We caught up with Owen Myers to see what it was like running your own business…
When did you first realise you wanted to run your own business?
I’ve always had the idea of wanting to run my own business at some point. But this has always been something for later down the line, more of a semi-retirement hobby investing in a restaurant or something. However, increasingly I have realised that I am my most motivated when ‘doing my own thing’ which I think stems from an upbringing of being encouraged to be independent. The effects of the pandemic have very much acted as a catalyst for accelerating that thought process towards entrepreneurship. Given the amount of unknowns and uncertainty we have all faced over the last year, it has really fuelled the fire of wanting to be in control of my own destiny.
How has your first month of trading been at Mackie Myers?
To put it simply, very well and much better than anticipated. One of the reasons Jenna and I work well together is because we are both what I would call ‘conservative optimists’. We have ambition but we don’t let ourselves get too carried away (for the most part). We gave ourselves realistic targets based on our knowledge of the wider market, but we have got up a running much quicker than expected and have of course gained a lot of confidence for the future from that.
With it being mental health awareness week, how do you ensure you are looking after your own well-being?
Having two young kids and so a fairly hectic lifestyle, it’s safe to say I am fairly guilty of not prioritising my own well-being all that often. However, the importance of good mental health has been brought front and centre this year where a close relative has been hit with anxiety and depression out of nowhere which has been a scary experience for us all.
Living in East Hertfordshire I get a lot of pleasure from being in the countryside and surrounded by greenery. On that note, this year’s mental health awareness week theme being ‘nature’ really resonates with me. During the height of various lockdowns, my escape was often a long run or a family walk which I have found very restorative.
Some would say you are mad starting a company in a pandemic – would you agree?
I think anyone that starts their own business probably needs to be a bit mad, whether they do it in an economic boom or otherwise! There is never a good time to start and there is always a very valid excuse to kick the can down the road. But, when you know you know.
The last year has clearly been a massive challenge economically. However, we are starting at a point where all forecasts suggests a steep recovery and so hopefully we can grow with the wider economy. Additionally, there are positives to starting the business now, and we can take a lot from experiences of the last year to ensure we have a robust business that can survive the next economic shock whenever that may be.
Tell us a bit about yourself?
I live in Hertfordshire with my wife and two young kids. I am a cricket fan, West Ham supporter, and enjoy hacking my way around the golf course from time to time. I am one of five siblings including a twin sister who gets married at St Paul’s Cathedral next year owing to by dad’s CBE. My weekends these days are mostly spent doing family activities, squeezing in a gym session, finding an excuse for a beer on the local dad scene, and catching up with old uni mates. My daughter and I are in the process of starting our own veg patch in the garden which could be my 2021 highlight if I get anything edible out of it!