Some interesting neighbours

I’ve just made a decision I have to admit I’m a little worried about.

As the owner of a small business, there are certain risks you have to take that normal people just can’t understand. Most recently, one of the major decisions I’ve had to make has had me umming and ahhing for far too long. But it took a while to convince myself that I was making the right choice. Now, though, I’m not so sure.

For a while now, it’s been painfully obvious that our little company is outgrowing the office space. In the beginning, when it was just me, my partner, and a couple of employees, having a small space was fine. As we’ve put on more people over the years, it’s gotten tighter and tighter until finally we reached the point about a month ago where the final free space had been taken. That was when we knew it was really time to move.

It took ages to scope out the different potential options and find somewhere that would work for our business model, but last week as we were moving in, I got chatting with the owner of the business next door and found out they were one of the top providers of lip fillers in Ballarat. I personally don’t have a problem with people who get cosmetic surgery. Is it ever something I would get myself? No, but that doesn’t mean I don’t respect people who make that decision for themselves. It’s a free country, everyone is entitled to make their own choices.

At the same time, though, I’m not sure. I know it’s a little irrational, but I wonder what kind of affiliation that might create for my company. Proximity in location suggests proximity in morals. We’re a reasonably liberal company, of course, but still, you have to wonder what being next door to the busiest anti wrinkle hotspot in Ballarat will do to business.