Ian Baillie of Maintenance Magic
Could your work and lifestyle balance be made more flexible by starting your own business?
A lot of businesses start due to the unique lifestyle options it provides and the greater work-life balance it can offer.
We would all love to spend more time with family, or simply do more of what we enjoy, but sometimes a nine-to-five working life can get in the way of that.
At the BIC we understand that many entrepreneurs start-up to be their own boss, and be in control of their time so they can prioritise around matters such as work, family and leisure.
We recently supported a gardening firm called Maintenance Magic to get off the ground. Ian Baillie, the firm’s owner, started his business after being made redundant and now takes pleasure in the fact that self-employment allows him to make all of his own decisions and allows flexible working hours.
Firms, like Ian’s, also have the opportunity to thrive during seasonal periods where there will be more demand for work, although the expectation is that he will have to work very long hours during the peak seasons in the spring and summer.
In running an enterprise everything depends on you. If you want to work today you can, but it’s up to you if you want to keep some days free.
Being the boss will certainly mean that you get to choose the way the business is run, but you will also need to make sure that your business isn’t just convenient for you – but for your customers as well; this may lead to adjusting working hours to respond to customer demands. For companies that sell internationally or that provide business critical services, like IT support, they may even need to be available 24/7!
There are many drivers for starting a business. Often, entrepreneurs see a new business as a great opportunity to follow their dream and do the work they really want to do. Or, they want to take advantage of a gap in the market following redundancy and set something up from scratch, whilst also being motivated by the freedom to organise their life as they wish.
Whatever your reason for wanting to start a business, we would love to hear from you.
Please call 0191 516 6149 to book a free appointment with our experienced advisers.
Or, arrange an appointment to speak to our start-up team by clicking here.