2020 year in review
December 30, 2020
Category: business
2020 year in review
Remember when we all thought 2020 was going to be the most epic year yet!? Yeah, me too. While 2020 has gotten a bad rap, it’s been a weird blessing in a lot of ways as well. So let’s recap the year and say sayonara 2020.
While 2020 has gotten a bad rap, it’s been a weird blessing in a lot of ways as well. I learned SOOOO much more about myself than any year prior and when all h*ll broke loose, it made me realize what truly matters in life. With that being said, here’s the recap of my year. Sayonara, 2020.
Business Wins
Starting on a high note, one of my biggest goals for 2020 was to build a team and launch a course. (I did both of those things!) I brought on my first part-time employee in January — a graphic designer who helps me with the smaller projects that I’m unable to take on. She’s also been able to assist me on some of the larger branding and web projects, too! It’s truly been such a blessing to have another creative to bounce ideas off of and help take some of the workload off of me.
In September, I brought on my second part-time employee — a project manager! I knew I wanted to hire a project manager at the start of the year, but once the pandemic hit I was so nervous about bringing on team members in case my business decided to shut down (kidding, but also not). Having someone to help with the day to day emails and keeping clients projects organized has drastically improved my life 1000x. Highly recommend.
In November, I launched my first ever Instagram Course for designers. It was a mega success and surpassed my expectations. I’m excited to hopefully relaunch it again in the spring!
All in all, we worked with 48 happy branding clients this year and my heart is feeling so full from all of the creative, entrepreneurial journeys we got to be a part of.
business losses
Running a business during a pandemic is no joke. While at first it seemed like everything would be A OK, I definitely felt things start to slow down in November. I blame a combination of the election, Black Friday, and the pandemic. It was probably my slowest month for new business in ALL the years I’ve been doing this. Thankfully, I had launched my course that month so my attention was more focused on that, but it was still a little scary to not be booking new clients. My enneagram 3 was low-key FLIPPIN’ out.
With training new team members and bringing on new clients, there’s bound to be a few mishaps. While I don’t consider any mistakes we made a loss because it was a learning experience, I do want to note that it wasn’t always sunshine and rainbows as my branding may appear. There was one moment in particular where I actually started crying on a call to a client. I’ve never done that, and I’ve had like a bajillion calls before, but it’s moments like that that humble me and make me realize you can always over-communicate with your team members or clients. You can’t hit a home run every time either, so give yourself grace and know that the bumps are a part of the journey.
Personal losses
This one is pretty vulnerable for me to share, but I had a falling out with one of my closest friends earlier this year. It was really hard on me and something that I struggled with often. I also had a hard time mentally AND physically during lockdown (I mean, who didn’t!?). The only way I’ve stayed sane working from home in the past is by incorporating plenty of social events on my calendar. Whether it be working at a coffee shop a couple days a week, meeting a friend for happy hour or lunch — I need to have moments of interaction with people. So with lockdown forcing me to never leave my house, it definitely took a toll on my mental health. I also didn’t realize just HOW happy group fitness makes me. If you’re new here, I’m a big Orangetheory goer, so working out alone was not really my cup of tea.
personal wins
Prior to COVID hitting the U.S., my husband and I went on one of the most epic trips to Ixtapa, Mexico. The place we stayed was surreal, and had I known it would be my last real vacation of the year I maybe would’ve soaked it up all the more.
With all the rearranging and redecorating I’ve done to shake things up at home, we also started planning our basement finish a few months ago, and we’re hopefully going to be starting that sometime in early 2021!
The plus side of COVID forcing everyone to stay home, is that my husband has been able to work alongside me over the past 9 months. I’ve always struggled with working from home in the past, but having him here with me has really helped with that. And with that being said, my family has thankfully stayed safe + healthy during all of this.
Lastly, I feel like I’ve really gotten to know myself this year. I feel super confident in where my business and life are headed, and I don’t think I’ve ever had such a crystal clear vision before. I’m excited for what’s to come, to take risks, and make changes to better myself and those around me!
