This time of year is one of reflection for many and it’s even more poignant for me this year.

In a previous blog on lessons I'd learned as Managing Director of Pace, I said that I’d realised knocking down walls (in our office, to gain more space) was only ever a short-term solution and that at some point we’d need to make the leap and invest in a much larger space.

Well that milestone has now been reached when two weeks ago, we finally moved into our new home – the third floor at Wykeland House in Hull’s Fruit Market, just across the car park from our original home in C4DI.

We enjoyed our three years at C4DI and I’ll always have fond memories of it as that’s where our journey started; but we couldn’t put off moving any longer – with a team of 19, we were literally sitting on top of each other…and we were desperate for our own meeting space.

Moving office was not a decision we could take lightly.  But as with any new business, you’re only a ‘startup’ for so long.  

At some point, you need to accept that you’re growing up and with that comes some big decisions and even more responsibility.

So here we are.  And we love it.  It’s bright, airy and spacious…and very pink!  And even though we’ve only been here a couple of weeks, it already feels like home.

On Friday last week, the team presented me with a book full of photos illustrating the Pace story so far.  It was a lovely surprise and I was genuinely touched.  

When giving it to me, they told me it was a thank you for the new office and a thank you for investing in them.

And that’s what the new office is: an investment in us all as we embark on our next chapter as a growing company.

We wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for all our clients (past and present) and each and every member of the Pace team (old and new).  So a very big thank you to you all.

One of the team asked me last week what I’ve learned this year.  I’m continuing to learn new things all the time but the answer that immediately sprang to mind was that having your own business is scary sh!t.

Not ‘scary’ in a negative, paralysing way but ‘scary’ in an exhilarating way. The sense of not knowing what’s around the corner provides me with the adrenaline to stay focused, energised and excited about the future.

So as I look back over the last 12 months, I feel immense pride in what we’ve achieved as a team.  There have been a lot of highs but there have been a lot of tough days too when my resilience and determination have been tested.  

I have a saying on a wall in the office – whether you think you can or you can’t, you’re right. And that pretty much sums up my attitude towards this scary sh!t!