WHILE most people think they are better at their jobs than their boss and spend countless hours complaining about company policy, entering into entrepreneurship can be a very scary thing.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
For local butcher Gavin Stone and his wife Simone, it was one of the biggest financial decisions of their lives.
The couple purchased Jerrabombra Meats - formerly known as Unique Meats - last month and are finding their feet in the business world.
Mr Stone is a butcher by trade and worked at the shop for more than a decade before buying it.
He had both a close working relationship and friendship with his former boss Matt Hicks. So, when he was looking to expand his business into wholesale 12 months ago, and needed a bigger workspace, he gave Mr Stone the opportunity to purchase it.
However, reluctance got the best of the long-time employee.
"I ummed and ahhed about it to the point where he changed his mind, it was sort of a mutual thing," Mr Stone explained.
"I was a bit worried about it and he decided he wanted to keep it and it was all good. Then, about four months ago he offered it to me again and I pretty much said yeah let's do it. I've been here for ten years, I know the place and everyone knows me."
Mr Stone was a part owner in a butcher's shop when he was in his 20s but cashed out at the end of 12 months, believing he wasn't ready. And, he admits while the ink was drying on the agreement between him and Mr Hicks, he still had a few nerves.
"I was thinking 'am I doing the right thing? Am I not doing the right thing?', it is always easier just to work for somebody else and get your wage and go home at night and not have to stress or anything like that but so far it has been really good. For the first month of trade I have had, I believe I am doing really well," he said.
"I've always wanted to (own my own business) ... I've always known that I could do it but I think I had to do my time… Now, I'm 100pc ready for it."
Mr Stone currently employs two other staff members, his wife and sister, and has a few juniors that help out from time to time. He hopes to employ a fulltime apprentice in the not too distant future but says he is going to take his first three months pretty slow. With electricity prices skyrocketing, he wants to get a better view of his overheads before making any significant financial commitments.
