I’ve not posted anything on this personal blog for a while and in fact the last time was on just after finishing my MBA (poor show!) as once that was done then my Bolst Global business took over and the focus was more on the business blogging and getting some clients on my books and start growing some revenues.

Getting up early I’ve handled emails and phone calls in the morning over coffee and breakfast and then left the laptop at home and just taken the trusty iPad, pen and paper along with some healthy nibbles out to the lake for the afternoon so I can work on some important aspects of business proposals, personal goals and the entrepreneurial spark programme that I am currently a part of.  It’s been great because being wifi disconnected and in a new warm environment I’ve felt so productive and reenergised and managed to get through all of my tasks fairly quickly as well as give some thought to things I just haven’t had the headspace to lately.

I know I’m lucky – in so far as I have control of my time and my schedule now and can therefore do this. I am here for six days and have no boss to beg for annual leave! I can work when I want and take the time off when I want (or allow myself to- still need to work on that but that’s a post for another day!) and this is definitely one of the reasons I started Bolst Global in the first place. I’m happy to work every Sunday this year if I can have days and weeks like these at other times!

Another big advantage is the ability to be geographically mobile with the kind of work that I do again allowing me to travel and work from anywhere- I have a long term goal of splitting my time between various countries one most likely Spain where I can sit on the balcony with my morning coffee and laptop and work from there!

Here in Italy I see and appreciate how forward thinking the UK and my mindset is when it comes to this flexibility with work and how we perceive workplaces and professional expectations and obligations. My friend has pushed for a some amount of her time to be working from home because essentially her job is tech based and so is fully able to do so. However culturally her italian employer doesn’t accept this so she is having to do twelve hour working days during the week just to get to work, work and the come home again. Leaving her no time for exercise, food shopping (shop shuts in the town at 7.30pm) or just general down time and she is exhausted!

So whilst having your own business is a LOT of work and a real rollercoaster (not without its sacrifices either!) I wouldn’t change it for the world – for the experiences it has given me so far and the future opportunities that it will bring too.

Happy Easter everyone- no chocolate eggs for me but off to buy some half price Prosecco from the supermarket before it shuts!

Victoria x