5 Interesting Experiences I Had as a Small Business Owner [Small Business Owner Life Lessons and Reflections]

Given that it’s been a year since we closed the business and I left behind the world of being a small business owner, I wanted to share some surprising and/or interesting experiences I had while I was in business alongside my fiancé, Mike. From 2016-2023, we owned a business making and selling reusable cloth menstrual pads. The business was known as House of Callaway.

Attending the awards nights and brushing shoulder to shoulder with multi-millionaires

“Ah yes, last year our turnover was just shy of 3.2 million” said a well-spoken man to my right. To my left was a lady in a ball gown discussing a deal she’d just drawn up with numerous other countries. I stood in awe, completely starstruck that me, a 20-year-old woman with a business only paying enough, at the time, to buy a few drinks on a night out was standing amongst such successful people. My dress was something I’d found in a Jane Norman bargain bin and I’d be taking the last train home to my, then, university halls at the end of the night as opposed to heading to the after-party. I was even alone that night – we’d only been given 1 free ticket and we couldn’t afford the £120 it would have costed to bring Mike with me. I didn’t win anything during the awards but left with a new perspective – life isn’t all about the money you make, it’s about doing what you love and providing the best for your customers, even if it won’t ever make you millions.

The day the articles came out

Mike and I were sitting bored in a university IT room. It was 4pm on a cold day in October 2016, the sky was already darkening, and we’d had enough of trying to finish our coursework for the day. I pulled out my phone to see 28 notifications and a load of emails with even more pouring in. Shocked, I opened Facebook to see my face all over news sites. Friends were tagging me while strangers were congratulating us on the business. I read the first article I saw – Mail Online – and thought to myself that, even though it set the tone of what Mike and I had been through in a negative light, I was so proud that they’d published it. It gave attention to an otherwise taboo topic and brought the spotlight onto reducing waste in more ways than just using a reusable drinking bottle. It was such a surprise to have been published in all the main news sources (Wales Online, The Sun, Mirror etc.) since we’d been told it was only going as far as a women’s magazine.

Something I took away from this though was that, no matter how many positive comments we got, I still had to make sure I reminded myself to not look too deeply into the negative ones. Some people are just mean and always will be – it isn’t your responsibility to feel bad about what they’ve said, especially if it’s unfounded.

The times we’ve almost been on TV.

When we owned House of Callaway, we were contacted a few times about going on TV. The first of the two most notable times was when we were contacted by ITN to feature in a documentary about business owners on benefits. We politely explained that we did not fit the criteria of this documentary as we were not accessing benefits (rather, funded for living costs by student loans while at university). At the time, I distinctly remember being a little concerned about how they were planning on showcasing the businesses they contacted – there’s no shame in needing some extra help but public perception can be difficult on this subject at times.

The other time was when a gentleman from S4C asked us to be part of their evening news show after RCT council agreed to fund sanitary products in schools. I was filmed straight after finishing work that day (embarrassingly, there was no time to tidy the house and it was the day before a major planned cleaning/tidying day). The interview was also purely in Welsh (S4C is a Welsh-speaking TV channel for anyone unaware) and, while I was fairly good at the language during A Level, I hadn’t spoken it in a while at that point. Thankfully, the interviewer was kind enough to help me script something so all I had to do was read and pronounce correctly. Unfortunately, the tape never aired due to some breaking news that occurred that overtook the entire news story they had planned – or maybe it was fortunately, given the state of the house!

Balancing work and being a small business owner

Mike and I have both worked 37 hours a week each in other jobs for many years now, this includes the time we owned the business. Mike and I work for the same place (different departments entirely) – we both enjoy our jobs and are happy with the stability they give us. Many people asked how we managed to do both but, for us, it meant the world to us to make people happy so the business never really felt like ‘work’.

I carry this same mentality now while maintaining this blog – I love to write and share my thoughts, feelings, and knowledge. I don’t consider it a job by any means given that I get so much joy from it.

The way it changed the way I view myself

Before I started the business, I was only just beginning my journey with cloth pads. I used to hate my period with a passion and thought it was a complete nuisance. I only appreciated it because it brought me comfort that my body was still working correctly.

Cloth pads gave me the relief I needed physically after suffering with skin irritation for years of my menstruating life as well as provided the level of acceptance and respect I now have for my body. Menstruation, ovulation and all that comes in between are normal body functions rather than things to shun, shame and spend life hating.

I’m happy I had the opportunity to grow as a person through running a business of this nature. I feel like it was a natural stepping stone to what I do today – breaking taboos and talking about all of the things people don’t often like to say.