Shannon Conner, 16, from Harlaw Academy, shares why she wants to be her own boss.
What would you like to be when you are older? I would like to work in business management
Why does this job appeal to you? I have been studying business management for three years and the idea of running my own business interests me
How long have you wanted to do this? For three years
Tim Williams, managing director of Millstream
Running your own business takes a lot of hard work, determination and perseverance when things are not going your way.
However, the rewards are huge and you get a huge amount of satisfaction from building something successful and seeing your team grow, develop and support their families.
I started my company 25 years ago when I was 30 and would say it’s definitely easier to start a business when you’re younger, as the risks are much greater once you have a mortgage or family commitments.
I originally had plans to become a natural history filmmaker but ended up working as a commercial diver before moving into project management in the oil and gas industry. In the early days of Millstream we began selling CAD software before deciding to go back into managing underwater contracts.
Now we specialise in electronic tendering, and run the Tenders Direct and mytenders websites, which offer business opportunities in the public sector to private sector companies.
Every day can be different and there’ll be different challenges. You’ll have to learn about accounts, tax, national insurance, quality assurance and HR, but I enjoy the variety, procurement is constantly evolving and we have to move fast and keep on top of changes to regulations.
Managing people is the most difficult aspect of running a business. Some might be unreliable, others will need to be challenged to achieve their full potential and some will have personal issues along the way too, but you’ll learn how to get your team to perform effectively and deal with all the bumps on the route.
Ultimately though, running your own business gives you more control over your own life. There’s often a price to pay but it’s absolutely worth it.