Being recognised for one of my business’ ecotoystore by none other than Theo Paphitis is a great achievement for me and today (28th November 2013) I had the opportunity to have that recognition in person.
Over the last few years I have worked hard (and continue to do so) in order to develop a business and a brand that will support the development of our future generations and bring back the value of family play time.
Today, I sat in a room with over 900 other small business owners who had been recognised by Theo Paphitis via Twitter, and as I type this on the train on the way home from Birmingham, I know that there will be lots of people just like me buzzing from todays events.
It was great to hear Theo talk about the future, what he saw happening with the retail industry; how Governments needs to work on business rates and abolish town centre parking to help grow our high streets. To hear him refer to himself as a Shopkeeper made me smile and brought back the memories of where it all began for me.
I was 5 years old and my Mum & Dad owned an off-licence shop and that’s when I first got my taste of retail. The fact that I then attempted to play ‘shops’ and ‘post offices’ in my bedroom might have given me a little clue to my future career.
And whilst I have worked in financial services, warehouse and distribution and retail, I now see that this has given me the knowledge to develop and grow my business even further.
Sometimes we sit and analyse what we should do, we stop ourselves from taking action – well today the message was loud and clear: without the expletives it was a resounding ‘Just ** do it’
You sometimes forget what you achieve in your business but as I sit back and think about it over the last few years I’ve become:
- A Retailer
- A Shopkeeper
- A Web Developer
- A Web Designer
- An Accountant
- A Marketer
- A Social Media Relationship Builder
- A Toy Master
- A Furniture Seller
- A Customer Service Agent
- A Buyer
- A Pick, Pack & Despatcher
And all because I love what I do… if I hadn’t have started my retail business, I wouldn’t be where I am today and today it made it so clear – I’m proud of what I’ve achieved and I can’t wait for what the next few years is going to bring for me!