2021…what a year. While 2020 brought change and struggle for so many people, it was 2021 that marked many big transitions in my life and business. To be honest, this past year was hard, mostly for personal reasons—including growing a tiny human—but also because of some growing pains in my business. Still, I’m closing out my third year as a purpose-driven business owner feeling proud of everything I accomplished, thankful for everyone I collaborated with, and excited for my Year 4 vision.

This reflection post isn’t meant to toot my horn. Instead, it’s a love note to the entrepreneurial process and a way to offer some solidarity to you on your journey! Running a purpose-driven business and living out your values is hard. But the challenge is also part of the appeal and it’s oh-so-worth it.

Points Of Pride

~40% of small businesses fail within the first 3 years, so while I didn’t 1.5x my revenue like I intended, I’m feeling good about the progress I made this year.

For example, last year, I said I wanted to work with more founders and do more brand messaging strategy. Over half of my clients this year were founders (versus mostly doing subcontractor work in years past). And I launched my Messages That Matter VIP Day, which goes deep into brand messaging strategy, but on my own terms, rather than via the traditional drawn-out method.

Professional Milestones

If you’re anything like me, I forget about an accomplishment almost as soon as it happens. Instead, it can be easier to focus on everything I’m still working toward or DON’T have yet. That’s why it’s so important to celebrate the big and small wins as they come. Here are some of mine from this year (in no particular order).

Business Backend
  • Launched a bi-weekly “Toward Purpose & Progress” newsletter. Curating these newsletters is such a fun outlet that received some great feedback like this and this. Read the full archive of all the issues here!
  • Reached 500+ followers on Instagram. While this is just a vanity metric, it felt like a sign that I was finally gaining traction with my content marketing.
  • Secured my first 2 *paid* speaking gigs. Getting paid to share my insight felt really special and validating. It’s absolutely something I want to do more of in the coming year, not only as a revenue stream, but also as a way to reach and help more people, and to build authority and attract leads.
  • Had my highest earning month ever. I still haven’t reached the elusive $10k month, but at least I’m headed in that direction.
  • Increased my average hourly rate by over double since last year. I don’t bill hourly (except my 1-hour Quick Win Consulting Calls), but I track my time spent on client work to see where I’m maximizing my energy and where I need to shift gears. Spoiler alert: writing blog posts for clients is officially off the table in 2022.
  • Created (and sold) a course AND template. These were through my co-founded side project, The Way To Why (TWTW). TWTW was a creative entrepreneurial playground for us and helped a few purpose-driven business owners hone their story along the way.
  • Hosted a 5-Day About Page Challenge. I had participated in challenges and launch events before, but this was my first time hosting an event series. Having my TWTW collaborator to lean on made the experience infinitely easier and less daunting.
  • Set up MailerLite and wrote my first welcome sequence. What a huge step up in my email marketing game! AND this was partially outsourced—I wrote the email copy, but I hired out the tech logistics, which felt like a big CEO flex.
CEO Growth
  • Did my first Lives on Instagram, Facebook, and Clubhouse. These talks weren’t as scary as they seemed, especially because they were all co-hosted. Going Live (likely only on IG) is something I want to tap into more in the new year.
  • Got elected to the AWC National Board. And perhaps equally important as an exercise in boundaries and managing my capacity: I quit 2 local committees and said no to a local Board position.
  • Received coaching via the Accomplishment Coaching program. This was my first taste of weekly coaching. While it was a bit unusual because I was a guinea pig for coaches in training and rotated through a new coach each month, it was a really useful practice to show up and work through mindset blocks every single week.
  • Joined Louise Henry’s 90 Day Growth Strategy Program. Not only was this the biggest monetary and time investment I’d ever made in my business, it was also the first time I really committed to honing my offers and sales processes. I still have a LOT to implement and experiment with in 2022, but this program laid the groundwork.
  • Hired a VA—actually 2! One to help with social media scheduling and admin, and one to take on some more technical projects. Both were SUCH a big help as I finished my pregnancy, started maternity leave, and reclaimed my time as CEO of my business.
  • Earned an AWC Professional Development Grant. I put this grant toward funding Louise’s program (see above). And this was a reminder to stay open to opportunity, especially in communities I pay to be part of—this was “free” money ready for the taking with a simple application.
  • Nominated for my local AWC Crystal Awards. It’s always nice to be recognized amongst leaders making moves in this world!

