I think it’s important to “complete” one year before moving on to the next. That’s why I always like to capture my lessons learned in my business over the past 12 months — and this year I’m adding in my biggest celebrations as well (thanks to some inspiration from the amazing Jenny Fenig in her year-end post!). Check out my top 5 celebrations & lessons learned from 2014…
What I’m celebrating…
1. New programs & products: This year I launched my first information products (my Entrepreneurship Unplugged CD & my Marketing Plan in a Box Digital Program) and expanded my program offerings with the release of my Attract More Clients NOW Quick Start Program. When I started my business, the idea of creating leverage really appealed to me and now I’m seeing how wonderful it is first-hand.
2. My clients are achieving GREAT results!!! As I’ve honed my ideal client profile over this last year in business, it’s paved the way for the absolute yummiest, perfect-fit clients to find their way to me – and as a result, I’m able to better support them in getting the results they’re looking for in their businesses.
Each one is purpose-driven, using their businesses as a vehicle to make a meaningful impact in the world. They’re brave, stepping through any fear they may have because they are so committed to their mission. They’re go-getters, taking consistent action to move themselves in the direction of their goals and bigger vision. And they’re just so darn loveable and cool!!! It’s my greatest pleasure to be a part of their journey…
3. Took lots of time off this summer to hang with the kids: When I started my business, one of my long-term goals was to take the summers off (I was inspired by one of my mentors, Alicia Forest, who makes this a practice in her business). Well, I’ve been gradually moving toward it – and while I’m not 100% there – I worked a very part-time schedule during the months of July & August to spend time with my kids. They’re only young once and it’s so important to me to cherish this time. We made some amazing memories and I’m looking forward to continuing to keep this time sacred going forward.
4. I held my first official live event: So technically, I held one live event before, but it was in my home – so taking things up a notch at the Hotel Providence was a big deal for me. And technically, the event took place right at the beginning of this year, but I did all the heavy lifting (marketed & prep) for it in 2014 – so I count it as one of my 2014 accomplishments.
I love the energy when you get really awesome, advancing people face-to-face, in a room together! I’ve always envisioned myself leading lots of live events in my business and now that I’ve taken this first step, I’m definitely inspired to do more. So be on the lookout for more opportunities to hang out in person this year…
5. Less pitching on my end…and more people reaching out to pitch me: When you’re first building your business, speaking and media are great ways to get visibility with your ideal clients. But because you’re a newbie, you really have to “pound the pavement,” so to speak, to get people to give you an opportunity. Well, this year I felt like I hit a tipping point where I saw all of my consistent action pay off – and I was proactively offered more speaking engagements (paid & unpaid) & media opportunities than I had been in the past. Looking forward to this trend continuing!!!
What I learned…
1. There will always be more items on your to-do list than you can accomplish in a day, but you must pull the plug at some point. Trust me when I tell you that I have no shortage of ideas for what I COULD be doing in my business. And I wish I could execute on every one of them. But I can’t. So I prioritize. But even still, it’s a lot. While I did great with taking time off over the summer, I didn’t do a good job of unplugging each day. In fact, I pretty much worked every night after the kids went to bed. Well, that’s something I’m looking to cut out in 2015. How? At the end of 2014, I invested in even more administrative support in my business and have someone fantastic who’s taking care of a lot of the details for me so I can have more quality time with my family at night – and more sleep! (Thanks, Ashely!)
2. The way I start my morning sets the tone for the entire day. Last year, I took Eben Pagan’s Wake Up Productive Program and it made a huge impact on me. Eben has a great morning ritual he recommends to drastically increase the energy that you have all day – inevitably making you more productive. Well, I slipped a little on it over the summer…and again over the holidays…but I’m psyched to be in a book club where we’re reading The Miracle Morning this month by Hal Elrod. Similar concept to what Eben taught…and I’m back in the swing of things. And it feels great! Highly recommend both Eben’s program (which is launching soon; you can click here to get notice when registration opens) and Hal’s book.
3. Be 100% me. When I first launched my business, I dialed down my “woo-woo.” I was so used to maintaining a certain image in the Corporate world and I really wanted to be taken seriously in my business. But as I have grown my spiritual practices over the past couple of years, I could see clearly see how big of a difference they made in my ability to hit my business results. So I shared these practices with my clients – but not so much with the general public. But the more I start to sprinkle this element in with others, the more I’ve seen how hungry people are for the spiritual/mindset/personal growth side of things. So I’ll be turning up the volume on this in 2015.
4. Mindset is 90% of success – and maybe more. Yes, I teach great strategies and tactics for marketing, productivity and general business success. But if your mindset is off, all of the brilliant strategies and tactics in the world will not get you where you want to go. If you really want to experience great (and personally satisfying) results, you’re main job is to keep your vibration up and believe 100% that you can accomplish your goals.
5. I want to go deeper with my relationships. As I’ve been expanding my platform over the past couple of years, I’ve added A LOT of people into my circle – fellow advancing business owners, strategic partners, mentors, prospective clients and subscribers…generally lots of like-minded, interesting people. Well, this year, I want to build those relationships deeper…It’s not all about more, more, more. It’s about making an impact – and to do that, there must be real connection. Looking forward to connecting more with YOU in the coming year.
Feedback?
I’d love to hear…What are YOU celebrating from 2014? And what were some of your biggest lessons learned? Feel free to share in the comments below…
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