For Moyes Investments, 2016 has been a defining year in our business. At the start of these 12 months, I had three key goals – to open a new office in Newmarket, to rebrand the company to reflect our aspirational approach and to deliver great results to our clients. I’m delighted to tell you we’ve accomplished it all: an achievement made more poignant for me when I look back at how I got here. It’s been a journey with some major twists and turns, so as 2017 and a bright future for Moyes Investments beckons, here’s a look back on where it all started.

I began my career in the Royal Air Force at 19 years old where I was managing aircraft operations from a base in rural Scotland. At the time, I took this difficult work in my stride, but when I look back on the responsibilities that military gave me, it was extraordinary. Those years of service were an incredibly special time in my life and an experience I’ll cherish forever. As well as the serious stuff, my time in the RAF in Scotland also instilled an appreciation for fine whisky and a lifelong motto that life is too short for poor quality malt.

Leaving the RAF wasn’t easy, and I got rejected many times for not having ‘transferable’ skills to operate in the civilian world. These knockbacks revealed my true character, as I decided that if nobody else would employ me, I’d have to employ myself. That’s when I started my own business.

Negotiation and money management was the cornerstone of my first company. While still serving in the RAF, I started importing brand new cars from Europe as a side project to my military role, working almost every day for two years. What started small had grown into a business importing up to 100 cars per year, and I was now able to trade in multiple currencies. I left the RAF to go full time into the operation where I traded a few million pounds worth of currency and looked after a group of customers who were delighted with the service.

After those profitable years, the complexities and problems of currency trading took their toll and when the exchange rate wiped out the margin to import, it was time to find something new. I took on a role as a mortgage adviser and, as I embarked on a series of exams to get all my qualifications, I spotted a Financial Adviser role too. I liked the idea of having more than one option, and I thought it would be a logical extension of the work to do a combined role. Thank goodness I did, as when the bottom fell out of the mortgage market, I had a clear path to follow.

Going full time as an IFA was the second career defining moment for me. After working in the industry for three years, I had identified that the investment management side of the job had problems. How can you morally be responsible for client money with only 24 hours on your watch? I wanted to deliver a more robust and ambitious service for my customers, and that’s when I hit upon a new way of doing things that is the foundation of Moyes Investments. Today we are trusted with large client portfolios, checking their investments every three months and delivering returns that delight them. This year I passed my qualification to become a discretionary investment fund manager (DFM) and our application to provide the DFM service is now with the regulator.

As our new balloon logo suggests, this is an aspirational business and one dedicated to providing an exceptional service. In 2017, we’ll be taking our offer to new heights with our DFM status and we are excited to be among a small number of companies able to do both advisory and discretionary work. The past made us the company we are today, but we’re already excited about what Moyes Investments will become in 2017.

If you wish to have a chat about financial advice and find out how Moyes can help with your situation, please call 01638 429975 or email [email protected]