After years of building a career in a big city, I moved to a small town. It was the best move for me as a business owner.

For astir of my moving life, I lived successful aliases adjacent London, wherever I was surrounded by bustling, big-city energy. Lots of the group I knew were focused connected climbing the profession ladder and earning much money.

My ain meaning of individual occurrence was besides tied to this for a agelong clip — but successful 2015, aft galore years of moving for large companies, I decided to travel my dreams and create my ain small cocoa business.

I can't contradict that location were benefits to kicking disconnected a caller section successful my profession adjacent a awesome city. It was adjuvant to person entree to business-development support and a varied nutrient scene.

Being adjacent a metropolis meant tons of opportunities, but besides a batch much sound and competition. This tin animate immoderate people, but for me, it was besides a root of stress. I started craving a different gait of life.

My hubby was connected the aforesaid page, and we began discussing an eventual move to a spot we loved: Wales.

I worried astir moving, but noticed contiguous benefits

The COVID-19 pandemic — and the cancellation of my in-person events — gave america an opportunity to effort location new. When we recovered a beautiful aged house successful a municipality pinch astir 3,000 people, the pieces started to autumn into place.

However, I was a spot tense astir really this would effect my business, particularly arsenic I was moving distant from immoderate of the support web and customer guidelines I'd built up.

Moving from London to agrarian Wales felt for illustration the correct prime for my lifestyle, but it was still scary for maine arsenic a business owner. Turns out, I didn't request to worry.

Right away, I noticed that galore section business owners wanted to activity together arsenic a community, alternatively than straight compete for money and attention. For instance, galore of the smaller shop and café owners present pass truthful that their products and services complement each other.

I was still a spot concerned astir arriving arsenic a newcomer and uncovering my spot successful the existing business and wider community, particularly without having a beingness storefront — but these fears eased early on, erstwhile I started chatting pinch a café proprietor while grabbing a coffee.

She wanted to connection a premium hot chocolate and asked astir my products. This led to her serving 1 of my blends astatine her café.

My intelligence wellness has improved, too

Being a portion of a beardown organization has been highly fulfilling arsenic personification who useful mostly connected my own.

I spot truthful galore of the aforesaid group successful the organization connected a regular aliases a play basis, and it feels for illustration much group successful my municipality make clip to speak pinch each different regularly — which is rather different from the overseas hullo aliases speedy dog-walk chats I utilized to person erstwhile surviving successful a busy commuter city.

There are tons of small, day-to-day moments I get to bask because of wherever I live, each of which indirectly effect my work, too. Living location truthful chaotic and beautiful really supports my mental health, which is important arsenic a solopreneur.

Previously, my location was adjacent to the rumble of postulation connected a awesome motorway, whereas now I measurement extracurricular to the sound of birds and views of a sparkling stream correct crossed the road.

Sometimes, moreover conscionable gazing retired the model astatine the sheep and the gentle hills surrounding maine tin assistance my spirits connected a engaged day.

Most crucially, though, stepping distant from London's hustle-style civilization has helped maine admit different meaningful ways to unrecorded and work. Sometimes, I'll spot personification taking a mid-morning break to aquatics successful the river, aliases announcement that a mini shop closes respective days a week truthful the proprietor tin attraction for their family.

These small things punctual maine of the value of work-life balance.

There are immoderate downsides, but I'm still gladsome I moved here

I don't want to romanticize things excessively much, arsenic location are immoderate challenges that travel pinch surviving and moving successful a mini agrarian town.

Public transit options are much limited, truthful it tin beryllium tricky to get astir locally aliases recreation to different places without a car.

From a business perspective, it's not ever easy to entree networking events aliases opportunities arsenic they're often successful bigger, much cardinal locations. I usually person to recreation a spot further for workshops than I did erstwhile I lived successful the London area, which besides intends much clip retired of the office.

Although living successful a agrarian town isn't for everyone, location are truthful galore benefits to being portion of a supportive organization successful specified a beautiful location. My mini business has decidedly benefited from it — and I have, too.