Ros McHeneryWhen I look back over the past year, I am overwhelmed at the changes in my life. Small business ownership is certainly not for the feint hearted but for those who are ready for a challenge and to believe that their product can make a difference in today’s competitive markets.

When I launched into business as Nepean Tutoring four years ago, I had no idea how much my life would change and the possibilities it would open for me to effect change in the lives of so many people. It has been a blessing to do so, but the journey has been very much unplanned and the personal outcomes have taken me by surprise as I look back.

In February 2015 I unexpectedly found myself without job security except for a moderately sized tutoring business that was far from healthy enough to support me. So,  with a huge leap of faith to believe I could go solo, and possibly achieve my dreams,  I worked 16 hours 7 days a week to see Nepean Tutoring triple in client base and income in eight months, utilise over 40 tutors in paid work and grow in the types of services offered. Talk about being thrust from mediocrity to – should I dare say it -success.

During this time I also sustained a debilitating  injury that still has me walking with a slight limp and has continued to impede my lifestyle in many ways. Pain, isolation and physical restrictions could have caused me to walk away from everything, but I had created a dream that Nepean Tutoring would become one of the premier educational businesses in the Penrith and Lower mountains and I was determined to make sure my accident was turned into an opportunity rather than a liability. It gave me time – lots of extra time – to focus on the important aspects of the business and I utilised this opportunity to create something I can be proud of. It was not about money but simply understanding that this business is about ‘serving’ others, listening to the needs of clients and sourcing the best tutors I could find to assist as many young people to achieve their goals. One of the greatest successes is when a child’s grades have improved so much that they don’t need us any more.

Freedom also allows me to go to Cambodia four times a year to support a gamut of charities and work alongside the most awesome group of people. Whilst it has not been easy to keep up the pace I was once able to in Cambodia, I have learned so many lessons that are now bearing fruit in the way I view life. When I was asked to assist as a consultant in a number of educational settings in Cambodia this year, the benefits of experience and the freedom to be able to travel there often proved that I am exactly where I am meant to be. Physical restrictions have also taught me the benefits of slowing down and taking care of myself thanks to the fierce but loving ‘orders’ from friends who know me well.

Yes … It has been a difficult year but as the new year is indeed already under way, it is with a sense of great anticipation and self belief that I will tackle the challenges that will no doubt arise in 2016.

If YOU are thinking about taking your own ‘leap’ just do it. I know that the regrets I would have had if I had not at least tried would have far outweighed the gratefulness I feel right now. For everyone here and in Cambodia who ‘showed up’ and helped to push me up an impossible mountain of doubt , I thank you with all my heart. It is not easy to persevere with the insecurities that,  to a lesser degree, plague me from time to time, but You ALL continue to encourage me to believe there is sunshine behind the grey clouds that loom from time to time.

If working as a tutor or simply feeling you have a need to discuss tutoring for your child is on your agenda, please get in touch to organise a chat time.