CHAPTER ONE

“You’re playing small. It’s pathetic!”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Sneering scorn and derision from this, the person I had hired to help me grow my business.

The aggression in her voice was ugly. I could see her eyes bulging, veins throbbing, spit flying through the air, even over the phone.

“You’re holding us back,” she said.

My head was spinning. What was happening here? Where had this even come from?

This was the business I had started on my own. My business. My idea.

I was pacing up and down my kitchen in pyjamas, with sweaty palms and slippers, listening to a tirade of abuse, and feeling my business come crumbling down around me.   

“This is nothing more than a lifestyle business.”

Boom.

It was like living through an episode of Dragon’s Den. She may as well have said. “I’m out,” clutching onto a wodge of cash, or maybe even stroking a white cat like a Bond villain.

A lifestyle business to her was the ultimate insult. To her it meant that you’re lacking in ambition, sat at home, working from the kitchen table, knitting yoghurt; a talentless, feckless loser, keeping yourself busy and destined never to make any money.

My mind was wandering again. Must pay attention. I gave myself a virtual shake and snapped back into the conversation to be bombarded by more vicious words flying like daggers down the phone.

My ear, pressed hard against the phone, was burning. I wondered whether it was about to spontaneously combust and blow my eyebrows clean off. (The phone, not my ear, obviously.)

And then the clincher.

“Nobody takes you seriously, you’re a joke.”

Bam. A sharp left hook to the cheekbone.

“Because you’re a mum and you only work part time.”

 Where was this heading exactly?

“…You don’t deserve to get paid the same as me.”

I felt a molten volcano of rage rise up within me. The worm was turning. Which meant I was the worm; not ideal, but for now it would have to do.

This wasn’t happening to me. Absolutely not. Not after all that hard work.

I cleared my throat, took a breath and a steely voice I didn’t recognize at all said, “It’s over. You can expect to hear from my lawyer.”

Admittedly, that comment heralded all kinds of mayhem, levels of stress previously unknown in the Finer household and a six-month legal wrangle worthy of its own box set, but it certainly felt good to say. For that split second I stood tall, slippers replaced with virtual heels, a sharp suit, pointy shoulder pads and bouffy hair. In your face, bitch!

I put down the phone, hand shaking, and started to cry.  This wasn’t the plan. In fact, it was so far removed from my plan, I may well have been lost in a forest without a sat nav, or a map and only a broken down car, a dead phone battery and a creepy hitchhiker with murderous intentions for company.

What was I going to do?

And what if all the mean things she said were true and I really was worthless?

I always knew I had it in me to run a successful business, but there was a pesky little voice in my head holding me back. Actually, that little voice wasn’t just in my head.

You see, all my life I’ve had a little voice. Really little. Like, 8 years old little.

In general, it doesn’t bother me. It has its advantages; I could run some kind of dodgy phone sex line if I was ever particularly strapped for cash; the guys at the local Thai take-away know it’s me when I ring up; I get what I want when I complain about something and, of course, I’m truly excellent at swearing; bloody brilliant, in fact.

But, professionally, it’s been a bit of a problem.

Over the years, I’ve been sent off to all kinds of elocution lessons to help me channel my inner Margaret Thatcher and get some gravelly gravitas. Talk about giving a girl a complex.

Imagine, being “encouraged” to spend hours laying on the floor like Colin Firth in the King’s Speech, breathing deeply into my stomach in an attempt to transform my tone.

Then there was the boss who actually announced to a client – “she might sound like a little girl, but she’s got a big brain.” I wasn’t sure how to feel about that one.

While my little voice might be perfect for cartoon voiceover work, it made me feel insecure; like people wouldn’t take me seriously.

Hardly surprising, given that roughly once a week, when someone calls our house, they hear my voice, get confused, take an uncomfortably long pause, and then ask to speak to my mum.

I am the mum!

Far from being the loudest, shoutiest or most confident person you’ll ever meet, particularly in comparison to a lot of business people, I’m a very little voice. I get shy. I don’t like showing off, bragging or even humble bragging. And given half the chance I’d hide at home behind my computer.

I think that because I felt small, being called on it, really pushed my buttons!

The trouble was, the particular variety of success being wafted in front of me, did not float my boat in the slightest.

And as a result, going big didn’t feel good, at all.  

