The Part of Small Business No One Warns You About

When I started Simplicity with Sarah, I had a vision:
Helping other small business owners find clarity, confidence, and calm in their work at vendor events.

What I didn’t envision?
Spending hours Googling, “How to verify your identity on business PayPal without losing your mind,” or watching YouTube tutorials about embedding code into your own website like I was training to become a part-time developer.

This Wasn't Envisioned as 'Starting Up'

They say when you start a business, you wear many hats. What they don’t say is that some of those hats involve things like tax jargon, payment gateways, and learning enough tech just to get started.

Trying to set up a simple payment system turned into a mini bootcamp in web development, browser troubleshooting, and unspoken rules about business bank accounts.
I kept thinking:
“When did I sign up to become my own IT department?” (I have very little tech skills to begin with!)

I Don’t Have These Skills (Yet)

Here’s the honest part: I don’t know how to code.
I didn’t go to school for finance or tech (it was education).
I’m figuring this out as I go—while also healing, running a business, and reminding myself daily that this doesn’t have to look perfect to be legitimate.

I’ve had to learn to ask for tech help. To Google one line of code at a time. To celebrate the tiny wins—like when the payment button finally works or the form actually sends.

The Behind-the-Scenes Reality

Entrepreneurship isn’t all vision boards and client calls. It’s the slow, frustrating, often invisible work of building something from nothing.

And the truth? Most of us are figuring it out as we go.

Yes, I believe in simplicity. But I also believe in being real:
Sometimes, building a business is messy, uncomfortable, and full of “wait… what now?” moments.

Why I’m Sharing This

Because if you’re in that spot—where every task feels like climbing a mountain with no trail markers—I want you to know you’re not alone.
You don’t have to be a tech wizard, a marketing genius, or a productivity robot to be a successful business owner.

You just have to keep showing up. One question, one tutorial, one day at a time.

Still figuring it out, and proud of it.
You can keep following my journey (and all the imperfect progress) right here, or on Instagram @simplicity_with_sarah_holtz and Facebook Simplicity with Sarah Holtz.

Because this business? It’s not just a brand—it’s becoming a story. One that includes the roadblocks, the reboots, and the real.