Running a business or having a job comes with its own unique highs and lows.

Running a phone shop is no different. Here's a tiny little insight...

Highs:

> It is important and meaningful work. It's good to know that we provide genuine value and improve people's lives every day.

> Getting to work with real people face-to-face is valuable, and the vast majority of our customers are very pleasant to deal with. We greatly appreciate their loyalty and support. Also, the wide variety of people that we get to work with, of all ages and backgrounds, is nice.

> Fixing things and solving problems is inherently satisfying.

> Being able to work with technology - something we love - in any form is a blessing.

> Things change constantly. There's always something to learn, something to do, and an opportunity to improve.

> Our business isn't particularly susceptible to economic or seasonal changes.

> We have an excellent work environment - we get to wear what we want, listen to what we want, maintain our own workspace, and have good kitchen/bathroom facilities.

Lows:

> Sometimes it is overwhelmingly busy or frustratingly quiet from day to day. A steady and predictable flow would be nice, but that's just not how most businesses work.

> It can be stressful. Trying to recover valuable data from someone's device whilst being pulled in several other directions can really test your mental fortitude.

> It's impossible to stock everything that our customers need or want because there are so many products. Everything costs money, takes up time and space, and eventually goes out of date.

> Pushback from manufacturers who intentionally make it difficult to work on their devices in order to discourage third-party repair - they don't supply parts or schematics, serialise components and block upgrades.

> Replacement parts can sometimes be poor quality or very expensive. Any phone/computer shop that claims that all of their services are 100% affordable and reliable is lying. We can only do our best with what we have.

> Sometimes we will spend hours working on a problem that we cannot solve. That's time and money down the drain.

> As with most professions, a significant proportion of our time and focus is dedicated to repeating mundane tasks and interactions over and over again. Consistently executing in these areas is key to success.

Without a doubt, the highs far outweigh the lows. That's why we've been here every day for a decade.

I can certainly say that I've never once woken up and thought "Awh no, I've got to go to work today", and that's a blessing; in part, thanks to you.