Living and working in the countryside is different, and not just because there are fields and cows rather than streets and buses. It’s different because it’s personal, more intimate, individual characters matter and you can make more of an impact more quickly.Yes, you can live the countryside dream where the pace of life slows, where there’s time to think, to sit back and enjoy the seasons, and to simply get to know your family and friends again. But rural life can also be stimulating and productive, and a hugely rewarding environment to do business in, especially if you’re new to it.

While life may not be lived as frenetically as in a large town or city, many people find that just as much gets done. If you’ve ever lived in a city, you’ll know only too well the wasted hours spent commuting or just getting around – traffic jams, a fruitless search for a parking space, or the delayed tubes, trains and buses. And in business, those wasted hours cost you money.The countryside isn’t for everyone. There’ll be some who’ll miss the noise, the excitement, the adrenalin rush of being at the centre of things. For the rest of us though, it’ll do just fine.

Your Driving Factor

Starting up your new business, and perhaps moving to the country if you’re not here already, is a big step. You’ll be tested in the coming weeks and months, both financially and emotionally. There’ll be bleak times when you’ll wonder if you made the right decision and whether you’ve dragged your family unintentionally into something which looks like turning out to be a terrible mistake.

One way to keep your sanity is to identify right at the beginning your motives for going self-employed. And in times of crisis, keep repeating your motivation over and over, like a mantra.

There are plenty of possible driving factors:

• You don’t want to work for anyone else.
• You don’t want to be answerable to anyone else.
• You want to escape from commuting.
• You want to escape from an office existence.
• You want to escape from routine drudgery.
• You want to escape from office politics.
• You are bored.
• You want to do something you enjoy.
• You want to do something you believe in.
• You don’t want your children to grow up in a city.
• You want a better life for you and your family.
• You need a new challenge.
• You want to take responsibility for your life.

Risk Taking: Prudence To Recklessness

You’ve probably been asked about your attitude to risk before. It’s a standard question on many investment products and it’s just as relevant here. The fact that you’re reading this book and are presumably at least considering throwing it all in and starting again already makes you more of a risk-taker than someone who sits in someone else’s office until they’re 65.

At an early stage you have to think about how far you’re prepared to push it. A lot will depend on your family commitments and whether you’re the main breadwinner. If it’s just you and the cat then it’s easier than if you have a partner and children to support. So:

• Are you the type to risk everything on a dream?
• Are you willing to give it a try for a year or two, knowing you could probably go back if you had to?
• Or are you going to go for something like a rock-solid franchise which won’t leave much to chance?

 

Your attitude to risk will affect almost every business decision you take from this point. It’s all about living comfortably with your exposure to it. Some will rise to the challenge and will relish risk, thriving on the challenge. Others will dread it and the uncertainty it brings. You have to decide where you sit on this scale.