I wasn’t interested in the big I am; with huge corporate clients, investors, teams of employees, fancy serviced offices, pitches and oodles of schmoozing. It was all a bit fur coat and no knickers for me.

The only person I was trying to impress, was me. I wasn’t trying to re-create my corporate life, or look all fancy. Running a business wasn’t about showing off or comparing the size of my clients as if we were in some kind of willy comparison contest.

And yet, as my grasp on the, I mean, MY business weakened, we took on employees, viewed posh offices, had regular high pressure meetings in London. My phone was superglued to my ear as I raced back and forth, pulse racing, sweat dripping down the back of my silk blouse.

Things were getting out of hand and I was falling out of love with the business I’d created.

There was one particular incident when, running late for school pick up, I’d sprinted across the station concourse in silly heels, lugging a preposterously heavy bag and had stumbled forward at speed, nearly spread-eagling my sorry self in front of hundreds of men in suits. It was not pretty.

I was distracted, stressed and unhappy. This wasn’t what I had in mind when I started the business at all. My business was meant to work around my life not destroy it from the inside like a silent assassin, brandishing a biscuit laced with arsenic.

But, just because I’m little doesn’t mean my ambitions are.

I’m an entrepreneur. And I also happen to be mum to one fur baby and one rather less furry, soccer mad, string bean. I’m a wife, daughter, sister, granddaughter and friend. There’s a lot of stuff going on in my life.

To make matters more complex, the length of my work day, can optimistically be described as brief. I’ve had longer lasting baths! In fact, on occasion I’ve taken a power nap, only to wake up and find it’s over. I literally blinked and missed it.

Despite all these limitations, I have big plans. I don’t want a hobby business and I’m not playing around.

Surely there had to be a smarter, less stressful way; a way to create a business that scales, in just a few hours a day …. from the comfort of my sofa?

I was determined to prove it could be done.

Alas, the answer didn’t manifest itself instantly, dammit. There was no intervention. No extreme makeover. No big reveal. Sorry!

The truth is, before I could be any use to anyone or anything I had scrape myself up off the floor and flomp onto the sofa, where I spent many months. I closed the business and with no idea where to go next. Never has one person watched so much daytime TV.

Finally, the ideas started to flow, but man, they were not good! I hopped from one random idea to another, clutching at flimsy opportunities that would sink without a trace. Turns out, brainstorming with a broken heart leads you down some very dark paths indeed.

My judgment had taken a battering. It took me a few months to realize, for example, that a business reviewing French films was not going to bring in the big bucks. No shit, Sherlock.

Eventually though, I was saved. Saved by the clients who came to me asking me to help them with their businesses. Their faith in me breathed life back into my confidence. And gradually I got a grip and went back to what I do best, helping people grow their businesses.

That’s when I set up my business coaching practice and things really started to get interesting.

Happy to be back working again, and even happier to finally be out the house, I stumbled forth, squinting at the sunlight, arms outstretched, like a creature just released into the wild… straight into the one-man band local business bog.

Squelch.

It was a beautiful day. I trotted off to meet one of my lovely clients in a local café. Obviously I had bought enough designer stationery to kit out an entire stationery fetishists’ convention. Happy days!

She was a local woman, with a teeny tiny business, and a budget to match. Because I felt sorry for her and she was a friend of a friend, so I’d given her a special rate. Plus, I wasn’t sure if she’d like working with me, so I wanted to be on the safe side.

Our coaching session was meant to be an hour long, but because I was having fun, (and I wanted her to like me) it ran on, and on. We made a big breakthrough. I took notes, which I promised to type up and send her that afternoon. #Girlboss.

It was late, so we decided to have some lunch. I paid.

After one final cappuccino, she waved me off cheerily. I felt fabulous because I knew I’d really made a difference to her life and her business. We’d promised to reconnect in a few months, if she needed.

I made a mental note to send her an invoice, for $100 for the session.

As I wandered home slowly through the town centre, my gaze wandered and so did my feet; into my favourite store, where, feeling successful and on top of the world I splashed some serious cash. In fact I splashed around $200.

Got home feeling like I was a total rockstar. Except, that I wasn’t really, was I? #notsuchagirlbossnow

I had notes to type up. It was already time to fetch Jacob from school. Where had the day gone?! I’d spent $200 and hadn’t even sent the invoice yet for the coaching session.

What a muppet.

