The other week I saw on my LinkedIn I had my first year anniversary for Lucy Rose. It’s been a year since I started to really put a lot of time and effort into making this a business venture (although it’s been seven years in the making!).

Last Friday I came home from my paid job and hopped on a Skype call with my CAD designer for Lucy Rose. He has been working on the newest version of the design for a few weeks and I had the chance to take a look at what he had done. As he brought up the 3D design, I couldn’t help but beam. I honestly can’t tell you what it feels like to have an idea in your head for so long and see it come to life. The proudest moment of the call was when he was talking about the design, he called it ‘elegant’. Again, I couldn’t help but smile. Elegance is of upmost importance to me in the design of the shoe and is one of my brand’s three E’s.

My Dad was also on the call as he is the overall designer and created the sketch which was then inputted into CAD. The two of them were discussing the design and what worked where and when and the geometry of xy and z. Their engineering jargon completely went over the top of my head but I felt a sense of pride that these guys were taking on my idea and using time in their day to take it further. Funnily enough, I said I wanted an MVP and that seemed to stump them (minimum viable product for those unaware) and I thought to myself everyone has their strengths. I am the business side of things, they are product development. Without each other, Lucy Rose would never have been created, and for that I am beyond grateful.

I am a big believer in always striving forward, looking to improve and build upon what you have already done, but I need to sometimes look back to see how far I’ve come. A year ago I was setting up a website, setting up my Instagram but with no product, just a dream. A year down the line, we have one prototype, and another to come very soon, and I am so much closer to my visualisation than I ever have been before. What’s more, it’s freaking awesome! The design is so complex in detail, but so simple in execution and I am falling more in love with it every single day.

Although I am yet to receive funding for the real thing and launch, I am beginning to become confident that what I have in front of me is a beautiful journey. There may still be bumps and twists and turns, but what lies ahead is for me to discover and enjoy.