Hi

It's easy for any business you run yourself to turn into a 'job'. The E-Myth book by Michael Gerber covers this really well. The myth is that people running their own business are entrepreneurs. Often they aren't - other than the few minutes at some point in their life that they decided to set up! The answer (according to MG) is to systemise your business so that everything can run just as well when you're not there - or in my case probably even better ;-)

I wonder whether if you put your effort into systemising your shop and online sales you could retain a lot of the profit you currently earn and free yourself up to do the things you want to do. Believe it or not but designing the systems can be interesting in itself.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

Jonathan
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Jonathan Ford BSc (Hons) FCA
Jonathan Ford & Co Limited
Chartered Accountants
www.jonathanford.co.uk

Thanks Jonathan, hit the nail on the head right there! I really believe a true entreprenuer is someone who can walk away from his creation knowing it will run by itself.

I am in two minds.
1. employ some staff and setup a proper trade counter- however this requires a lot of investment in time and essentially profit until the business starts running successfully.

2. automate everything so it's a complete online venture, all I do is manage the admin side of things and let it run.

I'll let you know how it goes but thanks for reassuring me this isn't the life of an entrepreneur. Truth is, I wouldn't want anyone working in an industry that even I'm not passionate about.

Excitement, intrigue, and the anticipation of the unknown. They are all missing in your current business. Whilst your comfortably ticking over and bringing in the pennies to put the food on the table, there's obviously a lot lacking to hold your attention span from anything that's not entirely necessary.

Life has an uncanny way of telling us things, but for the vast majority we never realise until it's too late to change. I've been in pretty much the same situation myself and I'm a lot older than you.

The one thing you have that is invaluable is time. Your only 25 years old . . . a mere sprat in the ocean of large fish. If there is one thing I have learned from experience, it is always to follow your dream, or life can sometimes in the cruellest of circumstances take that dream away from you permanently.

If you'd like to talk to someone old enough to be your dad, with a mind and outlook that's probably younger than yours, and with something established, unusual, and cooking that would blow your socks off, please get in touch with your contact details.

If not, then I sincerely wish you follow your dream and find work and life satisfaction.

Best Regards

Sorry to hear you aren't enjoying the shop anymore but is taking it online really going to make you feel more enthusiasic??/
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Enterprise Private Equity
www.enterprisepe.com
Specialists in Enterprise Investment Scheme, EIS Tax Advantages and EIS Investments