2020: What this year has taught me, and the resolutions I hope to keep…

I love this time of year, when we take the time to pause and reflect on what has been and start planning the year ahead. Where we take the lessons we have learnt and excitedly/nervously/thrillingly apply them to our hopes and dreams to not just a new year… but of a new decade!

I started Noble Fine Jewellery six years ago, and back then it was just a small passion project: my boys had started school and I wanted something for me to own, and as I loved jewellery I started making my own pieces - it was all pretty simple. But fast forward to today, and this year it feels like my ‘fun project’ has gone from just making pieces for friends and family, to having clients around the world and a business that has doubled in just 12 months.

And it’s not just the business that has grown, the confidence I have in myself and my own self-belief is also starting to build (it has taken enough time!?). Ask any of my childhood friends and they would never have imagined me running my own business and working with clients and suppliers across the continents, but here I am and it seems I quite like it - and if the latest balance sheet is to be believed, I’m also a bit good at it.

But despite the positive year it has been, there are always lessons to be learned and journeys to continue on. Our paths are never straight, and I can only imagine the same will apply to the next decade before us. But the twists and turns are where the opportunities lie and these are the learnings I will be taking with me as I continue on my journey….

Always be true to yourself: there have been times where this has been a challenge, but as my confidence builds, so does my resolve. It has taken 43 years to get to this point, and am looking forward to learning and evolving more in the next year and decade.

Always be learning and challenging yourself: there is nothing wrong with admitting you don’t know something and asking advice. Before now, I was worried at admitting to my lack of understanding - that somehow I was not entitled to run my own businesses. But I am not supposed to know everything: I can’t. That is why I am always looking to learn more, challenge myself more and always be asking questions.

Listen: this one will be permanently on my resolution list as it is something I am always needing to improve on. Being open to other opinions, learning from others, bringing people into to the conversation are all things I need to get better at.

Always trust your gut: it’s amazing how much this overly-simple phrase is so vital when it comes to business – especially a business where relationships and people are at the very heart of it. Listen to the voice in your heart because it has always been my best counsel.

Find the right people: Relationships are everything: you can’t rush this process, relationships and trust are built in time and need to be nurtured and proven. It has taken six years to establish the open honesty I have with my clients and suppliers, and it is these relationships that are the reason for my success. I always say “find your own people to work with”.

Be honest: trust is everything and if you can’t manage expectations and be honest with yourself, your family, your clients and your suppliers – then what do you have?

So as I look ahead to 2020 and imagine myself here again in 12 months and wondering where we will all be then, it just falls for me to wish you all a healthy and happy 2020.

Let it sparkle for you all.