beYOU Marketing: The 2016 Wrap-Up
My company was founded in 2016, so the end of this year means a lot to me, business-wise. It brings to an end the year in which an idea was created, put into action, grown, and jumped into with both feet. I did some crazy and amazing things this year.
Firstly, for those who don’t know, I quit my corporate job in July of 2016 to launch my business as my full-time career. That was scary as hell. I have always been the person with a plan, the one who had it all mapped and figured out (or, so I liked to think). I knew the direction I was going in and usually most of the details on the path to getting there. At the beginning of the year, when I came up with the idea for my business, I had this strong sense that God wanted me to just have faith. So, I made (another) huge change in my life – I gave up a stable, well-paying job that drained the life from me and I gave the life back to myself. I put all the power and decisions into my own hands.
Then there’s the next part of that. Transitioning to being my own boss was amazing…for like a month. And then reality stepped in, and it’s not like it wasn’t amazing anymore, but the weight of it all came crushing down on me hard, and the recovery took longer than I expected. I knew that the transition would be interesting, I just hadn’t expected it to be as difficult as it was. I loved making my own schedule, calling my own shots, having full ownership of my life and my business, but I didn’t love the lack of schedule and routine, the uncertainty of the business, and the unknowingness of how much money would be coming in. The reality of those heavy responsibilities felt hard to carry, and I didn’t deal with it all as well as I originally thought I would. I didn’t quite have my confidence as a business owner yet, and that was a struggle of its own.
Then there’s the part where I was still figuring out my “craft.” There are clients whose social media I manage on a daily basis, other clients for whom I was helping to create a strategy and marketing plan, and others still who I would just consult with on occasion. I was lacking a clear direction. The past two months in particular have taught me a lot – I’ve embraced the process of being a start-up, my strengths and my struggles, and I’ve been able to pinpoint where my business really sits in this Central PA Market. Since I now have a clearer vision of where I want to go, my business has taken off tremendously. December 2016 has been a hell of a month, and I am so overwhelmed and proud of all that I was able to accomplish. It feels good to end the year strong.
I have been absolutely blessed with amazing people in my life, who believed in me, lifted me up, sent words of encouragement and unrelentingly supported me. The days I cried and needed a swift kick, they were there. The days I had big wins, they were there. The days I needed advice and a reminder of why I’m doing it, they were there. I was surrounded by a lot of new people I had just met in Central PA who opened up their hearts to me and embraced me with open arms – they gave me advice, they recommended me to friends or clients, and they encouraged me to move forward. I can’t thank all of these people enough. To everyone who took a moment to check into my Facebook page, my blog, my Instagram, my email, my texts, messenger, Snapchat, etc. – Thank You. It means more than you know.
I know that 2017 is going to be an even better year. For me, 2017 looks more streamlined and specific – I’ll be doing a lot more consulting and coaching versus daily management. I will continue to do weekly Wednesday check-ins using Facebook Live, with topics surrounding social media. I am gearing up for a workshop in early January for women business owners, focused on goal setting and social media presence. I am slated to speak at two engagements geared towards young women. I have big dreams – if you can’t tell, they’re quite focused on the important task of building up young women. You will be seeing more from me on that in the future, but 2017 will certainly be another big year for building. I hope to add an employee and continue to help individuals and small businesses in the area who need help with their social media, but aren’t sure where to start. If that’s you, let’s start a conversation now and get your 2017 kicked off right!
Thank you for taking a moment to check in with me – I cannot wait to continue to watch everyone else’s journeys for another year. Have a happy, healthy, and safe end to 2016 – see you on the other side!
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