At the end of each year, I like to reflect on everything I’ve done. What’s been good, what could have been better and what I want to build on next year. This year, I thought I’d share my review with you.
My favourite books
I’m not a big reader. I love being around people so sitting alone with a book doesn’t feature highly when I’m planning my downtime. I pick what I read carefully. In 2019, it was these two:
- Busy: How to Thrive in a World of Too Much by Tony Crabbe. I take a lot on. I want to get the most from my life and I’m over ambitious with what I think I can achieve each week. The result – at the end of most weeks, I’ve been madly busy but not even started the big projects that will make a difference in my business (and my life). Reading Busy changed that. It gave me permission to tackle the big things first. And to have fun with my work, even when there’s a lot going on. My challenge now is to keep this focus going into 2020 and beyond.
- Becoming by Michelle Obama. This book needs no introduction. The BBC reported that by March 2019 sales were already at 10 million copies. Becoming was the Christmas present I’d most been looking forward to. I tackled the 400 pages of Michelle’s memoir by reading the hardback at home and the Kindle version on the go. It’s inspiring and empowering. It should be compulsory reading for every woman, young or otherwise. Quite simply, it’s the book I wish I’d had when I was growing up. Its core message is also perfectly aligned with my brand story work.
“There’s power in allowing yourself to be known and heard, in owning your own unique story, in using your authentic voice.” Michelle Obama
My travels
When I’m not working, I love to travel. It’s a passion I share with my husband. At Easter we went to Morocco to celebrate his big birthday – our first time in Essaouira and our third in the vibrant city of Marrakech. An added bonus on this trip was the chance to meet up with Mandy Sinclair, a fellow communicator and Twitter friend, in real life. I love how social media helps us to make business connections all over the world.
In the searing summer heat, Jono and I took a road-trip in central Europe. We were captivated by Slovenia’s mini capital Ljubljana and we sweltered on the humid shores of Lake Bled. We fell in love with the friendly people and fresh food. We added Slovenia to the growing list of ‘countries we could live in.’
In May, my business took me on a flying trip to Belfast to speak at Social Media Bootcamp. A throat infection left me unable to speak the day before. So I was relieved to have a Madonna mic to help me share my tips on building your brand story.
Inspiring events
October brought more business travel and a surprise upgrade (thank you British Airways!) – this time to Zurich for Sigrun Live. This unique event brought together more than 200 women entrepreneurs from all over Europe and beyond. We spent 48 hours making new friends, sharing success stories inspiring each other and making big plans for our businesses. I can’t wait for the repeat in 2020.
In November, I attended my third Youpreneur Summit – the most British of personal brand conferences. Chris Ducker’s annual event took place in the heart of Westminster on Remembrance weekend. I spent two days immersed in inspiring learning from experts in social media, visual storytelling and more. Then before I knew it, I found myself on the mic (again) committing to 450 business owners that I will start a podcast by 31 March 2020. Nothing like public accountability!
A big challenge
I had a vague idea that I wanted to take on a physical challenge in 2019. Once I set the intention, it didn’t take long for something to come along that ticked all the boxes: a team event raising money for some great charities that would also push me out of several comfort zones. In January I signed up for the Trifecta Three Peaks Challenge – the aim to climb Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon in 24 hours.
Over the next three months I trained in the gym and on some gruelling group hikes, getting to know my new challenge buddies. The highlight was sideways sleet straight into my eyes in the Brecon Beacons. The preparation paid off. On a Sunday morning in May, we reached the top of Snowdon ahead of schedule, emotional and elated, having made new friends from the Oxfordshire business community and some amazing memories.
Determined to keep my fitness level up, I’ve since taken part in a few 5km running events. The final one of the year was the Bicester Santa Run. Neatly sandwiched between two epic Christmas parties, the timing wasn’t ideal but it blew the cobwebs away!
My year in business
I’ve been privileged to work with some amazing 1:1 clients who have inspired me with their stories, passion and action-taking (you know who you are). I ran my first group Brand Story workshop for independent consultants and the beta version of my first online course, Nail Your Message. The latter had more than 20 active participants and such a supportive online community. It was incredible to witness the breakthroughs that people experienced in just four weeks.
Meanwhile, our Oxford Independent Consultants Meetups have continued to evolve. We held six Meetups during the year. We’ve masterminded and featured hot topics including pricing, pitching and proposals, and how to stay motivated when you work on your own. In July, I had to pinch myself when we held our summer party in the gorgeous grounds of Somerville College. The prosecco flowed and we were blessed with an evening of summer sunshine.
More recently, we’ve added monthly co-working sessions – social and productive Friday mornings for our community in some of Oxford’s coolest coffee shops. In October, we got together with members of the B4 network to explore the potential for greater collaboration between the county’s independent professionals and larger businesses. We’re not sure where this will go next but there’s so much potential for us to work together we’d be crazy not to investigate it.
2020 – what’s next?
I can’t wait to see what 2020 has in store. It’s not just a new year, it’s the start of a brand new decade. Next year I will also celebrate 10 years of my independent business.
I already have some amazing independent consultants signed up to work with me on their brand story from January. Nail Your Message will definitely be back before too long, maybe as a group programme – join the waitlist to be the first to hear about it. And of course I’ll be launching my Brand Story podcast in March – watch this space!
Whatever you have planned, I wish you a very happy, healthy and successful 2020.
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