Fighting for Grip: My Honest Journey with Trackside Focus®
Building something from the ground up is an incredible adventure, one full of passion, late nights, coffee and the exhilarating hope of seeing your vision come to life. But it's also a journey fraught with challenges, and for the past two years, that journey for me has been The Photographic Adventure Company Ltd, and then born out of that - Trackside Focus®.
Like many entrepreneurs, I have poured my heart and soul into doing my best to create a brand, a community and a unique offering. There's a classic tale of the entrepreneur working tirelessly, without a salary whilst reinvesting every penny of profit, and that was (and still is) very much my reality. The desire to make Trackside Focus® a success was all-consuming, and I loved every minute of it - well, almost every minute.
What they don't always tell you about the entrepreneurial path is the intense pressure it places on every aspect of your life. The unpredictability or complete lack of income, the constant stress of selling, the on-going maze that is marketing and a never-ending to-do list - it all takes a toll. Then there are the online trolls, the disheartening comments that can chip away at your confidence when you're already feeling pretty vulnerable. This year, earlier than I'd like to admit, these pressures began to weigh heavily on me and my family life. The constant juggle of trying to provide for my loved ones while pursuing a dream with no guaranteed financial return became a burden I started to really struggle with. From sleepless nights to mental health struggles, this all led me to early burnout.
Behind the Business: Finding My Way Through the Unseen Burdens
Running a business, even one born from a real passion like Trackside Focus®, is a constant act of juggling. While I've loved the experience as a whole, there's one particular side that's been far more challenging for me: the relentless stress of sales and marketing. A pretty crucial element to a successful business!
It's a lot more than just a quick post on social media. It's the pressure to constantly be "on," to craft a new message, to find a fresh angle, to convince people that what you offer is worth their hard-earned money. It’s the stress of an unpredictable income, knowing that every single sale, or lack thereof, directly impacts not just the business, but my family too. It’s the internal debate of whether I'm doing enough, or if the next attempt will be the one that finally breaks through. This constant pressure, amplified by the immediate feedback (both positive and negative) of the online world, can be emotionally and mentally exhausting.
I know that this is a struggle many, if not all entrepreneurs face. We have to be the CEO, the creator, the accountant, customer service and the head of marketing all at once. And for me, that weight became too heavy to bear without jeopardising my family, the ones I was trying to provide and build a business for. My decision to close the business in April 2025 was a direct response to this stress and burnout, a difficult choice made in a moment of crisis, looking for a way to find stability for not just myself but those around me.
Collecting my #SBS Award from Theo Paphitis in February 2025.
The Rebuild: A Story of Perseverance & Determination
In April 2025, I made the incredibly difficult decision to close Trackside Focus®. At the time, it felt like the only way forward, a definitive end to the stress and the financial uncertainty. In hindsight, perhaps that full closure wasn't the right move. It was an entrepreneurial mistake, I guess born out of the exhaustion I was suffering from at the time.
Building and running Trackside Focus® has been a journey filled with incredible highs and challenging lows. While I’ve shared the struggles, it's also important to acknowledge the moments of success that made it all worthwhile. Winning a Small Business Sunday (SBS) award from Theo Paphitis was a huge honour and a massive confidence boost, affirming that my vision perhaps did have some merit behind it. Plus, looking back on the international workshops - from Barcelona to Dubai, I'm so proud of what has already been achieved. These are the memories that fuel my passion and remind me that despite the challenges, there is a market out there (somewhere!) for Trackside Focus®. It’s these successes that have given me the strength to try and rebuild, not entirely from scratch, but with a clearer, more sustainable vision for the future.
Now, I'm charting a different course, one that feels more sustainable and, ultimately, more aligned with my current priorities. Trackside Focus® is still here, but with a more reduced offering that allows me to balance my passion with a full-time job elsewhere that supports family life (kids are damn expensive y’know!). This new path is about finding a fine balance: the entrepreneur in me still wants to create, share and dream wildly, but the provider in me knows I need to ensure stability for my family too.
I know, and fully appreciate that the messaging around Trackside Focus® has been mixed and confusing at times of late, and for that, I sincerely apologise. Cancelling workshops and events has been heartbreaking, not just for the impact on you, but also because of the trust I worried I was losing. Rebuilding that trust is paramount to me, and it’s something I’m actively working on.
Cancelling workshops and events has been one of the hardest parts of this entire journey, and I want to be very clear that these decisions were not made lightly. These haven't been cancellations out of choice, but out of necessity due to a lack of demand for those opportunities. It's a deeply frustrating and difficult experience for me to have to pull the plug on something I put so much time, effort and passion into because the numbers simply don't add up. I'm working hard to understand the reasons behind this, to figure out whether it's the timing, the offering, or something else entirely. While I'm incredibly grateful for the support of those who did sign up, I have to be honest and address this reality head-on as I move forward and try to rebuild.
I’m exploring potential new ways to run the business, new opportunities and offerings for the incredible clients who have supported Trackside Focus® through these difficult times (and some good ones too!). This journey has been a roller-coaster (and I’m not a huge roller-coaster fan!), but the support, loyalty and enthusiasm from those trusted few have always kept me going and feeling positive.
I sincerely hope you’ll continue to support, share, and get involved as I navigate moving the business forwards.
Thank you for your continued support as I find a new rhythm for myself, the business, and my family.
