What a difference a year makes...setting up a business

It was around this time last year (2024), that I decided to take the plunge and completely change my career. The last 12 months have been a roller coaster experience and a pretty intense learning curve that continues and no doubt, always will.

As we're entering into our first full calendar year of the business, I thought it was a good time to reflect and maybe share a bit more of my/our story.

Going into business...

For over 25 years I worked in Glasgow's charity sector, developing, leading and managing new and innovative projects designed to empower individuals.

For a quarter of a century(!) I loved this work, it was varied and sometimes rewarding but on reflection I see that I gave too much of myself to my job and unfortunately, regardless of the industry you find yourself, there will always be someone willing to take advantage of your commitment and your skills.

When I was furloughed, during the Covid 19 pandemic (a watershed moment for so many people), I started to reclaim my identity outside of my career and develop the creativity that had always been a part of my life when I was young.

I indulged my interests and developed my artistic and practical skills and to be honest, it was a bit of a blow when I had to return to work. My motivation never quite fully recovered and unfortunately with that, the scales fell from my eyes and I was left with the feeling that I had been, or allowed myself to be, taken advantage of for a very long time.

So, 12 months ago, when I found myself in the very fortunate position of having a bit of a financial cushion, I decided to invest in myself and put some formal training and education into the things that I was interested in and that brought me joy.

Taking part in courses, like the Professional Soft Furnishings & Curtain course delivered by the National Design Academy and an upholstery course at my local college, convinced me that I wanted to spend the rest of my working life doing the things I love and that's when

53 Interiors came to be!

What I knew about business...

Sean & I

What I knew about business you could write on the back of a napkin, or so I thought. Also, at 47 and a fibromyalgia sufferer, deciding to branch out on my own and doing a career 180° in the process seemed a bit like madness.

As it turns out, setting up a business isn't so different to setting up a project and so many of the skills I developed in my career have been pretty easily transferrable to my business!

What I don't know I've been able to learn through brilliant online resources like HubSpot Academy and with lots of support and encouragement from my family and friends I feel really positive about 2025.

With Sean fully onboard we've refined our ideas and developed a bit of a filter that helps us determine whether an idea is 'on brand'. We have plans to head out to local markets in Glasgow and surrounding areas to get our work out there and build our identify.

Don't get me wrong, this last year hasn't been without it's challenges, and I'm sure there are more to come but I'm trusting my gut and, as the old adage goes, no risk, no reward!

If you have any questions for us, please reach out, we'd love to hear from you.