My 2016 Story
Yes here we are 28th December 2016. Where did that year just go? I know there has been all sorts of stuff going on in the wider world, and I don’t know about you, but it’s been an interesting year from my perspective.
I started the year with a desire to shift my business services fully to podcasting.
To do that I knew I had to crack the problem of keeping up with existing client work, living my busy life as a self-employed single mum, WHILST ALSO making progress with my business growth and development projects. You know the problem here don’t you? It’s those projects that, although they are highly important, they get swamped behind other regular committments and urgent stuff.
I was on a MISSION.
I discovered The 12WeekYear book by Brian.P.Moran & Michael Lennington. I read it, read it again, and then got cracking on implementing it for myself. It’s worked brilliantly for me. I combined the ideas with another of my loves…. Trello.
I have been working my series of 12WeekYear plans all year and am very pleased with how it’s worked out for me.
I knew that it’s all very well and good getting stuff done for me and my clients, but if I don’t tell anyone about me and my services…. actually DO some marketing …. then it’s all a waste of time. This we know yet how often do we put it off? I was a master at not marketing!!! I had been in business online since 2008 and had been on an approved consultants directory for many years and had clients come to me.
Fortunate indeed but as I moved services I knew I had to GET ON AND DO SOME MARKETING.
Another realisation dawned.
I was excellent at ‘hiding’. I was just about as invisible as it was possible to be online.
And I also came to the conclusion that I needed some better business support systems in place. My friends and family are lovely but not the best resource for objective business strategy and for giving me a supportive shove out of the shadows and forward into visibility and growth.
And something that I was expecting, finally happened…. a very long term regular amount of client work dwindled as it came to the end of its life, affected by a new hire for the client and changing objectives. It was a ‘downer’ for sure, but I took the opportunity of more time to move my own business forward.
So how did I get on?
Where did my mission, my marketing, my quest for visibility and support lead me?
To lots of ‘Ups’ and definite visible forward progress. I’m very happy to say that. I pushed myself out of my rut / comfort zone and these are my proud achievements. 16 in 2016.
1. I got my new website and services up and running.
2. I went to a professional, award-winning local photographer Gavin Prest and spent a whole morning having lots and lots of lovely photographs taken with the specific objective of using them on my website and social media and marketing.
3. I used those lovely photographs everywhere – here is my Twitter one. https://twitter.com/sueweeks
4. I delivered 3 well attended training sessions on basic online marketing to local startup business people, on behalf of the East Riding Of Yorkshire Council. Nice to get back in front of a group and running training sessions again.
5. I have been a guest on 2 great podcasts, The Let’s Talk Tech show & Discover Your Talent Do What You Love. I have another guest opportunity to get organised too. My episode on The Let’s Talk Tech show recently hit the top 10 most popular episodes for the show. Yippee!
6. I started regular blogging, and discovered that I enjoyed doing it.
7. I made a very concious effort to develop my strategic networking efforts and have made some lovely new business as well as arty friends and created some excellent new connections and opportunities. I have made a particular effort in LinkedIn, as well as facebook, and that effort is paying dividends too.
8. I was asked to be a contributor on an excellent portal website for financial advisors, www.IRIS.xyz and one of my blog posts about podcasting has already been featured.
9. I found a lovely business coach, Judith Morgan who is ideally suited for me. She has an equally lovely group of other clients on a similar journey and we all support each other as we go.
10. Through another lovely online friend, Winnie Anderson, (the host of Let’s Talk Tech podcast plus loads of other great stuff) I am also part of a small mastermind group, again sharing ideas and supporting each other.
11. And importantly I have a great support network of local business ladies including my lovely friend Lynnda Worsnop with whom I share numerous herbal teas and interesting conversations, and our ‘Leonie’ workbooks, at the Floral Hall cafe here on Hornsea seafront.
12. I have been sharing much more business related stuff with my friends online and offline, and this has directly resulted in 2 new clients and 2 very interesting projects, one of which is totally pushing me into a new set of skills and confidence! More on that another day…
13. I *finally* set up a Facebook Page for Podcast Progress and I am getting into the hang of keeping that going and posting regular updates and information.
14. I did a livestream video interview on Blab (before Blab was killed off) – a definite first for me, scary but hugely enjoyable. Thanks to Winnie for that opportunity. I have also taken part in various other livestream video experiments helping to test out different platforms. What a laugh that was! And that is big thanks to another lovely friend Gail Turner Brown from whom I learnt a lot about the variety of live video streaming platforms that are around at the moment.
15. I made some basic videos about the 12WeekYear & Trello and they are getting good feedback and interest and a few hundred views on Youtube. An interesting little project and one which has inspired me to do more.
16. I also created a signup offer for my website, which is slowly building a list, and which receives positive feedback. Another element of my marketing that I achieved.
So that is my list of my 16 most happy achievements for 2016.
There are a few more but I wanted to stop the list at 16 🙂
And I would like to acknowledge all my lovely friends who have helped along the way – even sharing my posts about podcasts and liking them is much appreciated support. Thank You.
And number 17 to reflect our move into 2017 is….
17. I decided to be the host of my own podcast, and will be launching Stitchery Stories in early 2017. Comfort zone well and truly trashed!
How did your 2016 go? Very well I hope.
And now of course off we go hurtling to the excitement of a new year with 2017 and all our lovely shiny new plans and dreams and ACTION. That’s what we need – to get cracking and ‘get summat done’ as we say here in Yorkshire!
I’m going to continue to create much more visibility and turn my new stream of opportunities into great results for 2017.
What are you going to do?
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