Hello and welcome to my new blog The Bend In The Undergrowth. My name is Ali Stokes and I am the owner of an online boutique called Dazzle Vintage Furniture. My website specialises in selling authentic French furniture and accessories which have been imported from France. (www.dazzlevintagefurniture.co.uk). 

I have been self employed (in various guises) since leaving my voluntary sector job in 2003. The decision to leave was one of the hardest, bravest, and ultimately most rewarding things I have ever done. The past 10 years have not always been easy. I've taken a few wrong turnings and learnt from my mistakes, and like all entrepreneurs, I'm still learning. 

I really hope that this blog will be useful to people considering taking the step that I took, it is a huge one, but if you have the right personality and the passion, it will be one that you'll never regret.

I am aiming here to share some of the things I have learnt and to offer tips on setting up and running a small business. This blog will be covering everything from marketing, website development and social media through to the dreaded first tax return. There are numerous courses and companies which claim they can 'teach' self employment and help grow a business (for a fee of course), but there is no substitute for experience. This blog is free, I don't work for a marketing or SEO company (what do their employees know about being self employed?!), I am just someone who has done it.  

And for those who may be confused by the title of this blog - I have taken my inspiration from the brilliant poem by Robert Frost "The Road Not Taken". I dare all doubters to read it and not be changed!  

http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/173536