Crawling towards the finish line at the end of 2020, I was working 4.5 days a week but mostly 4, indulging in a little self care on a Friday. The year 2020, certainly took a heavy emotional toll. Now that we are well into the start of 2021 I am finding that my energy levels are still quite low and I am finding it difficult to get back into the rhythm of actively seeking to grow my business, keeping on the bad habits of 2020. I have the words of a former business partner ringing in my ears, “businesses aren’t built nine to five Monday to Friday” and feel that I need a little push along to get my mojo back. In a lot of respects I know what I need to do, but I need to remove the block that is stopping me from doing it. It is time for me to pick up my all time favourite business book again, David Maister’s Strategy and the Fat Smoker.

Whether business was good or bad in 2020, I think it is fair to say that all businesses faced more challenges last year than in any other year. As we start 2021 much of the uncertainty that we faced in 2020 still exists. Many state borders are still closed, borders that are open can snap shut at any time and global cases of COVID-19 continue to increase. A vaccine is on the horizon for delivery in Australia however it is going to take time for it to be rolled out and benefits to our daily lives seen. As we start 2021 with so much uncertainty what can we do differently?

2020 is a year like no other. We’ve witnessed change at a rate and on a scale never seen before, making it challenging for businesses to keep up. When it comes to making decisions in business, it’s important to use only up to date advice, as the regulatory environment and personal circumstances can change to such an extent that initial advice can be considered bad advice. I want to share with you a case study to show why it is vital to keep up to date:

Accounting Heart celebrates its third birthday this month. So, I have used the occasion to reflect on my expectations versus the reality of starting my own business, the highs, the lows, my fears, the people I’ve met, the constant evolution and the things I have learned along the way.

Up until the time I left home for university I played loads of sport and was rather skinny. From then until I was 25 I kept my slender figure, but was starting to feel the effects of spending too much time sitting at a desk in the form of neck and shoulder pain. From 25 to my early 30’s it was all down hill. I had put on a lot of weight, was in chronic pain and couldn’t even walk up a short steep hill without stopping for breath. Crunch time when my husband and I were watching Season 2 of The Biggest Loser. After watching this we made a conscious decision that we wanted to live a healthier life, so we booked ourselves in for a 7-day health retreat that changed our lives.