Phew!! Happy First Birthday To Us! What I have learnt in my first year of trading...

April came around so quickly that I could hardly believe it was our first birthday here at Nine Twenty Engineering & Manufacturing. It seems like only yesterday that I hosted our launch night in One Up with my team and our closest supporters in our network, but unbelievably we have now come through (and survived!) our first year of trading.

What a year it has been!

Start up businesses will always face challenging times in their early years, and we are certainly no different. I have been through such a rollercoaster ride that I’ve barely been able to take stock. However, on reflection of the previous 12 months, I am so pleased at what we have achieved and also appreciate the learning curve that I’ve been on and will continue to follow in the coming years.

We have grown our brand significantly in the technical space and are seen as a go to and a specialist for some of the largest Manufacturing & Engineering brands in Scotland. This has been an amazing achievement and we will continue to build on this through the coming years. We have also become known for our involvement in promoting the industry as a career choice and have supported various initiatives over the past 12 months.

What have I learned? Well, I now know the challenges that come with a Managing Director job title and have realised that this role involves solving problems on an almost daily basis. It has opened my eyes and I have a new-found respect for employers of people. I have worked hard to create a culture that is flexible and fun, and have seen people come in to the business and thrive here, as well as those who perhaps want to focus on the fun and flexible too much without putting in the hard work needed to achieve their goals.

I have also learned that the competition can be ruthless and instead of having a mutual respect, some of them go out of their way to stomp over your reputation. I have seen this as a huge compliment. I have learned about cashflows and pipelines like I had never fully understood before and again, I have a new-found respect for business leaders.

Culture, cash, reputation, employer brand, quality, customer service as well as training, sales, technology, innovation, networking and counselling are all part of my daily job but guess what? I am loving it, loving the learning curve, loving seeing my business develop and loving our sector more than ever. Roll on year two – I am ready for the year ahead and look forward to the learning curve that is yet to come!

I am also looking to add to my team so if you want to be part of our journey and develop your career then get in touch with me for a confidential discussion.