.
It was difficult, to say the least.
Digging Deep to Grow a Small Business.
After noticing the impact on my mental health I made a choice last year to dig deep and move forward.
I started running to build my mental and physical health. I’m proud that I completed the Running Woman 100k challenge, raising money for the charity that I co-founded, CommUnity Works Uganda, in the process.
I’m beyond proud that in the last year I’ve expanded my network and built relationships with several small businesses over the course of the last year across the East Midlands and beyond. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed playing my part back in the world of employability supporting contracts that are there to help people impacted by the pandemic, and I was delighted to win a public tender earlier this year to deliver the Peer Networks programme in my local area.
As I’ve recently marked the end of my second year as a business owner I’m proud to say that I’ve built my business back up from nothing. I’ve gone from being a business of one to being surrounded by a team of expert associates and I’ve provided opportunities for young people through internships and the Kickstart scheme.
Working to create change in the world means there is always more to do and as I pause to reflect, I’m excited for what the future holds.
Three Big Lessons I’ve Learned as a Small Business Leader
So what am I learning as the leader of my own business?
-
- Focus on what will make the difference. I’m grateful that a previous employer instilled in me a strong performance culture, and this is something that I work on with business owners and leadership teams. It can be easy to spend time on so many things as a leader; I found myself getting overwhelmed with trying to network, create new services, engage in online learning and more. When I stepped back and challenged myself to focus on what will make the difference to my sales and growth, it helped me prioritise and build the business up as I wanted to.
- Build strong relationships. Despite having never met in person, I’m delighted to have developed strong connections with so many people over the course of the pandemic. There’ve been times when I’ve felt lonely, when I’ve compared myself to others based on what I see on social media, and found myself questioning whether I could do it. The challenge, inspiration and friendship I’ve gained from other business leaders, many of whom are women, has given me the energy I’ve needed to keep on going.
- Know when it’s time to rest. Like many it’s been difficult to enjoy downtime during the pandemic when our traditional style of holidays have changed. As someone who loves travelling I find the experience of visiting a new country and immersing myself into a new culture incredibly enriching. I’ve struggled to take proper breaks over the course of the last 18 months, but now I sit here having given myself permission to work less hours over the summer, really looking forward to feeling refreshed. That’s got to be one of the benefits of being self-employed right?!
A Lot More to Come.
Whilst it’s not been easy I’ve enjoyed the journey of the last two years.
I know there’s a lot more to come.
Taking the leap into self-employment has had a positive impact on my wellbeing and enabled me to make a difference where it matters most. I now use my story to inspire and support others. If you’re thinking about making a similar change, go for it!
Find out more about Natasha and her work with Impact People and Change.
