182.75 days as the owner of a Creative, Design, Marketing & Photography Consultancy already done

IDEAlee launched on 12 August 2016 and this past weekend was our half year anniversary - it's been a manic, brilliant, rollercoaster crazy and ultimately creative 6 months.

I thought I’d start with a little anecdote to put it in perspective...

I returned from a short trip in my car the other day and it decided to alert me to the fact that its battery was running low. Like most modern devices it tells me this with a bing, ping or similar audible siren (though why the same alert is used for the washer fluid as it is for a total systems failure, I don’t know!).

Anyway this time, after a short pause to acknowledge the car’s simple but incredible self-preservation instincts, I realised there were a few things I don’t get to do now I run my own business. A lengthy commute is one of them!

With this in mind I thought I’d reflect on the first 6 months of IDEAlee…

(Caution the following paragraph contains several hideously cheesy clichés)

I wish I’d done this sooner, no two days are the same and I've learnt an awful lot I didn't think existed about myself. Sure a monthly pay cheque is always good, however not having one makes you work harder. I’ve met some truly brilliant people and have had the privilege to work on some amazing projects and to capture some wonderful memories for our clients. I’ve helped people in long established companies and those in a similar situation to me who are starting out to realise their dreams. I’ve photographed some cool people, some small people and numerous other subjects in between (24,080 photos taken to date).

A small dude IDEAlee recently photographed (Family Photography Shoot)!

To summarise here’s a succinct set of sixes –

6 things I love about running my own business:-

[if !supportLists]- [endif]meeting new (and very interesting) people

[if !supportLists]- [endif](turning them into) happy customers

[if !supportLists]- [endif]seeing the efforts of hard work

[if !supportLists]- [endif]control of the office stereo (as well as being the master of the rest of my destiny)

[if !supportLists]- [endif]sharing ideas, creativity & knowledge

[if !supportLists]- [endif]Sunday evenings

6 things I don’t like about running my own business:-

[if !supportLists]- [endif]The commute (I miss long drives in my car)

[if !supportLists]- [endif]Admin - thankfully I have a brilliant admin person!

[if !supportLists]- [endif]err…

[if !supportLists]- [endif]the euphoria of sliding down the dinosaurs tail on a Friday afternoon

[if !supportLists]- [endif]…erm…

[if !supportLists]- [endif]cold callers

6 best crisp flavours?

[if !supportLists]- [endif]Prawn Cocktail Walkers

[if !supportLists]- [endif]Salt & Vinegar Chipsticks

[if !supportLists]- [endif]Ready Salted Hula Hoops

[if !supportLists]- [endif]Roast Beef Monster Munch

[if !supportLists]- [endif]BBQ Kettle Chips

[if !supportLists]- [endif]Bacon Frazzles

Oh and don’t fret fellow motoring fans - a nice long drive later to see one of my clients and the battery is all good again!

Just before I get back to the front line, I had the pleasure of being in NYC again earlier this month and I’ll leave you with this resonating quote from the incredible brain of the man who designed the I <3 NY Logo:

"Computers are to design, as microwaves are to cooking." Milton Glaser