Lessons learned from 18 months running a bookshop

Big and small, this is what I'd tell myself before embarking on this adventure (so far)

This isn’t everything I have learned the last year and a half but it’s a good start. When I decided to start Prismatic Pages I had no experience running my own business — I had only worked for other people who did and saw how damn hard it was from the outside (and had promised myself I would never do it. Ha ha).

Here are 10 lessons though, and I’m sure there are many more to come!

Summer 2023, back when Prismatic Pages was just a table!

1. You can get a lot further than you’d expect with little starting capital…

2. …but it will be easier if you save up more first.

   I started the store with a combination of my own money, two friends who invested, and some crowdfunding. I did it with about half the budget most people told me I needed for something like this. I could have waited longer, saved up more, and planned better. But I felt this internal momentum, and I somehow knew that if I didn’t just go for it, I might never actually do it.

3. Set boundaries with your friends when they are customers.

   This has been one of the hardest lessons for me to learn, and I’m still learning and practicing it every day! If you have issues with boundaries and want some exposure therapy, start a small business.