No joke - today is the second anniversary of me waking up on my first day of self-employment after a career in large engineering businesses.

There was no longer a company car sitting on the drive, a corporate laptop in my bag or a business mobile in my jacket pocket. I now had total control over my day, but also total accountability for finding work that would keep the roof over our heads. I was my own boss and I needed to become a hunter-gatherer instead of managing the endless stream of work that used to find its way to me.

Two years on, I don’t have a single regret about stepping out. Of course I miss the people, but so much has compensated for that and the days spent learning new skills and stretching myself outside my comfort zone.

I have found a great sense of fulfilment and achievement in doing what I do and the difference I have seen it make to the leaders and businesses I have worked with. I have also met some wonderful new people in the world of smaller businesses that is largely invisible to those in the corporate world; people who are full of passion for what they do, with an inspirational determination to succeed and amazing reserves of positivity even through this last year of economic carnage. My thanks to all of you for your encouragement and selfless advice!

If you’re reading this and thinking you’d like to step out on your own, I encourage you to give it some serious consideration. It isn’t easy, but with the right mindset and support around you, you may find you wished you’d done it years ago.