We initially planned to write about the lessons we learnt this year. However, as we sat down to reflect (with mince pies in hand, of course!), it became clear that 2024 was more about reinforcing timeless business lessons rather than discovering entirely new ones.
(Running a business has a funny way of reminding you to stick to the basics, after all…!)
With that in mind, as we get ready to close up shop for the Christmas break, we thought we’d share five classic business lessons that have rung true for us this year, in case they’re of value to you and your business going forward…
Lesson 1: Never Lose Sight of Your Company Values
In today’s world, where trends and distractions are everywhere, it’s easy to get swept up in the noise. Especially when you work in interior design and social media is filled with endless renovation projects and celebrity home makeovers. With that in mind, no matter what industry you’re in, staying true to your core values is key. Ultimately, each of us brings unique skills, perspectives, and values to the table, and as long as those guide our decision-making at Wells and Maguire, we trust that we are on and will stay on the right path.
Lesson 2: Know Your Limits (We Can Only Do So Much!)
As a small, two woman band, we’re always striving to do our best, which often leads to pushing ourselves to the limit (aka. trying to do everything and do it perfectly!). For that reason, it can’t come as a surprise that we’ve felt burnt out multiple times this year. Whilst we’re proud of what we’ve accomplished when we look back on the year, we know it’s essential to set boundaries in 2025 to ensure that we can sustain our high standards. Going forward, our goal is not just to recognise the signs of burnout, but to proactively prevent them. How? By acknowledging and respecting our limits. Rinse and repeat!
Lesson 3: Client Relationships Are Everything!
As we mentioned earlier, sometimes the most obvious lessons are the most important and this one never gets old. Whether it’s ensuring that you’re always communicating clearly with clients, sticking to your word and delivering when you say you will or going the extra mile to make your clients feel that bit more special, from experience, we can say that you won’t regret putting their needs front and centre. Six and a half years in and our clients are still recommending us to their friends and family – a gesture we’ll never take for granted.
Lesson 4: There Are Always Ways to Improve as a Business
It can be easy to lean on habit and routine when you work for yourself but we’re constantly finding ways to streamline and improve how we run Wells and Maguire. For instance, this year, we brought a social media manager on board so we could focus less on algorithms and more on the design work we love! When you’re first starting out, it can feel scary to delegate but one of the benefits of being a small business is the flexibility to experiment. If something works, we stick with it. If it doesn’t, we move on. It really is as simple as that.
Lesson 5: Know Your Worth
We’ve certainly battled with imposter syndrome over the years, and truth be told, it still pops up every time we win a new project. That’s why taking time to reflect on how far we’ve come is so important. When we look at where we are now compared to when we started, it’s clear we’re moving in the right direction. It’s also clear that we are worthy of every project and of this small but mighty company we’re building. If that’s not a lesson to celebrate this Christmas, we don’t know what is!
So there you have it – 5 Key Lessons We Were Reminded of in 2024.
We hope that these have been helpful in some way.
For now though, we want to say a huge thank you for all of your support this year. Every like, comment, share, recommendation… means so much to us and hasn’t gone unnoticed.
From both of us and ours to you and yours, we wish you a very Merry Christmas and look forward to sharing more design inspiration with you in the New Year!
Emily and Danielle
