I opened a small bakery last April. Everyone told me the first year would be hard, but I thought I was ready. Turns out I was not. The hours are longer than I expected, and I am not just baking. I am doing paperwork, chasing payments, fixing equipment at 5am. I knew it would be work but I did not think it would feel this lonely sometimes. Anyone else feel like the first year was a completely different experience than they pictured?
First Year
The first year of business was nothing like i imagined
The The loneliness part really hit me. I run a small landscaping business. My first year I was around people all day but still felt isolated because I was the only one responsible for everything. It got a bit better when I found a couple other owners to talk to once a month. Not a fix but helpful.
I remember thinking I would have morpe time to actually do the craft. Instead I spent most of year one on admin and cleaning. It was a letdown. Year two was better because I stopped trying to do everything myself and hired a part-time helper.
Same here. First year I was open 7 days because I was scared to turn away customers. By month 10 I was exhausted and sick. I closed on Mondays and lost a few sales but I could actually keep going.
I am only 4 months in. This thread is making me nervous. I thought I was the only one feeling like the days were just a blur and nothing felt settled.
4 months is still the thick of it. I did not feel any kind of routine until probably month 7. Not sure if that helps. It did not feel like progress at the time but looking back it was.
One thing that helped me was writing down three things that went right each week. Sounds a bit silly but it kept me from only seeing the problems. The first year is mostly problems so you have to hunt for the good stuff.
the equipment repair thing is real. I had a mixer go down in week 3 and it wiped out most of my cash buffer. I did not plan for that at all. Now I put aside a small amount every month for broken stuff.
The cash buffer tip is good. I have been putting off setting one up because I keep thinking I will do it when things calm down. Maybe there is no calm down.
There is not rally a calm down but you do get better at handling the noise. That is the difference between year one and year two for me.