Personal Milestones

  • Hired a house cleaner. As one of the top items on my “when I’m rich” wishlist, by my third trimester, I decided it was worth making the leap sooner. It’s one of my best decisions to date. (Of course, I vetted potential cleaners heavily and found an independent woman who’s willing to exclusively use my beloved Branch Basics stash instead of toxic chemicals. I can let go of some control, but not the things that matter most to me!)
  • Refinanced our house. This money move wasn’t even on my radar, but a YouTube video that mentioned a 13th annual payment inspired a call to my bank, which sparked a comment about refinancing. And the rest is history.
  • Changed my financial advisor. I was unhappy with my current advisor and where my funds where invested, but I had analysis paralysis in making the switch. After *way* too much research and outreach, I finally landed on Natural Investments and have transferred our investments to “green” funds. I still want to experiment more with impact investing and making other ethical investments, but changing advisors was a huge relief and a good start.
  • FINALLY received my husband’s citizenship. Not only was this a huge milestone for him and our family, but it also counts as a personal win for me because I’m the one who spent hours and hours preparing all the tedious documentation to prove that yes, we’re a real married couple. [To anyone still in the thick of the immigration process, I’m happy to answer any questions if it can be of help. Du courage!]
  • I got to travel again! The summer was filled with visits to friends in Texas and Milwaukee, a trip to Savannah with a friend to celebrate our 30th birthdays, and a family vacation to Michigan. I’m still itching to get back to planning international trips, but I was happy to get outside my house and even go beyond my state border this year.
  • And then my biggest accomplishment by far was creating, carrying, and birthing my daughter. All I can say is man, what a journey. [Happy to share my experience or swap maternal battle stories via email!]

Despite the many, many tough days, I’m grateful for so much this year. Besides baby girl and my family, I’m really thankful for my internet friends. I’ve met and continued relationships with some amazing founders who are doing incredible things. And whether we commiserate, hire each other, pass a referral, share resources, or enter into a partnership, it’s all been really valuable for my personal and business growth. And I hope the same is true for anyone I interacted with.

By The Numbers

  • 27 clients, including 10 recurring/repeat from last year and 5 new clients who chose to work with me at least twice this year
  • 22 newsletters sent (skim through them here!)
  • 18 podcast interviews, 15 of which were published this year
  • 13 client blog posts written
  • 11 speaking opportunities, including 2 paid gigs
  • 11 Quick Win Consulting Calls
  • 10 donor letters written
  • 6 press releases written
  • 4 affiliate income sources
  • 4 VIP Days
  • 3 IG lives (watch the replay of the first, second, and third!)
  • 2 media lists created (plus 1 for my own podcast pitching, which gave me a 38% pitch conversion rate!)

Lessons Learned

2021 was definitely the year of refining my offers. I felt in limbo for most of the year, with one foot in my long-term done-for-you retainer world and the other in this strategy realm I’ve been working toward. I learned some valuable lessons along the way about myself and the type of business I want to run.

Workflow Realizations

I did a really cool fractional CMO project and loved the structure and strategy of the project. However, it ended up getting drawn out way too long as I waited for feedback. They had a limited staff, a big event to plan, and not enough bandwidth to commit to the process of setting up their marketing strategy. Similarly, I did some projects with agencies. Subcontracting has been a go-to model of mine in the past. But I’ve finally been through enough slippery timelines, unnecessary check-in calls, and red tape. I’m committing to collaborating in 2022, but on my own terms, not as a subcontractor.

One of the biggest realizations I had this year was that I enjoy the personal side of business and how close my work brings me to founders. It’s such a privilege to be given a peek behind the scenes of a growing brand and into the head and heart of its visionary. This is why VIP Days and consulting calls were such an energy boost for me. (And based on the reactions I got—like this and this—they were for my clients too!) Brand messaging VIP Days really dig into that personal “why” and end with a tangible, applicable guide. Quick Win Consulting Calls do just that—provide quick wins by giving time and space for founders to work through blocks, get immediate feedback, and make plans to actually take action.

These two ways of working with clients were pretty discrete though—1 day and 1 hour chunks of time. So, I spent the last quarter developing my biggest offer yet: the Make Your Mark in 90 Days program. It’s a 90-day 1:1 intensive that ties everything I love to do and everything that’s been effective for my clients into one package. I’m experimenting with the program in Q1 and Q2 of 2022. The hope is that this program fills that long-term-relationship hole I’m missing as I phase out the retainer model. And then of course, the quarter-long empathetic accountability should *hopefully* translate to even better results for my clients.

