The late May bank holiday presents a welcome chance to draw breath for my family and I after a hectic start to 2026 for all of us.
Fresh from passing her driving test, my daughter Penny prepares to head to York to study archaeology in September. Having just returned from a month in New Zealand, she’s working hard, saving, and planning to travel again this summer.
Her brother Henry, meanwhile, is a third of the way through the GCSE grind. His school in Wells texts us every day to advise us of an ‘unauthorised’ absence. I can confirm here (and have done to them) that he’s revising for the next exam. Anyone who’s had children at this life stage knows it’s a joyless slog.
My wife is studying for a certificate in systemic psychotherapy at Exeter University, on top of a demanding day job as a family therapist in Somerset.
And I’m working hard on the business as Distinctive approaches the end of our fourth year, reflecting on the progress we’ve made in that short time.
Between all of this and the tedious task of processing dozens of receipts from UKREiiF in Leeds this week, I realise how much has shifted since May 2022.
Getting to day one
This bank holiday four years ago, I worked all hours to get us ready to start business on 1 June. The deal with Social Communications was freshly signed. I was working through the weekend on IT set-up and file transfers, which ran constantly (and very slowly) for days. Client and team comms, discussions with banks, our office lease and transferring the phones (the phones!!) all needed sorting.
We spent the long weekend as a family down with my parents in Pembrokeshire. I remember stress-testing the numbers, over and over, and plodding through the tech to get us ready.
I took this photo on that weekend at one of my favourite spots near where I grew up. Looking at it now, I can see I was tired and distracted and unprepared for what came next.
Getting to ‘day one’ was an achievement, but after that everything was new. The hard work kicked in at that point, with the mini budget three months later threatening to put the skids under us. I’ll never forget how those early months felt. Late payments. Ghost prospects. Unhappy staff. I wondered at times: what have I done?!
Four years on
Four Prime Ministers later, navigating those tricky moments paved the way to where we stand today as we approach the end of our best year to date.
We have more than 20 clients, who we’re proud to support – government bodies, universities, family-owned construction firms and developers. With two new colleagues joining us last year, we operate as a hybrid team of six working from bases spread from Cornwall to Stroud.
I was very proud to see Distinctive named as a good employer by the West of England Combined Authority last year. Having just completed the end-of-year reviews, I can honestly say that everyone likes each other. That matters, and long may it last.
We will soon employ another member of staff and will roll out a new offering to clients in the summer. We’re investing in AI and training and are starting to see some gains, while staying true to our values as a people-first business.
We will celebrate our fifth year in business attending the PRCA Dare Awards in Bristol, where we’re up for ‘consultancy of the year’. It’s one of two awards we’re shortlisted for this summer.
Looking back, I see how much I’ve learned since that 2022 bank holiday. If I could meet that person again, I’d tell him that some of the things he fretted about this time four years ago aren’t on the list of worries today. I’d urge him not to get distracted by others encouraging you add to your list of things to do, and to treat LinkedIn connection requests from people who specialise in working with SME founders with caution. I’d say that it’s better to tackle problems early than let things rumble on. And I think I’d interest him by saying that you can’t prepare for everything, much less control it.
I’ve regained some of the control I felt I lost a few years ago, and am ambitious for Distinctive and confident about the team’s future without letting that tip over into arrogance or complacency. And I know why it matters, four years on: family, relationships and my wellbeing are part of this story.
Thanks to those who have supported us to get to this point. There are too many to list individually. If you’re reading this, you’re probably one of them.
Enjoy the rest of the bank holiday break, whatever you’re up to. And take a moment to catch the good stuff when it happens.
Because if this year’s anything to go by, it’ll be August in the blink of an eye.