Ask any small business owner why they do what they do, and the answer usually isn’t glamour, or yachts, or passive income streams that run themselves while they sip cocktails on a beach.
Nope.
It’s usually more like: “Because I want something better. Later.”
That’s it. That’s the truth no one puts on a vision board. We’re all just trying to prioritize later.
Running a small business is not for the faint of heart. It’s long days and longer nights. It’s skipping social events, postponing vacations, and constantly trying to quiet that voice in your head that’s always thinking about work—even when you’re technically not working. You’re replying to emails while dinner’s in the oven. You’re troubleshooting a client issue during your kid’s soccer game. You’re lying awake at night mentally reorganizing your to-do list.
It takes a toll—on your energy, your relationships, your support network. You give up a lot in the short term because you’re investing everything in the hope that the future will look better than the present.
And here’s the kicker: most small business owners aren’t rolling in it. We’re not coasting on piles of cash or bathing in profit margins. The hustle is real. The money, often, is just enough. We work incredibly hard for every dollar that comes through the door. And still, we keep going.
Because we believe it’s building toward something. We believe the foundation we’re laying now—at great cost to our current selves—is going to support a life that gives us more freedom, more flexibility, more later.
At Tallack Media Corp., we get that. We’re a small business too. We’ve made the same tradeoffs, pulled the same late nights, and worried over the same bank statements. We know what it feels like to build something from the ground up—not just because we’ve helped others do it, but because we’re still doing it ourselves.
We also know that most of our clients aren’t hiring us from ivory towers or endless budgets. They’re like us: people who care deeply about what they do, who are willing to invest in their business even when that means sacrificing a little sleep (or sanity) in the short term.
For some, the dream is building a team. For others, it’s having the freedom to scale back and focus only on the work they truly enjoy. But either way, the goal is the same: build something now that gives you more later.
Not everyone makes it that far. It’s a risky road. But for those that do? They’ve done it for the future. For their families. For their freedom. For the peace that comes from knowing the hard parts had a purpose.
So if you’re in the thick of it right now—wearing all the hats, running on fumes, and wondering if it’s worth it—just know this:
You’re not doing it wrong. You’re just prioritizing later.
And that’s one hell of a reason to keep going.
