01/11/2026
# Six Years in Business — Six Things I Wish I'd Known Before Starting
Six years ago, I started DC Upholstery.
Did I know what I was doing when it came to running a business?
Absolutely not!
Six years later, I'm still learning. But along the way, I've picked up a few lessons, made plenty of mistakes and had some experiences that have completely changed how I look at business.
So I thought I'd share six things I've learned along the way.
Not because I'm an expert, but because I've certainly made enough mistakes to have an opinion!
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# # # 1. Sometimes the Worst-Paying Jobs Can Be Worth the Most
I remember one of our earliest jobs. A customer needed a spring repaired on their sofa, and I quoted the grand total of £40.
Simple enough, I thought!
Off I went through the Tyne Tunnel, only to arrive and realise I'd forgotten one of my tools.
Back through the tunnel, collected the tool, and back through again!
By the time I'd finished, I'd spent around three hours on the repair alone, never mind the travelling.
Between the fuel, tunnel charges and my time, it's fair to say it wasn't the most profitable job I've ever done!
But guess what that £40 job got me?
**A five-star review and a recommendation that led to another job.**
Thankfully, a slightly more profitable one!
I remember being called a "busy idiot" by others in the trade during those early days.
And looking back, maybe I was at times.
**But I was a busy idiot trying to build a business!**
Sometimes, particularly in the early days, the value of a job goes beyond what it puts in your pocket.
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# # # 2. Be Prepared to Earn Nothing, But Work for Everything
Now, I'm going to take full credit for this little saying. I've certainly never heard anyone else say it, so until somebody proves otherwise, I'm claiming it as my own!
**"Be prepared to earn nothing, but work for everything."**
When you first start a business, you imagine more freedom, flexibility and hopefully more money.
The reality?
You can find yourself working longer hours than ever before, taking on responsibilities you've never had and, at the end of the month, earning less than minimum wage while paying your employees more than yourself.
And the strangest thing?
You willingly do it!
Because every extra hour feels like an investment in something you're trying to build.
But here's something I've learned.
**Working hard doesn't automatically mean you're building a successful business.**
You can work 70 hours a week and still have very little to show for it.
Eventually, you realise the goal isn't simply to work harder. It's to build a business that doesn't require you to work every waking hour just to keep it going.
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# # # 3. Working IN Your Business vs Working ON Your Business
This is probably one of the biggest lessons I've learned.
There's a massive difference between working **IN** your business and working **ON** your business.
For me, working IN the business means upholstering sofas, stripping furniture, packing jobs and helping with production.
All important things.
But while I'm spending eight hours upholstering a sofa, who's preparing quotations, answering enquiries, updating the website or finding the next customer?
It's very easy to finish a day feeling like you've worked incredibly hard, only to realise you've done absolutely nothing to move the business forward.
And I've been guilty of that myself!
Of course, sometimes you simply have to roll your sleeves up and get stuck in.
I still do.
But I've learned that **being busy and being productive aren't necessarily the same thing.**
Sometimes the most valuable thing I can do isn't upholstering another sofa.
It's stepping away from the tools and figuring out how we're going to sell the next ten.
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# # # 4. Bigger Contracts Don't Always Mean Bigger Profits
When you're starting out, landing a large contract can feel like you've finally made it.
A big order, a recognisable customer, thousands of pounds worth of work.
What's not to like?
Well, quite a lot, actually!
I've learned that **turnover means very little if you're not making any money.**
Here's an example.
I'd much rather upholster one independent pub and make a healthy profit than win a contract to upholster 20 pubs and barely make anything.
The second job might look more impressive on paper, but which is actually better for the business?
Large contracts can bring tighter margins, more pressure on production and longer payment terms.
And while you're busy completing that enormous contract, you might be turning away smaller, more profitable jobs.
Don't get me wrong, large contracts can be fantastic when they're priced correctly.
But there's no prize for being the busiest upholstery workshop if you're not making any money!
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# # # 5. Learning When NOT to Tender for Work
This one might divide opinion!
For anyone unfamiliar with tendering, it's when several businesses are invited to submit prices or proposals for a particular contract.
The customer then compares those submissions before deciding who gets the work.
Now, here's something that might surprise people.
**I very rarely participate in competitive tendering.**
Why?
Because it can quickly become a competition over who can do the job cheapest.
Of course, price isn't always the deciding factor, and plenty of businesses do extremely well from tendering.
But personally, I've never wanted DC Upholstery to compete primarily on price.
We know what our work costs to produce, the standards we want to maintain and the margins we need to make.
If winning a contract means sacrificing those things, is it really worth winning?
I've learned that sometimes the best business decision is knowing when to walk away.
**You don't have to win every job to run a successful business.**
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# # # 6. Never Forget the People Who Gave You a Chance
I can still remember the names of so many of our very first customers.
Six years later, I haven't forgotten them.
Some still follow our journey today, and I regularly see their names popping up on our social media posts.
I often think back to those early days when customers would pull into our little industrial estate with its ridiculously limited parking, sometimes being told by neighbouring businesses where they could and couldn't park.
They'd then have to trudge through puddles just to get into what was essentially an oversized garage that we called our workshop!
And after all that, they'd put their trust in me and hand over thousands of pounds of their hard-earned money to my little business.
**I honestly can't describe how that felt.**
We didn't have the reputation, the portfolio or the hundreds of completed projects that we have today.
These people were taking a chance on us.
Six years later, customers can see our work, read our reviews and feel much more confident about investing their money with us.
But those early customers didn't have any of that reassurance.
**They simply took a chance on us.**
And that's something I'll never forget.
Because the people who believed in your business before you had a reputation are the people who helped you build one.
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# # # Six Years Later...
If there's one thing I've learned, it's that you never really stop learning.
We've made mistakes, taken risks, had difficult periods and enjoyed some fantastic moments along the way.
Would I do things differently if I could start again?
Absolutely!
But without making those mistakes, I probably wouldn't have learned half of these lessons.
And I'm sure the next six years will teach me plenty more.
**David — DC Upholstery Services Ltd**
