This post is very personal to me and I‘ve wondered whether to post it or not for a while, but I’ve decided even if it just helps one person who is struggling to get their business off the ground then it’s worth it.
So I had a really interesting day today; my accountant had to pick up our records from our old accountants and he came over to me and said: “Nick, look how funny this is, look at this, you’ll appreciate it.” And he showed me the accounts from 2016 with my old business Soap Suppliers LTD. So Soap Suppliers was my first company, it was a soap making suppliers business and in 2016 I had been running the company for nearly 4 years. The accounts that my accountant had given me showed that in those 4 years I had made minus £3,000. So it had taken me 4 years to build a business that was making no money at all, and that’s how long I was struggling for.
I was on my own, working in the freezing cold every day, with no support, I was just failing and I was so miserable because I thought, I’m meant to be successful and I felt like I had no purpose. Doctors gave me anti-depressants as I couldn’t even get out of bed, I couldn’t eat, my parents were so worried about me and I just felt like a failure. I really wanted to give up, I couldn’t bring myself to get out of bed anymore to even pack a few orders in the garage. I didn’t want to do it anymore because whatever I did, didn’t work.
You see, people don’t see that side of things. Eventually, I had to get a job because I had no money, my business wasn’t going anywhere so I ended up working as a buyer. I still ran my business in the evening whilst I was working this 9 to 5 job (which would usually drag on longer than 5) and I still carried on running my own business. I did that for a year, I was working full time, and I was so petrified of going back into that mental state it was really difficult. But through all that, I was able to save up £10,000 that year.
I ended up having a big fall out with my boss and I decided I was going to take another shot at it. Even after 4 years of failure, I knew I didn’t want to work for somebody else, I wanted to make a success of myself. So the money that I had saved- which was originally for a deposit on a house and the plan was I was going to work for the rest of my life- I invested this money in Supplies For Candles. I quit my job, bought some wax, glass and fragrance and I set that up in February 2016. 6 months later things just started changing, sales started coming through and the next thing I know I need a helping hand so I employed my best friend and everything just started going crazy.
Almost 5 years later, where we are at today, we are going to be turning over nearly 15 million pounds. So I look back at these accounts at the worst possible time in my life where I made no money, I felt like a failure and I had absolutely nothing for years and years, but I carried on and I went back into that place where I risked it all, there was a chance I was going to slip back into depression again if it didn’t work but I just went for it, I didn’t let that hold me back.
What I take from my experience is that it’s so important to not give up. It doesn’t matter how difficult it gets you need to keep going. It took my 4 years to make minus 3 grand, and it’s taken me another 4 years to make £15 million, and that shows what hard work and determination can do. If you keep going, that fortune will favour you. So if there is anybody out that who is struggling right now, thinking you’re not getting anywhere, it’s not working and it’s not worth it, just think, it’s all lessons learned. Everything I learnt in the 4 years of a failing business I’ve applied to my business today which has made me successful. So don’t think this is wasted time, it’s all lessons learned for you to reach your full potential.