Nothing ‘small’ about Small Business

I used to write a blog supporting small businesses.

Many moons ago, during my Captain + Co days, I started sharing the stories behind other businesses I admired. The people creating, making, designing and building something of their own. And I loved it.

But lately I have been thinking about the phrase "small business". Because honestly?
There is nothing small about it.

Behind every business, regardless of size, there are people wearing many hats.

The creative.
The photographer.
The marketer.
The accountant.
The customer service team.
The person packing orders at night.
The person answering emails between everything else.
The person learning how to run ads, write newsletters, update websites, photograph products, manage social media and somehow still finding time to make the thing they are known for.

I know this because I live it.

Truthfully, I still struggle with calling what I do a business.

I started painting because I loved it. It was a creative outlet. A way to switch off, experiment and make something with my hands. There was certainly no business plan.

But somewhere along the way, what began as something I loved doing became something bigger.

What started as paintings for our walls and gifts for family and friends slowly grew into something beyond myself, my husband and my children.

There were materials to order, websites to update, photographs to take, emails to answer, artwork to package and customers to look after. The creative side is still at the heart of it, and always will be, but once you start selling your work there are suddenly all these moving pieces surrounding it.

That is the part people do not always see. The art on the wall is one thing. Everything behind it is another. Running a creative business is not just painting in a studio. It is planning collections, ordering materials, photographing work, writing descriptions, packing artwork, organising shipping, managing websites, creating content, answering messages and trying to keep all the plates spinning.

There are always tabs open. So many tabs.

And behind every beautiful product, artwork, space or brand is usually someone quietly doing far more than most people ever see. That is what I want to celebrate.

Not "small businesses". People building something of their own.

The makers.
The artists.
The designers.
The founders.
The creatives.
The people who pour their time, energy and heart into creating something that did not exist before.

Over the coming months, and hopefully for a long time to come, I will be sharing some of my favourite independent businesses and creatives here on The Journal.

the people behind the work, how they create, what inspires them, the challenges they have overcome and a few words from them about their own journey.

I already have some favourites lined up, and I cannot wait to share them with you.

Because the best part of any business is usually only what they make.

It is also the person behind it.

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