It was all very well. I was having a great time, but I was playing at it. Actually I’m a little embarrassed to own up to some of this, but I think it’s important to show that it’s easily done. There’s a steep, slippery, slimy slope leading down into that bog.

Squelch.

Everything I’d been accused of was now coming true, and like a fool, I’d actually walked right into this mess.

When my bank statement came through that month, and it was filled with all the wrong kind of zeros, I decided it was time to make some big changes.

Cue the Rocky music. Cut to me running through the gritty urban streets in in grey marl sweats (actually, can we make that charcoal, much more flattering) and hauling my ass, I mean, striding purposefully up an epic flight of concrete steps. Hear me roar!

The time had come for me step up. 

I feel like this bit of the story should take place in a sweaty, stinky boxing gym filled with men in shorts rubbing Deep Heat on their impressive muscles. Actually, I know just the place, although it’s rather hard to concentrate in there!

My reinvention process was not entirely straightforward. There was a considerable about of mindset trash holding me back. But once I realized that the thing that scared me the most was actually my super power, I was free!

Here’s what I did:

Rather than wasting time comparing myself to everyone else, and trying to be all fancy and shiny like the other business coaches, I decided to just be myself.

I created a completely unique brand; the brand of me. Rather than shy away from my little voice, I decided to embrace it. It’s the thing that makes me different, after all. I started by launching a podcast, Little Voice Big Business and incorporated my little voice along with my insecurities into my brand.

I figured that if I struggled with these kinds of doubts and confidence issues, then the chances are I was not alone. Now, I attract clients who get me, who resonate with my message. And I get to be me, which is a hell of a lot easier than trying to be someone else.

Suddenly my brand had worldwide appeal, which made it easy to move away from the local trap. I could focus on my ideal clients, no matter where they lived in the world.

I went from selling one off services to packaging up my coaching into bundles. No more one off sessions. No more selling time for money.

I’ve created products too, which I can sell over and over again, no matter where I am or what I’m up to. I love the fact I can get preened and pummeled in the spa, and when I emerge all pampered and glowy, I’ll see that I’ve made money!

And you’ll be relieved to hear that I gradually got the confidence put my prices up. It wasn’t easy, and I resisted it like crazy, but now, I know I’m worth every penny.

All this – it’s the bones of a little big business. These are the changes you can make too, to scale your business. And I’m going to show you how to do it too.

As a business coach, I spend my days helping entrepreneurs like you to scale up and make more money in their businesses. It’s my passion, my work, my zone of genius or whatever you want to call it! And now I’m here to help you.

Nowadays, my life is pretty damn lovely. Thank goodness for that, or this book would make for a rather depressing read, wouldn’t it?

I work from home, on my own and I run a global business, often in pyjamas (or, rather, loungewear, which means it’s perfectly acceptable to go out dressed like this!)

Sometimes I sit at the kitchen table, sometimes I work in my tiny beautiful office and sometimes I go to a café - because I can and that’s where I do my best thinking. And sometimes, don’t tell anyone, but I sit on the sofa, under a blanket, with Bobby the dog keeping me warm and snuggly. Lush.

It’s global. I help clients all over the world; from Mauritius and America, to Sweden and New Zealand, to scale up their businesses. I have a podcast with listeners scattered all over the globe. I regularly give talks in the UK and the US.

It’s big. Rather than working with one client at a time, I’ve created an online business academy called the Profit Pack with allows me to help female entreprenuers worldwide to work less and make more money.

It’s flexible. My work days are short. I only work around 4 hours a day and yet I have time to do the school run, walk the dog, go to pilates and boxing, and meet friends for brunch on a school day! My business is more bendy than a double jointed ballerina.

It’s smart. Rather than giving away chunks of my business, I hire people as and when I need them. I have a virtual team who help me with everything from tech stuff, advertising, illustration, web design, and video editing so that I can get on with helping my clients.

It’s simple. Because I’m in charge and it’s just me, there are no complications, no investors, no pesky partners, expensive premises or employees. It’s just me and all the potential in the world. My business is a serene, lean, money making machine!

I choose to work alone. I’m not a solopreneur or a micro business; I’m a lone ranger. I like it this way. I’m flexible and free. And my business fits perfectly around my life. This isn’t pathetic. It’s not playing small. Or any of that crap. It’s about being smart and designing a business around your life. It’s not a lifestyle business to be mocked. It works around your life, because life and business are happier that way.

