Sixty-second interview: Shaun Bell MD at Joshua James Jewellery

Describe yourself in three words.

Hardworking. Dedicated. Focused.

How did you get to be where you are today?

Hard work! You have to adapt to remain ahead of current trends, without losing the essence of what your brand is about. That involves knowing which brands you should be working with, which products are best for your customer, and which products you need to avoid. Fortunately, I have an amazingly passionate team and supportive family alongside me every step of the way which has kept us going in the right direction.

Which aspect of your job do you enjoy and why?

As MD you have a lot to do, and that often means you have a hand in every part of the business. While that can be demanding, I enjoy having that variety. It means that even as the team grows, I still get to be a part of every success we have.

What is your proudest achievement?

I’ve been lucky to have achieved so much with this business, and have been recognised for doing so, but one of the greatest achievements is hitting our 10 year anniversary this year. I think that really speaks volumes for the business; the landscape has varied a lot over the last 10 years and it has been tough for the retail industry but we’re still here.

What is the best life advice you have ever been given?

Invest in yourself. We all need to make sure what we’re doing feels right to us. I would extend that to the business too – taking chances in life to achieve what we really want, whether that be in the small things we do day to day, or far bigger life decisions.

What is your next goal?

Our main goal at the moment is evolving the brand. In the past we have worked a lot with other brands, and we will continue to do so, but now is the time to focus on Joshua James. We’re currently investing a lot of time and money into developing our brand and products to make sure we have the best offering for our customers. It’s a very busy and exciting time, we’ve just launched a number of new own brand collections on the Joshua James website and we can’t wait to showcase everything else we’ve been working on!