Manufacturer of alcohol product, for about ten years. The hardest part is the people part - I don’t excel at managing others. I take things personally, for one thing. That said, in these ten years I’ve gotten a lot better. My managing skills are much stronger, I have more confidence in my work and know my strengths/weaknesses.

And I own the business with my partner who is also the father of my children so it’s a lot of working together and that doesn’t always go super smoothly 🤣 He deals more with the supply chain stuff than I do but I think he’d also agree the people part is our biggest challenge.

I know small business life isn’t for everyone, but for me it feels like the only option. I like managing myself. I find the constant learning very rewarding. Sometimes I end the day feeling like I can’t problem solve one more thing. And I know what burnout feels like. But overall I feel a lot of pride. I am also humbled endlessly by the experience of owning a business - it just makes me appreciate how hard everyone is working. If something doesn’t go right at a restaurant or at a store, I don’t think “I could do it better” but rather “this sh*$ is hard and I don’t know all the ins and outs of all their business challenges”.