Besides these 3 core intensive offerings, I also want to be able to reach more people at a more affordable price point. Creating 2 media lists for clients this year was great because it was repeatable, done on my own time, and produced super concrete results. I want to do more custom and pre-set podcast pitching lists in 2022. This is part of my plan to open a small template shop, which will be a source of passive income for me and a useful entry point for business owners who either aren’t ready to commit to intensives, or simply can’t afford to yet.

One thing I’m still working on is finding a way to be more targeted and discerning with my networking and calendar space. My philosophy has been to cast a wide net—you never know who or what will become your next big opportunity. But with a newborn in tow, I have limited energy and even more limited time. In the past, I’ve tried Friday-only meetings, sticking with it for a while, then always making exceptions until my calendar is suddenly completely booked. Childcare constraints might be the perfect excuse for me to finally stick to some scheduling boundaries and focus on the projects and meetings that will *actually* push my business forward. Staying open to opportunity is great, but not at the expense of losing my sense of intention.

Helpful Habits

As part of the coaching I received this year, I experimented with habits. The goal was to put all the things I say are important to me into action. Here are some of the small things I did that actually made a huge difference. And I think they could help you too!

  • Turning off my email notifications was one of the simplest and most impactful changes to my workflow and mental load. Now, I only check and respond when I want to, rather than feeling that dreaded sense of [self-imposed] urgency with every email that comes through.
  • Along with my scheduling boundary issues and reclaiming my inbox, I realized that the only way people impose on my time is if I allow them to. I can’t help if partners schedule meetings out of the blue or clients email saying they need something quickly. But I can control how and if I react to these requests. For me, it’s a matter of striking the balance between being accommodating—because I think that’s the courteous thing to do and want to build relationships based on give and take—and firm—because I have no plans of being a doormat and my bandwidth only stretches so far.
  • Outsourcing. What a hurdle to overcome, then a blessing once you get there! It took me 3 years to hire out anything besides my taxes. But when I finally made the leap, outsourcing gave me more space and mental capacity to focus on my priorities. Before, I was unwilling to give up control, even for things where my specific brain wasn’t needed. I got to the point (i.e. many months pregnant and running myself ragged) where something had to give. I don’t have a single regret about the tasks I’ve outsourced. [Caveat: I’m sure I’ll have issues with future contractors and their performance eventually, but for now, it’s been smooth sailing.]
  • Celebrating at least 1 win each day has been a game-changer. I choose something (or a few things) at the end of the day to make note of, appreciate, and celebrate. It can be anything: something personal, finally finishing a tiny task that had been nagging at me, or making progress toward a huge project. This laser-fast reflection and gratitude puts me less in the I’m-constantly-behind lacking mindset and more in the abundance mindset that brings happiness and ease.

Resources

Content creators’ generosity and the resources I can find on the internet constantly surprise me. And I just can’t resist spreading the word. I share a handful of cool apps, tech tricks, business insights, intentional living tips, and people to follow in each newsletter. [Scroll through the ones I shared in 2021 here and sign up for future issues here.] I also built a resources page that features business building tools (courses, programs, and software), as well as some brands to support as a conscious consumer.

Moving Forward With Intention

I was listening to the Hello Seven podcast and the topic of success came up. I hadn’t ever taken the time to define what success meant for my business. On the theoretical level, I talk about having vicarious impact in many of my podcast interviews. (Aka having impact in my business by building up businesses with amazing missions and powerful reach.) But on a practical level, success to me looks like every single client I work with taking confident action toward their vision.

In 2022, I want to do a lot of the foundational work I evangelize about—defining my purpose, refining my values, and niching down to a *really* specific audience. I’m not quite there yet, or at the very least, these ideas need to be revisited. (Which is totally normal and part of that entrepreneurial journey we signed up for!)

But in the meantime, here are some of the big-picture things I’m working toward:

If my aim is to have as much impact through my business as possible, then I have 2 options: to go deeper or broader. I want to do both—deeper through intensives and broader via one-to-many means like speaking, my newsletter, templates, and potentially my own podcast.

There’s no guarantee I’ll accomplish any of this—especially with navigating my first year of motherhood. But I’ll be pleased if I’m moving forward with intention, taking meaningful action, and encouraging other purpose-driven business owners to do the same.

Now, I’d love to hear from you. How long have you been in business, how did this past year go, and what are your plans for this year? Let me know!

 

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