2019 Year in Review
As we celebrate the end of the decade and move on to 2020, I’ve been reflecting on the past year. I’m pretty proud of some of the things I’ve accomplished this year, and yet, I’ve dropped the ball on a few things as well. 2020 is the first year for which I’ve actually written down specific goals. Here I’ll share some wins, some mistakes, and a few goals for next year.
I have totally stepped outside of my comfort zone. Throughout the year, I’ve done a few small presentations. I am a member of two referral groups, so there were a few ten-minute presentations for those. Then I did a one-hour presentation on DIY graphic design for one of my networking groups. Next, a friend of mine who is heavily involved with the local SCORE asked me to speak to their mentors about branding and why their clients need to worry about it. Finally, in October I did a branding workshop with members of another networking group. If you had told me a year ago that I would be doing these things, I would have laughed and run away. Now I intend to do more presentations to different networking groups, as well as look into being a guest on podcasts and blogs. I realize I need to get my name out there as an expert.
I have clarified what I really want to do and, as a result, I better know my ideal client. When I started this business, I wanted to do publication design for hire. Unfortunately, no one seemed to need publication design. Instead, some people asked me to design logos. Although I only had logo experience as it relates to events, I dove into learning all about it. Since then, I have come to love logo design and branding. Working with small business owners or solopreneurs to build their brands is what I really want to do. I’ve been getting more into the strategy behind branding and plan to include a two-hour brand clarity session in my branding packages in the new year. I’ll also be offering it as a stand-alone item. I’m looking into offering a brand audit as well.
My website has been updated to reflect my clarity. I hired a copywriter to help me write the new content for my website. I knew what I wanted to say and who I wanted to say it to, but I needed help putting those together. It’s probably been my biggest investment since my computer. But it was worth it!
I got complacent with my networking. I became very involved with two groups that I felt a connection with and now serve on committees for both. I truly value some of the people I’ve gotten to know in these groups and I’ve been blessed with quite a bit of business from them. But I need to go out and consistently grow my network. So one of my goals for 2020 is to look into new places to network.
I did not blog consistently and I’ve been playing it safe with my social media. Last year I promised myself I’d blog regularly. I only posted one blog in 2019; that’s a definite fail. For the upcoming year, I changed my planning. I aim to post monthly but I’ll schedule myself to write an entire quarter’s blogs at one time. I also have been rethinking my social media. I still haven’t put myself out there. I have had safe prescheduled posts, I haven’t utilized stories at all, and I don’t think I’ve been talking about the right things. So I’ve got some new types of content coming and I plan to put my face out there more and incorporate stories into my content plan.
Finally, here’s my breakdown of clients in 2019:
Last year, most of my clients came from previous connections or networking. This year the majority were returning clients. I didn’t do as much brand work as last year but I feel my skills have improved with this year’s branding projects.
Here are some of the projects I’ve worked on in 2019:
To see more of my work, click here.
I’d like to give a huge thank you to all of my clients this year. Thanks for letting me be a part of your journey around the sun. I hope you all have a fabulous new year!
