I’d just finished work last night at around 8pm when my phone and computer started going crazy. I thought that maybe it was lots of spam emails coming through at once. However, when I came to look at my phone, I had a tweet from the very lovely Theo Paphitis telling me I’d won Small Business Sunday. I feel honoured to have been chosen from all the fantastic businesses out there on Twitter and to finally be recognised for some of the work I’ve done along with the five other hard working small businesses who also won on Sunday.

It’s incredibly difficult to break down that barrier to generate new clients, and as a sole trader trying to compete against larger studios, almost impossible. There have been times when I’ve been so penniless I’ve wanted to give up but the love of what I do keeps me going. The sacrifices I’ve made over the years to follow my heart and not my head include still living at home at the age of 39. Not the best situation to be in but one that keeps me drawing. It would be nice just to make a decent living out of it. I’m sure my family would quite like that too – ha ha! There are so many other things I could have done but I love art. What more can I say?

It’s difficult to advertise yourself when money’s tight and although I send out mailers, a lot of people delete them without even opening them. To say it’s soul destroying is an understatement. I understand that people get so much junk mail but when you try to get in touch with someone within a company, often they are in meetings or you can’t get hold of the person you need to speak to so sometimes email is the only other option. I am hoping that this SBS win will at least give me more opportunities to generate more business. A massive thanks to Theo for recognising the hard work I’ve put in to be noticed in this highly competitive industry.

It’s not all doom and gloom though. I love the clients that I currently have, many of which have become more like friends, and love the new challenges they put my way. But if you’re a potential client reading this, it would be lovely if you took a chance on a fresh face. I may be no business woman but I can draw a pretty picture. Oh, and I am an SBS winner ;)!