Hello everyone,
I wanted to write an end of year blog post as I normally do, summing up the year and what we have planned for the next. It has been an interesting year, one in which not much has physically happened with Lucy Rose, but lots of change behind the scenes. My faith and resilience has been tested at times as well as the obvious nemesis; patience.
This year, we changed the design again ready for the next prototype which I will come to later, I have met some more incredible people who keep me going and I’ve had some really positive comments about what I am striving to achieve. Along the way, of course I’ve encountered the “nays” again including Innovate UK three times and a couple of investors.
This year, I also got myself a full-time job for the first time in three years to ease the financial pressures of the start-up world where bootstrapping and own money injection is common. At first, I saw it as a failure, or at least that I hadn’t been successful but I now see it as a strength to know that I believe in what I am doing, I just need a helping hand. If I am not securing investment from the outside world yet, I’ll raise money myself.
Biggest lesson of 2021
My overwhelming lesson this year has been that not everyone sees what we can see and that is okay. My passion has been tested by people saying we should go in a different direction - one that did not feel right to me and to get up and be able to walk away from those people because they clearly do not see what we see has been empowering. My principles mean that I’m going the hard, long way round, but I am proud for sticking my ground and creating change.
What’s next?
The beginning of 2022 will be hugely exciting for us. We are working with the National Composites Centre, PES Performance and Innovate UK Edge to manufacture the latest prototype - the LR5. The fifth instalment in prototypes and hands down will be the best yet. We had a design meeting last week and every now and again I get a glimpse of what this could be, the vision no one else can see and I feel incredibly proud to be leading this journey.
How will everything pan out? How will we get into production? Who will be my first customers? I don’t know yet but I know it will happen and that is the exciting side of entrepreneurship. Who am I yet to meet in 2022…?
Thank you all for your continued support and the help many of you have given me this year. Here’s to 2022.