Champagne? I’m more ‘flat Coke and a Sainsbury’s bag full of receipts’
Let’s face it. Running a business isn’t some slick montage with uplifting music. It’s not the BAFTAs. You’re not gliding into the room in a tailored suit while Stephen Fry reads out your turnover figures. Most days, it’s more like tripping over your own to-do list, wondering if you actually paid that invoice or just dreamt it in a mild panic nap while hoovering up enough Custard Creams to build a small retaining wall.
This week, I hit what I now fondly call: The Dreaded Middle Bit™.
If you’re a fellow solo-juggler, you’ll know what I mean. That foggy stretch where the novelty’s worn off, the hard graft is fully grafting, and the caffeine hits aren’t quite cutting through the existential hum anymore. You’re too far from the start to be starry-eyed, too far from the finish line to feel triumphant. You’re just… elbow deep in emails, replying to Karen (we don’t actually have a Clustomer called Karen, she is made up) about the WiFi code (again), and wondering if you’ve remembered to shower today (I have!)
So, this week, I hit reset.
Not the sexy kind of reset with a retreat in Bali and a tan that screams “influencer with passive income”. No. I mean the “clear your desk, clear your head, remind yourself why the hell you started this” kind of reset.
Remember Why You Did This (Back When You Thought ‘Entrepreneur’ Meant Cocktails and Cool Fonts)
Somewhere in the madness of year-end spreadsheets and socially awkward networking (shudder) events, I’d forgotten that I chose this. Not because I wanted to be a stressed-out version of Alan Sugar, but because I wanted freedom, creativity, and control (even if it’s sometimes the chaotic kind).
So here’s what I did to yank myself out of the Middle Bit: (and you should do these too, right now!):
I looked back. I re-read Entry One of this diary. Remember that version of me? Terrified, liberated, and only mildly drowning. I’d done a lot since then. So have you.
I cleaned my inbox. 237 unread emails. Most were spam. One was from a potential client I’d forgotten about. A win’s a win.
I booked one bloody fun thing. A “for me” thing. Not a Zoom. Not a working lunch. A dopamine-sparking, joy-making thing. (In my case, it is a Chakra massage. Don’t ask.)
The Drudgery Is Part of It – But It’s Not All of It
There will always be weeks when the only thing keeping your business upright is sheer stubbornness and flat whites with hazelnut syrup.
But don’t mistake the grind for failure.
Here’s the thing no one posts on LinkedIn: some of this is meant to be dull. It’s still work. Even when it’s your dream. Even when you own the business, set your hours, and play Kylie on full blast while sending invoices.
The Bit Where I Pretend to Be Wise
✅ Remember your why
✅ Celebrate how far you’ve come (seriously, you’re smashing it)
✅ Accept that some days will feel like crawling through custard (though I love custard!)
✅ Find the joy (even if it’s in an M&S Strawberry Sando)
✅ Talk to your fellow chaos merchants (we see you)
And if in doubt, come and sit at The Cluster and say something out loud like, “What the actual fuck is VAT again?” and someone will either answer, cry with you, or buy you a brownie. Possibly all three.
So, here’s to the hard resets. To recharging, regrouping, and remembering that even if it’s not all Kylie and champagne, it’s still yours. And that? That’s pretty fucking brilliant.
Till next time and a new biscuit trend (Hobnobs next!)
