Starting a small business can break hearts, crush spirits and drain willpower faster than a falling bank balance. Many business owners in Australia say they have felt stuck, helpless and broken. Courtney Joe tells that story, too - but his is a literal rendition.
His first business buckled when he did - and it was all because of a couch.
In 2012, Joe was carrying a couch out to the road of a south Sydney street when a car came up behind him. At the time he was in his third year operating a removals business, paying off three trucks to the tune of half a million dollars - in other words, this was one of many, many couches.
Joe hopped onto the back of the truck, attempting to stay out of the car’s path, but the vehicles collided, crushing his right leg between them.
It only took one accident for Courtney to leave his booming removalist business. Source: SBS Small Business Secrets
Joe says now "I saw the car coming - the rest, not so much."
"The rest" was a year spent learning how to walk, refinancing and losing his business, and all but one of his trucks.
"That was 344 days, exactly. I remember that because I remember every one of them and how hard I had to work to get back."
Joe held on tight to that one truck, knowing that even as his first business folded, he needed it to start again.
'Nothing can bring me down'
Four years later, Sydney Removal Services is a half a million dollar a year business that employs full-time and casual staff, with a slew of steady work.
"I get frustrated sometimes when I think of the year I wasted, I mean if I hadn't lost it all I could be way further along now. At the same time, I know I have learned a lot about resilience and that nothing can bring me down."
To rebuild his customer base, he used Airtasker, an online platform where workers can bid for jobs.
"It's handy to build your network and meet new people, and that's what business is about, really."
Business surged 25% after using Airtasker, and this steady flow of work means he no longer uses Airtasker to find customers, but uses it to find casual staff.
These days Courtney walks without a limp, hauling couches and packing houses. It's as if the accident never happened.
344 days on from his injury, Courtney is back in business and stronger than ever. Source: SBS Small Business Secrets
"But if it hadn't I wouldn't have started this company, where I work with only good people, treat my staff well and we have fun. The best part of being a boss is being able to be flexible, choose your work and when you want time off if you aren't busy."
Although he admits these days, that doesn't happen very often.
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