19 lessons I’ve learned from 19 years of running my business

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Tomorrow marks 19 years since I left my job as a staff writer on the News of the World to go freelance.

On July 11th, 2006, I was 30, single, living in my old house in Warrington and paying the mortgage on my own.

I had no savings, no security – just a MacBook, a notepad, some pens, and a contact book full of journalists and editors I knew.

There was no social media, Facebook had just started but was only used by students in the States.

There was no email list, I had a one page website and I knew I wanted to make it work.

According to Clarify Capital, 80% of businesses don’t make it to 20 years.

So the fact I’m still going, still loving what I do (most days), and still helping people get visible in ways that feel good means a lot.

Now I’m 49, and over those years I’ve:

Written for every newspaper in the UK
Worked with most of the women’s magazines
Been on the radio
Started a pet blog
Written a book
Started a podcast
Launched four websites
Created four online courses and three memberships
Trained as a coach
Bought a holiday cottage
Bought four houses and a flat
Moved six times
Had nine cars and two dogs

If someone had told me back in 2006 that one day I’d be running a dog-friendly holiday cottage alongside a coaching business and a podcast (another thing that didn’t exist then), I would’ve laughed in their face.

So I thought to celebrate 19 years I’d share 19 things I’ve learned.

1. Your business will always be evolving

When I started, I thought I’d write features for newspapers and magazines forever.

But the media changed, titles folded, and the budgets disappeared.

Freelance journalism was amazing in the first few years and I easily earned six figures but the business I have now is unrecognisable from where I started.

2. It’s okay to change direction

In 2018 I started working with small business owners and moved away from journalism, and it was something I’d wanted to do for years.

I’d put it off because I thought that with a background in the red tops, people would see me as grubby and not want to work with me.

But it was utter rubbish, no-one cared and if I hadn’t made that shift, I don’t think I’d have a business now.

3. It’s scary to do something new

Putting myself out there as someone who could help other business owners was terrifying – I nearly threw up the first time I shared a blog post on Facebook.

I worried what people would think and that they’d laugh and think ‘who does she think she is?’ and I know they did, but now I just think – let them.

4. If people can’t see you, how do they know you’re there?

I spent the first 12 years of self-employment hiding away and was too scared to be visible.

I didn’t talk about what I did publically. I’d shake while speaking in a networking meeting and it took me NINE years to go to one of those!

I’d pitch to editors via phone or email, but I never did anything online.

But if people don’t know you exist, how can they ever find you?

Starting my pet blog – a storytelling platform – led to the accidental business I have now and I’m so thankful I did it.

5. It’s okay to ask for help

I used to think asking for help was embarrassing and meant you didn’t know what you were doing.

Now I know that asking for help is a strength. You don’t have to make it harder than it needs to be.

6. Find someone who’s already walked the path

For me, that was Janet Murray, a journalist turned marketing expert.

She understood what it meant to go from journalism to building an online business and held my hand as my coach and mentor through the first two years.

It was a big investment, but I know that if I tried to do it on my own, I’d give up.

She helped me keep going when there were tricky times and I’m really thankful of her support.

7. Give yourself time to replace your income

It took me four years to match what I’d been earning as a journalist with my new online business.

We don’t talk enough about the time it takes to rebuild and grow and focus on the overnight successes.

8. Run towards the things that scare you

AI. Podcasting. Showing your face on Instagram. Whatever it is – try to get your head round it because the more you understand it, the less scary it is.

9. Be brave and try new things

Not everything you try will work out, but it will all teach you something.

A few years ago I created a course called the Be Bold Bootcamp.

I only ran it twice and it was all about helping people feel braver and has influenced so much of what I do now.

10. Get good at what you do and then get better

This line came from my podcast guest Jane Ardern. She said imposter syndrome can come from knowing that you don’t actually know that much!

This is what gave me the push I needed to sign up for ILM Level 7 in Coaching and Mentoring in 2024, which I passed in 2025, and has helped me hugely with believing in myself.

So keep learning, whether it’s books, podcasts, courses, workshops because this will give you the confidence to know you’re doing your best.

Getting this badge was a slog but so worth it!

11. Do the things that feel difficult

Blogging, podcasting, and emailing your list take time, there’s a lot to get your head round, it can be fiddly and you don’t always see the results straight away.

But they build trust, connection and will serve you for years to come. I’ve had people join my programmes after reading a blog I wrote three years ago.

Years ago, someone told me they were outraged I was charging to help people get press coverage.

She thought that it was wrong that I was charging people, even though one of my values is generosity and I provide so many resources for free.

Now I’m mindful that people who come to work with me know how I work and my values, and have a ‘break clause’ to cover us both for 1-1 in case we’re not a good fit.

13. Life is a rollercoaster

In the wise words of Ronan Keating, and you’ve just got to ride it. Some days you’re screaming with exhhilaroin at the top of the rollercoaster.

Then everything comes crashing down and you just want to howl and you wonder if you can keep going. You’re not doing it wrong.

That’s just how things are and the good days do come back around.

14. Surround yourself with people who get it

Most of my friends are ‘normal people’ who have proper jobs and earn loads of money.

That’s why having online friends and business communities is important. As the saying goes, ‘no-one supports you like a social media friend you’ve never met.’

15. Not everyone will like you

I still find this hard. But you’re not here to be everyone’s cup of tea and that’s ok.

16. Everything you’ve done before has value

Every job I’ve had – waitressing, call centres, checkouts, journalism – has had some input in how I work now.

And everything I’ve learned in coaching and storytelling has helped me run my holiday cottage business too.

Don’t dismiss the skills you already have when you start something new.

17. Let go of things that aren’t serving you

After the loss of a close friend in 2023, I couldn’t face being online other than in my membership Facebook group where people knew how I was feeling and I felt safe.

I’d run my free Facebook group for years and had poured so much into it – but I didn’t have it in me to do it anymore.

I felt so guilty about it but I had to shut it down, and that was the right thing to do.