Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started a Small Business
Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started a Small Business
A calm, honest guide for owners figuring it out as they go
By Richard Oon
This book is not about starting a business.
It’s about what happens after you start.
When the excitement fades.
When responsibility settles in.
When running a small business feels heavier than you expected — even though you’re doing your best.
Many small business owners assume this means they’re doing something wrong.
This book exists to tell you otherwise.
Who this book is for
This book is written for small business owners who are already in it — not those chasing shortcuts or quick wins.
It’s for you if:
- You feel busy, but not always sure you’re making progress
- Cash flow worries follow you even during “good” months
- You undercharge because raising prices feels risky
- Compliance feels intimidating, confusing, or overwhelming
- Business and personal life have started to blur
- You feel pressure to grow — even when you’re not sure you want to
- You’re tired in a way that rest doesn’t fully fix
If you’ve ever wondered, “Is it supposed to feel like this?” — this book is for you.
What this book is (and isn’t)
This book is:
- Calm and honest
- Written in plain, non-technical language
- Reflective rather than instructional
- Designed to be read slowly, or revisited by chapter
This book is not:
- A step-by-step business manual
- A motivational or hustle book
- A collection of tactics or growth hacks
- Written to impress or overwhelm
It’s written to reassure.
What the book covers
Through short, focused chapters, this book explores the realities many business owners experience but rarely hear explained clearly:
- Why being busy doesn’t always mean making progress
- Why cash flow causes more stress than profit
- Why most owners underprice themselves longer than they should
- Why compliance feels scarier than it actually is
- The hidden cost of mixing business and personal life
- Why growth should be a choice, not an expectation
- How hiring changes everything — even if it’s just one person
- Why burnout arrives quietly, without warning
- How to build a business that supports your life, not consumes it
Each chapter offers clarity, not judgement.
How this book helps
This book won’t give you all the answers.
What it will do is help you:
- Understand why certain struggles appear
- Separate personal self-blame from structural reality
- Make calmer decisions with more context
- Feel less alone in the process
- Reframe what “success” means for you
Sometimes, knowing why something feels hard is enough to make it manageable.
About the author
Richard Oon works closely with small business owners and has spent years observing the quiet patterns behind their struggles — not just in numbers, but in behaviour, stress, and decision-making.
This book was written not as an expert lecturing from above, but as someone who has seen the same questions and worries surface again and again.
It’s a collection of things many owners only realise later — and wish someone had said earlier, quietly, without judgement.
How to read this book
- You don’t need to read it cover to cover
- You don’t need to read it in order
- You can return to the chapters that speak to where you are right now
This is a companion book — not a race.
Format & details
- Format: Digital e-book (PDF)
- Length: Approximately 6,000–7,000 words
- Reading time: 2–3 relaxed sittings
- Device-friendly: Readable on tablet, laptop, or phone
A quiet reassurance before you buy
You don’t need to have everything figured out to run a good business.
You don’t need to suffer endlessly to deserve success.
And you don’t need to build the business everyone else expects you to build.
If you’re looking for clarity, reassurance, and perspective —
