On Monday I was talking about increasing my companies earnings year on year. Well, two days in to Rockall's third year and I've won a tender for a project with a value greater than the whole of last year's income. Which is good news in many ways; mainly that it affords me the chance to grow the company a little.

Tendering for this project was an interesting experience in itself and the first time I've had to go through anything so formal. Most of Rockall's work is all but given to me by way of people knowing who I am and trusting that I know what I am doing. As long as the price I quote for a piece of work is ok, the job's mine. In this case though, being well known merely got me on the list of companies invited to tender. The rest was down to the proposal I wrote.

Being a one-man-band is a real double-edged sword sometimes. It attracts as many clients as it scares off. Some customers prefer to know that it's just me they will be dealing with. That I have a mortgage to pay, which depends on delivering the work to them on time and that I will work 24/7 if needs be. On the flipside there are the customers who might worry that I don't have the capacity to deliver or that they won't get a thing if I am incapacitated in any way and unable to work. What about SLAs and support in the future if my shot at the big time folds and I return to a 9-to-5? All legitimate concerns of any paying customer.

All I will say in my defence (and that of other one-man-shops) is that I will deliver, whatever it takes. I care much more about Rockall than I do/would/have any other consultancy I've ever worked for. It's my dream and I don't intend giving up on it any time soon. The last two years have seen some hard times. Nothing like being on the poverty line, but there have been quite a few sleepless nights along the way, I can tell you. Hopefully, all that is behind me now and Rockall won't be just me for too much longer. Which brings with it a new kind of stress and many more sleepless nights.

The one thing I have found about running your own business is that the working day never ends...