love it or hate it?

When we came up with the plan to start Pistachio it was an abstract idea. I have never wanted to run my own business…

I was happy just to go to work and let someone else worry about all the “business stuff”.

But the challenge was exciting and that has never left me. Running a business is a bit like marmite, some people love it and others hate it – I love it!

When you start a business, it is like you have given birth to a baby. You nurture it and watch it grow, from time to time it can be very needy and keep you awake at night and other times it can be a stroppy teenager and very testing, but mostly it fills your life with joy.

So, when Pistachio developed and grew, it bought new challenges. It pushes you in areas you may not have knowledge in or even would have imagined you would have to deal with.

I love Pistachio and making the business successful, but it’s all the extra bits that are hard which no one warns you about. You need to be a mathematician, a negotiator, a counsellor, an organiser, a planner and have infinite patience. You need to keep everyone happy – clients, staff and suppliers.

It tests you, develops you and challenges you but ultimately makes for a better, more rounded person.

So, love it or hate it, running a business will always throw challenges before you and it is how you adapt and manage those challenges which will ultimately shape the direction of your business