For the month of December I have taken the time to reflect back on the year of 2021 and appreciate all that has come my way. 2021 has been an amazing year for me, full of growth and connections. A lot of my growth wouldn’t have come without trial and error, personal development, and the connections I have developed.
Trial and error probably seems easier said than done, because it involved stepping out of my comfort zone and trying different things to charge myself and business forward. This meant talking with different people, charging different rates, evolving my processes, and figuring out myself. The biggest point was figuring out what works for me, how I work best, and what I am comfortable with. I wouldn’t have been able to grow my confidence and take charge of my business even more than I was working on without the help of Staci Manley (Life Coach), Melissa Tousley (Photographer and Social Media Guru), Meaghan Strader (Marketing Expert and great listener), Jamie McGuire (Co-Founder of North Country Business Professionals), and Alyssa J Dillion (business coach). These five ladies were the start of my change and are the first to receive my appreciation.
Staci really helped me look deep within myself to develop my confidence and figure my shit out. Without this key process that started at the beginning of 2021, I would still be fumbling along full of self-doubt. This doesn’t mean I am a confidence queen and without self-doubt now, but I have greatly improved and know how to curve those lingering inner thoughts and when I need to take a step back and evaluate why those thoughts are happening.
Melissa has provided a plethora of tips for social media and branding, plus been a great co-working companion to toss ideas back and forth with to find the right direction I wanted to take my marketing.
Meaghan is a wonderful friend that is always there to listen to me vent about things that just aren’t working and helping me figure out why they aren’t and how I can better handle them. Plus, she has a great marketing background and has greatly helped me improve on creating images and making sure it looks and sounds good to others.
Jamie I met through a local chamber meeting that I forced myself to go to and awkwardly walked through it, but she was supportive and kind. She invited me to a North Country Business Professionals networking event where I met a handful of other individuals that led to meeting a handful of other amazing people that all helped me find the right direction I wanted to go in. This was the definition of a domino effect and I am glad to have met Jamie.
I found Alyssa through Facebook and followed her for a year to get all sorts of free social media marketing tips and business tips. I had an idea of what I wanted to do with my business, but with her direction I was able to realize I wasn’t crazy and I could just be myself and market myself to find the people that I wanted to work with. I could stop saying yes to people who didn’t make sense to work with and enjoy my business even more. A year later, I finally paid her for coaching services and wasn’t disappointed and still receive compliments on my marketing that she helped teach.
These five connections have helped me tremendously and led me to meeting other fantastic people that I am super appreciative for including:
Destiny Piche and Mark Thompson of North Country Business Professionals and CNY Office Furniture helping me step up my networking game,
Erika Davis working with SBDC and helping me build connections with Liz Longeran of the SBDC where I started to present bookkeeping and tax webinars,
Chris Jones The Bow Knows helping me connect on LinkedIn with others,
Michelle DeNio a business coach who helped me develop business plans, offers, and pricing. Plus hosted a Mastermind with Megan Vaughan a business brand strategist and Kirsten Beske a life coach helping us connect to similar people and get different points of views to help our business grow the right way. She also has an amazing group full of value and real connections that could replace the 100’s of Facebook groups I am in easily.
Mitch Hansen of Cetera Investment Group, an awesome financial advisor,
Jono Chowdhury and Sarah Steinbrenner of Vervology helping me to develop and manage an awesome website for my business,
Mario Pizzamiglio a CPA who focuses on estates and trusts who has partnered with me to send potential clients my way,
Manna Doyle now with the North Country PTAC, Daniel Schein Financial Advisor, Lisa Smith Health and Life products, Joe Wessner Printing products, Christian Schenk music education, Claudia Colonna Tech Recruiter, Sara Lingenfelter OBM, Libby Rothschild Dietitian Coach, Dani Kenney Life Coach, Nichole McDaniel Tutor, Kelly Curry Artist, Megan Phillips Podcaster and Business Consultant, Madelyn McGuire Life Insurance, and so many other amazing individuals that I have crossed paths with this year that have impacted me personally and my business.
I am forever grateful for all those that took the time to get to know me in 2021 and have provided me with insight, tips, and suggestions that I have taken and made into my own to help me grow and develop in the way that m