23/10/2023
BIG SHOUT out to all Small Business Owners!
I had no idea what it took. When I did, I thought why someone would even do it. 😂 Until I was married to a Small Business Owner which is vastly different to being Self Employed so I have discovered.
If you are a Small Business Owner feel free to share in the comments your reasons for choosing to be a Small Business Owner or your experience or perspective as a Owner, Spouse or Child.
Hi Matt!
Buckle in - this my perspective and what I have learnt as the wife.
Small Business Owners (Lets shorten it to SBO) wear many hats. Not only are they the Owner but they are the Manager, Operation Control, Logistics Coordinator, Inventory Control, Receptionist, Data Entry, IT officer, Customer Service Liaison, Quality Control, Marketing Co-Ordinator, Sales Rep, Cleaner, PR, Treasurer, Delivery Driver, Tradesman, Entrepreneur, Handyman, Human Recourses, Holiday and Sick leave cover, After Hours Manager, Security, Yard maintenance, Landscaper, The Panel be**er mate and much more that I am sure.
So as the WIFE of a SBO it’s no surprise that there’s days Matt comes home with nothing left to give after working 10-12hours or more, 6-7 Days a week. With maybe 2 holidays of 3 days in a year. Most people would call these weekends.
Even then there are still work calls and work to be done. Not much time off. Nope! Let me explain. After a SBO is paid for work completed. His first priority is to pay his staff then suppliers, taxman and so on and he gets what’s left. Some weeks this can be nothing. I know... nothing.... gulp.
Without paying great employees like ours with 90years combined experience, (Just by the way, these guys have worked together for more than 30years in various locations. Amazing!) your vehicle repair, restoration or respray doesn’t happen. Without the suppliers the shop can’t operate. It takes a lot of operating and coordinating when you’re a SBO to not just run but to remain operational and open.
(FYI - Stats are 50% of small business owners fail in the first 5 years. Matt has past this milestone.)
For our family Matt is our main income provider. What do I do as the WIFE of a SBO? I try to support where I can, I know absolutely nothing about cars and drive an automatic.
I know crazy right? Where on earth did he find me! I could work in the office to help.....Well.... We decided to stay married instead. We did actually trial this.
I however do most of the running for our young boys and am working on the set up of a couple of small home business’s in the hope Matt can get a few more weekends off (aka holidays to our children)
So why does he choose to be a SBO? What’s the benefit? It’s not the income or less stress (It is stressful to me and I don’t know how he does it or any SBO) or the glamour or glory. Although the couple of car-show winning paint jobs certainly made him feel pretty awesome and he still hasn’t put the picture up on the wall. Yes he is actually Modest!
…..Why does he do it? It’s the flexibility of time!
If the boys want him to be there for an Activity, Event, School Parade, Sports Day, Kindy Fathers Day, Drs Appointment or Hospital stay, he can! It’s not an easy juggle, but he can and he works bloody hard the rest of the time. (He wouldn't tell you that) Sometimes this requires a team effort and big sacrifices. He dropped me home after our first child was born and was back at work within the hour. Yes really!
He gets going in the wee hours (I call them stupid O’clock) the sun is no where near appearing even after he gets to work, the kids don’t see him in the morning, they actually though he lived at the Panel Shop for a while. However we now have dinner together every night with phones away and makes every opportunity count. So if you see a Small Business Owner out with their family for the day. Please remember before saying they don’t work hard, ripping people off and have lots of money or have it easy. This SBO has already worked 6hours or more in the wee hours before anyone surfaces to get that day. It would seems like a day off to the kids or anyone else, sometimes even his own team. 😂
What he is doing, is choosing the type of family man he is wanting to be, by choosing the flexibility of time for his kids and me (YES!). Making the most out of everyday and make the memories with his children count.
It took me 9 years with this "MAN" to actually get it.
