Entrepreneurship

But then I had second thoughts. I decided that when I started my business (four years ago now), it would actually have been quite useful to read about someone going through the same thing – if only to learn that that they were just as clueless as I was. Plus I find it quite hard to get decent advice. My family and friends are far too biased to be impartial, most of these professional career mentors and life coaches don’t know what they’re talking about, and the other entrepreneurs I know are often too busy blowing their own trumpet to have any interest in yours. So eventually I agreed, as long as I could do it anonymously. It’s less good for your inner narcissist, but it makes it much easier to be brutally honest without offending anyone.

Anyway, a little bit about me, by way of introduction: I started my business in 2004, after five years working in industry. It’s something in the media, which means our office has to be within shouting distance of Soho and I occasionally have to go to swanky parties with wannabes who used to be on Big Brother. We’re 20 people now (small enough to feel like a start-up but with added hassle), and we’re shooting for £3m turnover this year (which seemed a lot more do-able 12 months ago). I’m the majority shareholder, although the bank owns a big chunk and my ex-partner still owns a smaller chunk (which is another story in itself). I’m also female, but don’t worry: I’ve no intention of banging on about it. To be honest, I think it’s generally more of a blessing than a hindrance, particularly when it comes to PR.

So the whole thing’s gone pretty well, all things considered. But I’ve got some big decisions to make this year. The last 12 months have been a bit of a slog, and I can’t face doing that forever. I don’t want to pack it in, I don’t think, but something has to give. Should I take some money and try and scale up a bit faster? Should I hire someone to run the company, so I can step back from the day-to-day grind? Should I have my HR manager sectioned? I’ll be telling you all about this stuff in the coming weeks – and in return for me spilling my guts, I’m hoping that you might be able to offer me some slightly more practical advice than I currently get from my friends – most of whom can’t even begin to understand why I bother...

You can write to our Secret Entrepreneur at any time via secretdiary@managementtoday.com.