Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Alex Trembath, Founder of Lincoln and Beyond, located in Lincoln, United Kingdom.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
I run a niche destination blog about the city of Lincoln in the UK and its surrounding areas. Our aim is to help people love their time in Lincoln, whether they live here or they are visiting for the first time. So, our audience is a mixture of local residents and new visitors to Lincoln.
Tell us about yourself
Before starting blogging businesses, I spent more than a decade working in a variety of communications leadership roles, in particular in the not-for-profit and membership organisation spaces. I was fortunate enough to work in a role that enabled me to travel, taking me to China, Brazil, Ethiopia, Uganda, Iceland, and Sweden.
My partner and I decided to take a sabbatical year to travel more extensively, and we spent several years planning and saving for it. Our travel career break was a transformative experience that led me to rethink my career ambitions.
When we returned to the UK, I made the decision to try a new pathway that could help to inspire more people to take travel career breaks and sabbaticals. I launched a new blog, Career Gappers, to advocate for the benefits of time off work and provide practical guidance and destination inspiration.
This business was growing steadily until the pandemic arrived, and the world of travel ground to a halt. But I saw the first year of Covid-19 and successive lockdowns as an opportunity to reassess and try some new projects, all while maintaining Career Gappers as best I could.
In October 2020, my partner and I created a new blog focusing on the place we live: Lincoln. Having already amassed the experience of building a blog, we had the foundations in place already. We also recognised that the tourism and hospitality industry in our local area was in desperate need of reinvigoration after the pandemic, and we wanted to help.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Within a year of launching Lincoln and Beyond, we were shortlisted for a Traverse Creator Award in the Best Storytelling category. The nomination was in recognition of a series we had produced in the aftermath of the pandemic, telling stories of how local hospitality businesses had innovated to get through the pandemic.
To be shortlisted for a prestigious industry award alongside many established international content creators, beating hundreds of applicants to the shortlist, was a proud achievement so soon after our blog was created.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
For me, the hardest thing is learning to manage your own time and priorities, and in particular, to avoid overworking. Going self-employed to run a business can also be a lonely experience, which I felt keenly as someone who thrives being around people. But in time, you learn how to find community, and I have found great benefits from getting involved in blogger networks and attending industry conferences.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Allow the time you need to create a strategy and write a business plan. Set targets and track them regularly.
- Find a mentor. Ideally, look for someone who is a bit further ahead than you on the journey of creating a business. Have regular calls with them to discuss the challenges you are facing.
- Make sure you still have time for the things that are important to you outside of work. It can be tempting to pour everything into your business, but work–life balance is incredibly important, and allowing space for downtime and other passions will help you will thrive with your business.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://lincolnandbeyond.co.uk/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Lincolnandbeyond/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lincolnandbeyond/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/lincolnbeyond
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/atrembath/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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