5 Years in Business & 5 Lessons I’d Tattoo on My Forehead!

Five years ago I said, “How hard can it be?” then promptly spent my first week Googling “how to invoice” at 11:58pm with a cold cuppa and a hot sense of panic.

Since then I’ve worked with brilliant humans, burnt a few questionable candles at both ends, and learned more about business (and myself) than any course could ever teach.

Consider this your front-row seat to the highlights reel—followed by five forehead-worthy lessons I’d happily ink for life.

The 5-Year Whistle-Stop Tour

Year 1 – Chaos & Courage
I said yes to everything with a pulse. VA work, copy, admin, social—if it moved, I managed it. Messy? Yes. Character-building? Also yes.

Year 2 – Systems & Stumbles
Discovered boundaries (thrilling), set processes (romantic), and promptly broke both (less romantic). Learned that templates, canned responses and a decent project tool save your sanity.

Year 3 – Clarity & Clients
Trimmed offers, raised prices, niched a touch. Found the clients who got me—and the ones who didn’t. Hint: I stopped trying to be a Swiss Army knife.

Year 4 – Collaboration & Momentum
Teamed up with designers, SEOs and fellow copy nerds. Referred work, received work, ate a lot of celebratory cake. Turns out community is a strategy, not a hobby.

Year 5 – Confidence & Course-Correcting
Owned my lane. Stopped polishing everything to death. Launched faster, iterated smarter, slept better. Hello, grown-up decisions.

Lesson 1: Mindset Is Everything

Your brain is either your head of PR or your biggest heckler. For a while, mine heckled like it was being paid overtime. The turning point?

Setting up as a limited company in 2023 and hiring an accountant. Seeing myself as a bona-fide business owner, quieting that inner voice that kept telling me I wasn’t good enough, and realising I was the boss and I could choose everything in my business.

Try this: keep a two-minute “evidence list” on your phone. Three lines a day: a result you delivered, a kind client message, a project you’re proud of. On wobbly days, it’s proof you’re not a fluke.

Tattoo takeaway: Get your mind on side, your business follows.

Lesson 2: Stay in Your Own Lane

Nothing derails momentum faster than peering into someone else’s highlight reel and deciding to copy their route.

When I first started my business, I would look at what other VAs were doing and couldn’t help comparing myself to them. But honestly, what’s the point? Their capacity, business model and ideal clients were not what I wanted.

When I doubled down on what I’m actually brilliant at—tailored admin offers, continuous improvement, clear, honest copy with a dollop of strategy—everything clicked. Fewer offerings, stronger results, happier me.

Try this: define your metrics of success. Not followers, not vanity. Think: client fit, profitability per hour, creative joy, repeat business. Before any big decision, ask:

Does this play to my strengths?
Does it serve my dream clients?
Will Future Me thank me?

Tattoo takeaway: Eyes forward. Build your thing.

Lesson 3: Done Is Better Than Perfect

Perfectionism is procrastination in fancy shoes. I used to treat every page like it was the Magna Carta. Cue late nights and suspiciously overdesigned PDFs.

The magic happened when I shipped at 80% with a plan to review and tweak. A scrappy sales page brought in clients while I refined the edges. No one asked for gold-leaf headings. They just wanted clarity.

Try this: set a “70% rule” for launches—clear promise, simple call to action, one way to buy/book, one follow-up sequence. Time-box the faff. If a tweak won’t change a client’s decision, it’s for later.

Tattoo takeaway: Progress over polish.

Lesson 4: Collaboration Not Competition

Your “competitors” are often your future collaborators and best referrers. The moment I started building a small, trusted roster—web designer, VA, Copywriter, SEO expert—projects ran smoother and results got bigger.

Clients got a dream team. I got to stay in my zone of genius.

We co-wrote proposals, co-hosted a live, and shared audiences without the ick. More pie for everyone.

Try this: message one peer you admire and suggest something tiny: a guest post swap, a co-created checklist, a joint Q&A. Agree on scope, who’s client-facing, timelines, and how credit/money flows. Keep it adult; keep it simple.

Tattoo takeaway: Community is a strategy.

Lesson 5: Failure is Feedback

Failure is just feedback with a dramatic outfit. Early on, I launched something that landed like a damp crisp. Grim.

Instead of crawling under a duvet (I did that later), I ran a 15-minute debrief: what worked, what didn’t, what to change. I tweaked the messaging, shifted the price, added social proof, and the next round actually… worked.

Separating “this didn’t land” from “I am terrible” is everything. You’re not your last result. You’re the person who learns fast and refines and tweaks.

Try this: after every project, ask three quick questions—

Was the promise crystal clear?
Where did clients light up?
What confused or slowed them down?
Bank the data. Iterate. Onwards.

Tattoo takeaway: Collect data, not drama.

Putting It All Together (and Making It Practical)

This is the golden thread: get your head straight → keep your eyes on your lane → ship imperfectly → do it with good people → learn fast. If you only do one thing this week, do this tiny stack:

Post one imperfect thing (offer, article, update).
DM one collaborator with a simple idea.
Ask one client a specific feedback question.
Log one mindset win in your evidence list.

Small actions compound. That’s not motivational fluff; it’s how five years happen.

The 5 Lessons I’d Tattoo on My Forehead (Final Recap)

Mindset is everything: get your brain cheering for you.
Stay in your own lane: comparison off, focus on your path.
Done > perfect: ship it, tweak later.
Collaboration > competition: community compounds results.
Feedback ≠ failure: iterate like a scientist.

If you catch me on a sun-drenched beach with these etched across my brow, mind your business—I’m busy building a life I actually love.

Want a Hand with the Words?

If you’d like your website, sales page, blogs or emails to sound like you on a great day and connect like a dream—I’m your girl.

I help values-led businesses get clear, get brave and get booked with personality-packed copy and simple strategy. Fancy a chinwag about your message and what to ship next? Let’s chat.

Bumper Birthday Bonanza: 5 Offers for 5 Years (and turning 55!)

To celebrate my 5 years in business and my 55th birthday this October, I have 5 limited-run offers for you. Hand-picked to help you get clarity, move faster and actually enjoy your marketing (imagine!).

Closes: 31 Oct 2025, 5:55pm (UK time)

1) Brilliant Baritone

Benefit: 6-10 hours of tailored VA/admin support.
You’ll get:

60 minute onboarding call
Tailored plan for the month
6-10 hours of my time
Special rate: £171 • Time: one month • Ideal for: Neurodivergent creatives or coaches.

2) Terrific Tenor

Benefit: 11-15 hours of tailored VA/admin support
You’ll get:

60 minute onboarding call
Tailored plan for the month
11-15 hours of my time
Special rate: £256.60 • Time: one month • Ideal for: Neurodivergent creatives or coaches.

3) Stunning Soprano

Benefit: 16-20 hours of tailored VA/admin support
You’ll get:

60 minute onboarding call
Tailored plan for the month
16-20 hours of my time
Special rate: £342 • Time: one month • Ideal for: Neurodivergent creatives or coaches.

4) Beautiful Blogs

Benefit: 2x tailored 1000-word blogs written in your voice

You’ll get:

60 minute onboarding call
Tailored plan and research
2x 1000-word blogs written in your tone of voice
Special rate: £146.25 • Time: one month • Ideal for: Neurodivergent creatives or coaches.

5) Compelling Client Story (aka Case Study)

Benefit: powerful unique business story & the ultimate social proof