Dan Counsell:

When you say you run your own company people always ask how many staff you have. The higher the number, the more impressed people seem to be and I can understand that. I fell into this trap myself, the trap of thinking bigger is better.

I thought to be classed as a successful company I needed to grow. I needed to get a bigger office, hire more people, and why not. The company was making enough money, so I just went with it.

Then one day I looked up and I was responsible for ten full-time employees, a whole host of freelancers, and an office big enough for 30+ people. Unchecked, a business can take on a life of its own. I didn’t plan for it to be like that, it just happened. I never stopped to think about what I really wanted.