THE owner and chief designer at Petra Jewellery has earned another shining accolade.

This time, the mutli-award winning jeweller, Mitch Lloyd, has been named National Entrepreneur of the Month by the Entrepreneurs Circle – a UK-wide business growth organisation providing practical guidance and mentoring.

Since joining Entrepreneurs Circle just over 18 months ago, Mitch has transformed the business, which was started by her mother 35 years ago.

In December 2013 she was awarded Entrepreneur of the Year’ for her Entrepreneurs Circle local area of Basingstoke, Newbury and Andover, in recognition of her smart implementation of new marketing initiatives.

This most recent award recognises her ongoing efforts and demonstrates how much further she has come.

Mitch said: “I’m terrifically proud of this latest achievement. I’ve worked so hard to make things happen and it’s wonderful to have my efforts recognised by people I hold in such high esteem.

“Running a business whilst being a wife, mother and passionate runner too is most definitely a tricky juggling act.

“The girls who work for me have a similar attitude to life, they’re unbelievably supportive, relentlessly hardworking and always smiling and I’m so grateful for this.”

Sheer determination, learning new skills and relentless professional development have fuelled Mitch along her journey, who has continued to introduce new strategies to the growing business, which she joined in 2006.

“After seven years of running the business I turned to The Entrepreneurs Circle for guidance when it was clear I needed a support network to help me achieve my plans for Petra.

“Running a business can be a lonely place and there was so much I wanted to do. I just didn’t know how.”

To keep the business on track, Mitch sets demanding targets for herself and her team. These tough objectives, together with a series of marketing campaigns and a striking new website have all played their part in the rapid growth of the business.

And a trend towards more high-end ‘Bond Street’ quality commissions has resulted in a significant increase in turnover during the past 12 months.