I may not be a multi millionaire, a celebrity or a business legend (yet) but what I have done is create a business that allows me to scale. It’s the ultimate little big business.

And you can have this too.  

It’s all possible. You too can scale up and make a decent living from your businesses. You deserve it! No more piddling around for pennies, people.

You too can have a huge impact, even if you work from home, on your own, in just a few hours a day. You can create a business that works around your life so that you can enjoy spending time with the people you love.

It’s totally possible to scale up a business from the kitchen table, from your home office, or from the local café, or from the downstairs loo. To work just a few hours a day. To be able to travel. To serve clients all over the world. To have a huge impact.

I know it might seem like a long way off right now when crazy hours and tiny profits are your reality.

But you know that working harder is not the answer. You're already working hard. Even if you worked all day and all night you can't see how you'd make enough money. And forget getting up at 5am, I mean there are limits, right? And that’s the problem. There are simply not enough hours in the day. It’s such a cliché, but you’ve done the maths, and there literally isn’t. And that’s why we’re here.

Yes, you’re dedicated to your business, but you’re also dedicated to your kids, family, friends, house, pets – all that stuff. And you might like to shower, eat and do some exercise once in a while. That doesn’t leave a lot of time for you to actually run your business. It’s all part of life’s rich tapestry. But the fact is there’s a minute patchwork square for your business in the quilt of your life.

So, if you’re selling your time for money, and there’s not much of it. That’s not much money is it? And if you’re going to be a lone ranger, selling time for money, then we’re more than slightly stuffed aren’t we?

Yes, it sounds cheesy, but there really is no limit on what you can achieve! It really is. And I’m going to show you how.

We need to make some big changes, both to your mindset to your business strategy. A double whammy.

But before we go any further, we need to get something straight.  

I’m good at what I do, but I’m not a wizard. I don’t ride a rainbow-coloured unicorn, although I would like to. Imagine that, a lone ranger on a unicorn… but, I digress.

I know certain people would like us to believe that it’s simple, this making money malarkey. That through some formula sprinkled with fairy dust, we can just click our heels and snap, the cash will rain down upon us. And yet, surprisingly, it’s not quite that straightforward.

You need to do the work. I can guide you and give you useful strategies and ideas to try, but you have to actually make changes and implement things. This is not some magic potion, unfortunately, because if it were, oh my gosh, I could make a fortune!

Instead, we’re going to look at the admittedly rather less glamorous stuff that you can do to make changes in your business. If you want glamour, maybe put on some shiny shoes while you’re working on things?

I’m here to help you, like I’ve helped hundreds of entrepreneurs before you. Together we’re going to get your business sorted. And in return for you committing to putting in some hard work, I promise to avoid the yawntastic preachy stuff and the jargon. Who knows, we might even have some fun?!

There will be no more playing small and no more limitations on what you can achieve! Together we’re going to kick fear in the face and turn your tiny profits into big bucks.

• Update #6 - IMPORTANT! It's coming! April 5, 2018

  Hi there 

  I've got books! Lots of books! They've arrived! Wahooo!
  You'll be getting your copy of Little Me BIG Business very soon. 

  I'm about to start putting them …

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• Update #5 - The book is on the plane! March 20, 2018

  Hi there!

  Amazing news! My book Little Me Big Business is finally ready. 

  I have just placed an order for 1000 copies and they are being …

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• Update #4 - It's with the editor! (Little Me Big Business Book update) July 17, 2017

  Hiya 

  The summer was crazy!  

  I spent most of it writing away whilst slurping on Frappuchinos and I even managed to wangle a spa trip …

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• Update #3 - Good news about the book! April 25, 2017

  Hi there, 

  I'm really excited to tell you that I have just signed a publishing deal for my new book Little Me Big Business! Yay! 

  Morgan James …

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• Update #2 - My first chapter is ready! March 24, 2017

  Hi there 

  Good news! The first chapter of Little Me Big Business is now ready and you can read it here. 

  The Publishizer peeps seem …

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• Update #1 - Good news! I've hit 100 pre-orders Feb. 14, 2017

  Hi there! 

  It's Valentines Day and there's good reason to celebrate. 

  Little Me Big Business has now received 109 pre-orders. 

  I have also got interest …

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