2019 Thoughts and Thanks

On my last blog I said I would touch upon this year and where it's taken me, so here we are. It's when you sit down over the Christmas period and you finally have a bit of time to reflect on everything that has happened over the last 12 months that you can see how much that has happened. Often you think nothings changed or I've accomplished nothing but when you look at it it can be quite impressive.

From a professional viewpoint I've opened my eyes to the world of spraying. So far I am taking baby steps rather than jumping head first into it, I've brought a couple of entry level sprayers, both Q-Tech, the PO19 airless and stage 3 HVLP. Before any other dec jumps on me I know a stage 5 is better but rather than spending a fortune on one I have brought a stage 3 to practice with and learn. As I've mentioned on a earlier blog, I took a intro to spraying course and it opened my eyes to the new possibilities available to me. I've used my sprayers on a couple of jobs but something is holding me back, I think it's confidence more than anything, so I have lined up two more courses in 2020 to combat these. When I have used my sprayers I have been very impressed with the results (apart from when I sprayed Dulux Quick Dry Undercoat!!) and felt more in control each time. I have found it is an expensive game to get into as you always need more accessories, just like cycling! My main aim is to be able to offer kitchen and furniture painting services in the next 18 months. Yes I could do it now but I would much rather take the extra time to perfect my craft before launching that service, so thats something I'm excited to tackle this year.

Being part of Dulux Select this year has also been very rewarding for me. The scheme, as i've mentioned before, has undergone a massive revamp and the energy through it and its members has lifted me personally and professionally. I attended the awards last month and it's given me that urge to be part of it next year and to finally enter one of my jobs. Customers have remarked on how professional they find Select despite not knowing anything beforehand and the growing presence back in Dulux stores is slowly having a response. Long may it continue.

The next 12 months I hope to continue growing my business and to offer some new services to you all, one I've already mentioned but I'm keeping the rest close to my chest at the moment. I will also be taking several courses to learn different and new aspects of my trade. Always wise to keep learning and I enjoy taking these on, plus taking the step outside your comfort zone is scary but very rewarding. I will be looking at other parts of my business, seeing what works, what doesn't and where I can improve. It's very easy to be complacent I've found and it's a competitive market round here so if I can set myself apart or offer that one thing different it's worth it.

As always I would like to thank all my customers this year for allowing me into their homes to provide my services and I hope to work for them even more over the years. I've worked on some wonderful jobs this year and while some have challenged me more than others I have taken so much satisfaction from completing them. It's when you can look back at a completed job you can see the true transformation. I've done two jobs this year that were extremely challenging due to the fact they had not been touched in over 40 years, to bring those jobs to a modern look from the dated one is such a privilege and honour.

I would also like to thank everyone for being supportive of my personal circumstances. It's not easy being a single parent while running a business and sometimes home life has to take preference. The understanding and warmth my customers have given me is not something I take lightly or dismiss, I am truly grateful to each and everyone of you, thank you.

I hope that my honestly and openness in my blog posts is as enlightening for you all as it is for me to write. I have had a couple of wonderful messages from people thanking me for writing these, people who live miles away and it was truly humbling to receive these, so thank you all for taking time to read these posts and to everyone, Happy New Year, I hope 2020 will bring joy and happiness to you all!