Hello Roses,

As the saying goes, if you want to go fast, go alone, if you want to go far, go together. This week I had a great meeting with a shoe consultant who has been in the industry for years. As someone new in the industry (and extremely naïve), I was worried about this meeting. I thought it could go one of two ways; either extremely positive about the concept and how she could really help me. Or feeding my doubt of how hard it’s going to be. Thankfully, it was the former.

I’m sure any solo entrepreneur encounters times where being alone in the journey feels incredibly tough. Whichever way you turn there seems to be barrages of roadblocks and getting your head around a situation can itself become a task on the to-do list. I am now learning that gathering a strong team around me is essential to the company succeeding and filling in the gaps with experts will make my life a lot easier. The challenge is still daunting and the scale of my dreams are still huge, but that meeting made me feel as though, together with other people who believe in me and my vision that anything is possible.

Just a quick word on no people as well…there will always be people who point out the negatives, whatever your industry, whatever your job. If you let them, they will take your dream away from you and put it in storage. As a naïve youngster, I am here to say try your hardest not to listen to them. Most of the time, they have never tried and they never will for fear of failing. If you are comfortable in the process not being easy, a day being akin to nemesis inferno at Thorpe Park (a rollercoaster for those unaware) then follow that dream of yours – it’s not theirs for a reason.

Anyway, last week was a great step forward for Lucy Rose as I feel like someone can now lead me through the unknown. Days like those allow your self-belief to be topped up after feeling like you’ve been running on empty and the vision becomes clearer, the enthusiasm builds once again. There are plenty of people out there who want to see you succeed, and surrounding yourself with them will not only inspire, but push you further.

Until next week,

Emily x