For years I’ve read entrepreneurial books, business books, blogs, and watched more episodes of Dragons Den than is imaginable. Always dreaming of doing these things, yet I’ve always been in full-time employment.
The comfort, the safety, the fear of not having money… that security has always been there in the back of my mind. And honestly, I’ve never known what I wanted to do or what I’m good at.
I’ve always felt like I have a bit of jack-of-all-trades skills, which is ideal for business. But never really an expert in something specific. I look at someone who’s a doctor and think, “Lucky you.” You had that clarity of wanting to be a doctor, you trained for it, you did it. You went through all the processes, became a doctor, and that’s it. Job done, live the life, live your dream.
Time has taught me that’s not how things work in today’s world. They probably never did.
The AI Revolution Changed That
Roll forward to today. The growth of AI tools has been brilliant for someone like me. I’ve done more courses, picked up more technical skills, and gained real belief in what’s possible. Throw in life experiences, more confidence in myself and I believe I can do it.
I also know things don’t need to be perfect, which has always been my weakness. Take this blog, for example. Very basic layout, very basic setup. I’ll spend half an hour here and there on it, but I’m now live and it doesn’t need to be flashy.
The Startup Reality Check
A year and a half ago I joined a startup. It wasn’t what I expected, though I’ve enjoyed my time there and have no regrets about the decision. I had to do a lot more sales than I was expecting or wanted to do.
I much prefer working with people in relationships rather than selling. It taught me that I need to be interacting with people more, but in a collaborative way rather than a selling way.
This might seem like the polar opposite of why I should start my own business. However, working on my own business, I’ll be more personally attached. I’ll grow a team, work with freelancers, contractors, maybe employees. And honestly? I’m excited about that.
It’s hard to sell when there is no product. When we got to a point where there was a great product, my conversations got easier. I’ve had some very positive conversations recently, and I’m hoping one of those will provide a sales commission to help fund my entrepreneurship journey.
My Four Focus Areas
1. Bottle Bond (Main Focus)
Whisky storage doesn’t sound very glamorous, but it’s different. I’ve always been immersed in alcohol, having good times with friends. Then I found a passion for whisky that intrigued me.
The experimentation, the cask types, the ages, the different tastes, different water, different barley from different regions. It’s fascinating how what tastes the same to some people is so varied and diverse to others.
I know people who’ve been on this journey for over 10 years, still trying new things. That intrigue is impressive. I can see why people get into selling, buying, collecting, and even investing in bottles. And we all need space to store those bottles.
That’s why I created Bottle Bond. This is my main focus, my main goal, and the business I want to build over the next 4 to 5 years. Journeys can change, I fully appreciate that but I have a big plans for this company.
2. Spirited IQ (Consultancy)
I’m not in a position to take loans or have no income coming in. Going into debt isn’t in my nature. I dislike it, hate it, worry about it. It’s just not my mentality.
My goal is to build a consultancy helping businesses get more streamlined and efficient. We’re in very early stages of development, and this blog will feature this heavily. For reference: Website Here
3. Continue Startup Sales
I really value and love the product the team is building. I think we could be quicker with product development, but I understand the need to get to market and generate income first.
I’ll continue selling for them, treating my clients with 100% attention and focus.
4. Passive Income Experiments
I’m hoping to build things like directories for passive income. Play around with simple SaaS tools that might cost £20 or £50 a month to run. If people are using them and I’m learning from them, it’s fun experience.
Who knows where it might take me?
The Reality of Priorities
All four areas require time, and this will be the journey of building these things. But here’s the focus: income comes first, cash comes first.
While I’ve listed these as my priorities of love and interest, the reality is that selling for the startup comes first. The consultancy comes second. Bottle Bond comes third. Experiments come fourth.
Let’s learn, let’s fail, and put myself out there for once. I’m hoping someone, just one person, will take some inspiration from this. At the very least, it’s a journey and document for myself to see how my venture into entrepreneurship goes.
Welcome to Spirited Adventures.