Self Employed Stories - Janet the Glitterwitch
by Startacus Admin
Did you feel that there was much support available to you in starting your own business, particularly in light of your illness?
When I was well enough, I attended a free course through PRIME (Prince's Trust for Mature Enterprise) entitled "Preparing to Run your Own 
Business". This was really useful and I came away from it with a detailed Business Plan and a good understanding of where I should place myself in the market and who my main competitors are.
The Hughes Syndrome continues to cause me problems, as being an autoimmune disease it randomly strikes at various parts of the body with little or no warning. However, I have learnt to work around it and have had a lot of support from the team at St Thomas' Hospital.
What do you enjoy most about running your own business?
I love the freedom and variety of running my own business. One day I may be concentrating on sales and updating the website and the next I might be doing the accounts. No time to get bored these days!
What advice would you give to someone who is thinking of starting a business and is facing health issues?
If anyone out there with a health issue is thinking of starting their own business, I would say "Go for it". Don't be too ambitious to start with - set yourself small goals and take each day as it comes. With time, you will learn how much you can or can't do and then you can adjust your business around that.
Without giving too much away, how would you like Glitterwitch to develop in 2014?
In 2014 my main aim is to drive more traffic to the Glitterwitch website. To this end I am learning about Twitter and have just started my own blog.
Is there anything else you would like to say about your experiences that might be useful to someone in a similar position?
Having a chronic illness does not stop you doing things, it just means you have to do them differently or more slowly than you would sometimes like. Most of my customers have no idea about my illness, as I have learnt to pace my business around what is realistic for me.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Janet and best of luck with growing the business!
If you have been inspired by Janet's story then why not pay her website a visit, or follow her on @janglitterwitch
Dont forget to take a little gander at some of the other self starter stories we have featured:
Bob Pembroke and RSP Therapies
Alices Cupcakes - The interview
Alison's journey from prison to pool-side
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Published on: 9th March 2014
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