Brewing Freedom: Why I Started a Business and no, not everyone should quit their job to pursue their side hustle! on World Entrepreneur Day.

I didn’t set out to be an entrepreneur. I set out to escape. Sounds brutal, doesn’t it?!  

Nearly 20 years ago, I stepped into the workplace full-time and immediately felt trapped. The kind of trapped where your alarm goes off and you already feel heavy before your feet touch the floor. It reminded me of being a kid, hearing the dreaded ‘Heartbeat’ credits on a Sunday evening TV, knowing bedtime (and Monday) were just around the corner. Work was dictating my every thought, my every movement, and it didn’t feel like living. It chipped away at me until I sank into depression.  

Now, at this stage it’s worth mentioning I was and still am naturally a sprightly, energetic and happy individual, but depression swept over me like a tidal wave of uncertainty. It scared the hell out of me, and boy, did it hurt.  

So, what was the feeling of being trapped about? Honestly, there was nothing wrong with the businesses or the people. It just wasn’t for me, and I was chasing the wrong thing.  

I know it’s a simple observation, but everybody truly is different.  

Some people chase success. Others chase money. I was chasing air. I wanted to breathe again.  

Before you jump to conclusions, here are some important things you should know. In my early twenties, I worked 10-hour shifts every day, gravelling screed from trucks, spent countless hours in dangerous conditions on British highways pulling ragwort from central reservations, and spent almost every evening for two years cutting hair after work, figuring out the mechanics of business and because, well, I enjoyed it. That was freedom to me.   

Oh, and I’ve also worked in corporate office environments for huge, global FMCG brands.  

Absolute graft, grit and determination were never the problem; the environment and content of the craft were.  

My parents loyally stayed in jobs their whole lives. Admirable, yes - but it made it hard for them to give me the kind of guidance I needed. In many respects, I was very different to them. If I didn’t like something, I was good at saying no and moving on.  

My uncle, on the other hand, retired at 38 after just 11 years (and what must have felt like a million hours) of running his own business. I’ll never forget what he told me:   

“Listen Ryan, you have this incredible ability to create things, but you’re listening to the crowds too much instead of listening to yourself. Stop chasing what others are doing, stop chasing titles, and stop chasing money. Once you start doing something you have passion, connection or enjoyment for, everything else will follow.”  

I sat on that nugget of wisdom for years. Friends would tell me, “There’s no such thing as enjoying what you do,” which I now see was more a reflection of their own situations. But that phrase “Do what you love, and you’ll never work a day in your life” just wouldn’t stop ringing in my head, alongside my uncle’s words.  

Alex Ferguson wasn’t going to come calling now, my football days were over, so I stripped everything back and asked: What makes my heart sing? That’s where I found the café and drinks industry.  

And that’s how Blendsmiths began.  

Not from a polished business plan, but from a gut-deep need to create something different: a place where people could show up as themselves, where ideas were welcome, and where work felt less like a cage and more like a craft.  

When you picture an “entrepreneur”, you might imagine suits, boardrooms, or someone trying to impress investors on Dragon’s Den. That wasn’t me. My vision was simpler: don’t make people feel the way I felt. Build a healthy environment where people can breathe. And maybe, just maybe, create incredible products and a legacy brand along the way.  

World Entrepreneur Day usually celebrates the big names, the ones who “made it”. But for me, entrepreneurship wasn’t necessarily about building an empire. It was about building an environment where people can laugh, think freely, and feel valued.  

I often wonder, what if more workplaces were designed that way? What if success wasn’t measured only in profit margins or promotions, but in how safe and supported people feel on a Monday morning? Imagine how different our lives could look if work lifted us up instead of grinding us down.  

At Blendsmiths, we’re still figuring it out, one brew, one conversation, one small step at a time. But every time I see someone on our team light up because their idea was heard, or a customer smile over a cup of hot chocolate we created, I’m reminded why I started this in the first place.  

We’re coming up to nine years now. Chris and I would spend days and nights in the garage blending, testing, tasting and making next to no money. But we honestly loved it. We’d started an adventure with no idea where it was leading.   

So today, on World Entrepreneur Day, I raise a cup to all the ones who didn’t want to settle, who dared to ask, or who chose to work with someone who gave them the freedom to breathe. Because sometimes entrepreneurship isn’t simply about creating the next unicorn. Sometimes, it’s about creating a little more freedom for expression.  

And no, not everyone needs to quit their job to chase a side hustle!   

Sometimes the real win is working for someone who makes Mondays feel a little lighter. Find the people who give you the freedom, support, and joy you need from work, the ones who give you what you really need from life.  

I’d like to celebrate Chris for believing in my vision and jumping headfirst into the dream during a cold winter in 2017.  

We now have strategies and pathways, processes and systems, suppliers to pay and pensions to manage. But the essence of creativity, of exploring a vision and just going for it, remains.  

My role as an entrepreneur and as someone soon to be stepping into their forties is to lead by example, to inspire, to encourage, and to foster a sustainable brand for ourselves, our team, and the families who support us all in our quest to change the way the world drinks.  

And trust me, freedom tastes better than any latte.