The truth is, businesses don’t take shape overnight. I’ve been working on JSO for two years, and we’re still figuring things out every single day. Yet that’s perfectly normal- most successful companies didn’t start out looking like what they eventually became. The Apple logo, for example, went from a detailed illustration of Isaac Newton under a tree to the sleek, iconic apple we all know today. Twitter started as a side project inside a podcasting company. Slack was originally a gaming company. And Netflix? Well, Netflix began as a DVD rental service sent by post! Sometimes the business you launch is nothing like the business you end up running.

As for glamour, well, while we now have a fantastic Central London office address, the backbone of Just Starting Out really came together in my back bedroom (turned home office) in a quiet Devon seaside town. I spent hours overlooking terraced roofs, old ladies pushing ridiculously small shopping trolleys, and more seagulls than you could ever count, laptop open (ginger male cat constantly walking over the keypad), caffeine in hand, just trying to make sense of this new 'business' world. 

“If it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing well.” That mantra has driven countless late nights, and it's got us to where we are today. Every decision, every partnership, every detail of the platform has needed thought and care- sometimes painfully so, but it’s been worth it. Because building a business isn’t just about launching a product or service; it’s about creating something that lasts. 

The journey has also taught me that flexibility is everything. Plans change. Customers’ needs change. Even your own priorities change. I’ve had to learn to bend, pivot, and adapt constantly. And the funny thing is, those moments of “Oh no, what now?” often turn into the breakthroughs that shape the business for the better.

One of the most surprising parts of this journey has been realising that building a business isn’t chic or swanky. It’s messy, mundane, repetitive, and sometimes downright boring- but that’s what propels it. The small, consistent efforts, the tweaks no-one sees, the late-night problem-solving, all of it is what shapes a business. The glamour, if it exists at all, comes later.

So, to anyone just starting out: be prepared to be surprised, to feel a little out of your depth, and to laugh at yourself along the way. Your business will evolve in ways you've never imagined, and it won’t look like the picture you painted on day one, but if you’re willing to put in the work, care about the details, and persist through the chaos, you’ll create something special.

Looking back, I wouldn’t change a thing. Every late night, every seagull, every cringe-worthy “why did I do that?” moment has been part of the journey. And the reward isn’t just having a business that works- it’s having grown alongside it, learning, adapting, and discovering that sometimes the messy, imperfect path is exactly the one worth taking.