I arrived in London yesterday to set the stand up for RHS Hampton Court Flower Show. It’s one of my favourite shows of the year, and I can’t wait to look round the show gardens. This year the Country Living Marquee has air conditioning, so should be a more comfortable shopping experience! Do come and say hello if you are visiting.

The first time we exhibited here was five years ago; it was an incredibly overwhelming experience. I was new to shows, inexperienced, but so hungry and excited. I remember feeling terribly apprehensive as I drove into the showground, desperately wanting to do well. My mind racing. Had I packed everything? Did we have enough stock? Would we be ok!

Today, I still get the same butterflies in my stomach as I load the van and drive to one of the “major” shows of the year. It doesn’t matter that we have done more than 1000, big and small, over the last six years, that feeling is always with me.

The stands are expensive, and the business needs to have a profitable show. However, the difference now is that with experience, I feel confident that whatever happens, we will make the best of it.

I know for instance that if I have forgotten something, then I can usually borrow it from a friend, or if we run low on stock, then Andy will arrange a courier, and have it sent down the next morning.

Today we tackle the challenges of a major show with relative ease, but I will never forget those early shows and the scale of difficulty they represented.

If you are facing similar challenges and are in the early stages of a project, then I urge you to stay strong and calm. There is always a solution; there is always a fix to the problem. Think clearly and believe in yourself, know that you can do it.

Regular readers of my blog will know that I listen to motivational speakers on YouTube each morning while I get up. Today I’m going to leave you with something I heard that inspires and reminds me that others have been there before, and we can follow in their footsteps.

“The difference between the possible and the impossible is a set of skills which you can learn.”

Remember, we climb the mountain, not in giant leaps but one small step at a time.