This year saw the sixth Annual diamond Awards – and the big prize is Network Partner of the Year. This time – for the second time – it goes to Bristol – led by wife and husband team Amanda and Daren Watkins Smith. Mandy shares with us how the team felt about this second accolade to their award winning service centre.

It’s been a few days since this year’s diamond AGM and we are still laughing about the team building exercises and the fun we had during the day and late into the night.

The Thames Valley boasts some of the most dynamic and successful companies in the UK. It remains the cauldron of the country’s high-technology industries, the home of many manufacturing companies and a base for a wide variety of excellent service and professional organisations.

At the start of a new year, it’s a very good idea to look back at the previous year, see what has been successful (and what has not been so successful) and look at what you wanted to achieve when you really wanted to.

Let’s be honest – best laid plans and all that – but stuff does happen that knocks your plans out of kilter, so some things may have slipped. However, it’s not an excuse for letting your plans slide – there is still time to get back on track and review what didn’t work and make sure you don’t repeat that in 2016.

We had a hell of a year – or so I had thought – and it was only when I looked back at my year end review in 2015 and saw exactly how much progress we actually made that in retrospect 2015 was reasonably productive. Not perfect I hasten to add, but I’d give us a 7/10 – which with a key supplier going bust, a depot closure or two and a legal case or three means we have certainly being going in the right direction.

There were also a few key bits I’d missed or indeed forgotten so I am rushing to get them fi ished so I start
the year off with a clean slate. This is a great thing to do in your business too.

Did you get the sales you needed?
Did you secure the funding you wanted?
Did you get the profit you wanted?

And if you have achieved all of this have you stretched sufficiently?

What could you do to push yourself a little harder next year?

What could you achieve if you start aiming higher rather than at what you think you can reasonably achieve?

I have a mate, Steven, who is rocketing with his business and he has the potential to look at billion dollar deals next year rather than mere millions and is encouraging me to look at my business in the same way. What would
happen if you added ‘0’ to your projections?

How would that impact on you, your dreams and what you might be able to achieve?

But start it all with a good hard look at what you needed to achieve last year – what you have slipped on and may have time to get back on track with. This is your chance to clarify those aims and start thinking about 2016 and beyond.

So spend some time looking back and make 2016 your best year ever!

Best wishes,

Kate

Diamond Logistics will today compete for the title of ‘National Public Champion’ in this year’s European Business Awards, sponsored by RSM, as the public vote opens for the first time.

The company, already named as one of the National Champions in the independently judged part of the competition, has posted a video of its company online at www.businessawardseurope.com giving a powerful insight into the story of their business and its success.

Diamond’s CEO Kate Lester has been on tour this week – visiting ten Diamond sites across the South and South West. Her travels have taken her to Croydon, Chichester, Southampton, Bournemouth, Swindon, Bristol, Plymouth, Swansea, East London and Basildon to catch up with franchisees and build Diamond’s spirit of Shared Success.

Celebrating the achievements of women in business, and supported by the CBI, the prestigious First Women Lifetime Achievement prize was presented by Clare Balding – host for the evening and a long-standing supporter of the First Women movement.

We are very pleased to announce that at last night's Toast of Surrey awards we won the award for best business with a turnover up to £5 million.

The British Franchise Association (bfa) plays an important role in helping potential franchisees to recognise and invest in franchises. Any company that wants to earn bfa accreditation must test itself against their strict and extensive criteria.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/qpNA6NLw3ps