A crystal’s beauty lies in its flawless geometry and radiant clarity. Light dances through its facets, refracting into vibrant hues. Its cool, smooth surface feels like frozen purity, reflecting both elegance and strength. Each angle reveals mesmerizing patterns, capturing nature’s artistry in a delicate, timeless form.

By Ground & Water Director Dipalee Jukes.

On Saturday the 28th of September 2024, Ground & Water marked its Crystal Anniversary.

The company was started by two university friends, as they sat around their kitchen table over a glass of wine, discussing how they could create something better. A few days later, they entered a work marriage and Ground & Water was born.

As we look forward to celebrating 15 years in business, wondering where on earth did the last 15 years go, what parts of the description of a crystal’s beauty above, did we identify with back then?

As I take a moment to pause and reflect, I can honestly say that we certainly didn’t have flawless geometry and radiant clarity in those heady early days… We didn’t really have a business plan in 2009! We followed a path of purity and there was a type of elegance and strength in our thoughts and resolve. We trusted our instincts and trusted each other to commit and work hard. The “foundations” were already there!

Lesson one, understand when to sweat the small stuff and get into the weeds and when to be bold. Listen to your gut and go for it!

All we were focused on was producing high quality work for the construction sector and having complete autonomy and control of how we worked.

Fifteen years of business leadership, building the team and raising my own children at home, I feel I have learnt quite a lot about myself.

So here are 15 important life lessons from my Ground & Water journey so far, including some of my favourite quotes:

1. American entrepreneur, author, and motivational speaker, Jim Rohn said: “Life doesn’t get easier, you have to get better.” Over 15 years, we have had many different and difficult challenges, taken on bigger risks and more responsibilities. You must learn how to step up in those moments, how to carry the mental load.
2. Mindset is key. So is optimism and a solution focused approach.
3. Find your tribe, they will support and challenge you, they will lift you when you most need it and get you back on track when you veer off the road. [Thanks team Ground & Water.]
4. Get yourself a life or business coach to help you. We all need help, and we need to ask for it. A coach helps you zoom out, think about the big picture, helps you clarify the destination.
5. As American academic and psychologist Angela Duckworth brilliantly said, “You can go from a job to a career, to a calling, all without changing your occupation.” Discover your purpose, your ‘Ikigai’.
6. Take care of yourself. It impacts everything else. It’s more important to “Manage your energy, not your time”.
7. Keep learning, and fall in love with “Kaizen”, the Japanese principle of ‘continuous improvement’.
8. It really is about the journey, having fun along the way, celebrating the wins every day, and learning what you need to from the failures, then let go and move on.
9. You do not have to be a loud extrovert to be heard or to lead. Learning how to use my voice and communicate my message has been a key skill to learn.
10. Every business should be a movement, a force for good in the world.
11. Work out your core values and live them. Mine are courage and kindness.
12. “Live above the line – kind, compassion, open”. Be kind to others and most importantly, to yourself. Kindness and compassion are undervalued leadership traits.
13. Reach for the stars! My ambition wasn’t big enough when we started the business.
14. Consistency, commitment, patience, resilience – this is what it takes to lead for 15+ years. You must be “gritty”.
15. Excellence, doing your best, not perfection. It is essential you show the real you to the world. As Rumi beautifully said, “Light gets in through the cracks”.

So as we continue reflecting how we got to where we are today, I think it boils down to a few key points.

We wanted to do things differently and wanted to make a difference. Through a shared vision and by trusting our instincts, with the help of a brilliant and maturing team we, listened, learnt, acted and grew. We faced considerable obstacles and made plenty of mistakes along the way but learnt from them and improved. And the moments of adversity spurred us on, made us better and by continuing to follow our gut instincts with gritty determination we are here today excited about tomorrow. Thanks, team.