The Day I Decided to Back Myself | Andiamo is Two Years Old

We'll be marking year two in the now-traditional way: Aldi Champagne and a Colin Caterpillar cake.

There was no plan. Not a rough one, not a half-formed one. Nothing. Just a crossroads, a decision to back myself, and a lot of hope that my skills were worth more than I'd been giving them credit for.

For years I'd talked myself out of self-employment before I'd even started. I convinced myself that what I was good at was too common to be valuable, that plenty of other people could do the same things just as well. It took reaching a point where I had no choice but to find out whether I was right about that.

Two years on, I'm glad I did.

I want to be straightforward about what that looks like, because I think honesty matters more than highlights. I'm not a millionaire. This wasn't an overnight transformation. What it is, quietly and genuinely, is the best working decision I've ever made.

I'm autonomous. I make my own decisions. I choose who I work with and how I work, and I lean into the ways of doing things that actually suit me. When I face a difficult situation, it's one I've walked into with my eyes open, not one somebody else has put me in. When something doesn't work, I learn from it without blame or judgement. I can pay my bills. I feel useful, valued and seen in a way that only really happens when the work you do reflects who you actually are.

The business has grown steadily and sustainably, almost entirely through word of mouth, and the clients who come to me tend to stay. That means more to me than I can easily say, and the recognition Andiamo has received for its approach and client care along the way has been a lovely reminder that doing things quietly and properly does get noticed.

We'll be marking year two in the now-traditional way: Aldi Champagne and a Colin Caterpillar cake. No fuss, no fanfare, just a proper acknowledgement of something worth celebrating.

Who knows where year three will take me. But two years in, I have never once regretted the choice I made.

Andiamo!

If you're thinking about making a change of your own and could do with a bit of support along the way, you know where I am.