2022 was year three running my business and the year shit got real.
It’s hard to write this without sounding ungrateful, so I’ll preface it by saying how thankful I am for the incredible coaches and consultants who trust me to tell their stories. And I’m grateful every day for the vast improvement running my own business has brought to my life. Becoming the captain of my own ship is still one of the best things I’ve ever done.
But in 2022, my business was no longer my shiny new toy. It became work. And some weeks it was bloody hard work. Before Christmas, I felt I was crawling up a cliff face, clinging on by my fingernails. There wasn’t much gas left in the tank.
2022 in numbers
$130,670 revenue
before GST
40 superb businesses
trusted me to tell stories
21% increase in revenue
year on year
2,000+ kilometres
run up and down hills
84% conversion
rate on proposals
new secret service
brought in 14% of revenue
Why I review my year
I spend time in early January reflecting on the year what was. Then I write an article on what I’ve learned. I do this because it’s a valuable record for me, but I share it because my wins, fails, and musings may be helpful for other solo coaches and consultants. There isn’t a heap o’ support for solopreneurs in NZ, and when I started my business I hunted in vain for NZ-specific business content like this. This is my small way of plugging the gap.
2022 was the year I got fired from a job, got confident to the point of being too cocky, yet simultaneously played it too safe. It’s also the year I ran out of steam and realised the importance of purpose. This article shares the things I learned along the way.
Unpacking the gold in the pain and frustration of fails
I’m a recovering perfectionist striving to rewire myself with a growth mindset that embraces failure as a desirable part of evolution. But that mindset doesn’t come naturally, so, when I fuck up I tend to ruminate on my fails, and self-flagellate terribly.
This year is the first year I’ve become conscious of getting better at dealing with the disasters. Instead of going into a tailspin of self-loathing I’ve done three things.
1. Dealt with the failure in a way that makes me proud of myself.
2. Acknowledged my fail in public and shared my learnings.
3. Admitted to myself that I feel shit about messing up, but that once I’ve unpacked the learnings from the fail, repeatedly picking the scab serves no purpose. When I catch myself wallowing in the anger and hurt I try to gently redirect my mind to mindfulness of the moment.
I made a couple of notable face plants this year, and it’s worth sharing the stories in case it helps you avoid the same mistake.
The year I got fired from a job
In September I was fired from a job. That’s the first time that’s happened since I started my business. My work wasn’t on the money, and I know exactly why.
Bit o background. I specialise in helping coaches and consultants tell stories that unlock clarity and confidence and attract opportunity and community. And there’s a good reason why that’s my focus. I’ve worked for years in B2B business development. I’m building my own successful consultancy. And personal branding is one of my fav topics. Bore for hours on it, I can. So, I’ve got a niche and I know my stuff. Very occasionally I veer off piste into brand storytelling for retail brands, but hither to it’s only been for things that tickle my pickle, gin, wine, flowers … you get the picture.
But in July I got a call from a former colleague. We used to work together on destination marketing websites. We were good at it too. And I enjoyed destination marketing, for a time. So, when he called and asked me to work on copy for a heli-ski site with him, I said, “Sure, get the band back together. But make sure the marketing manager knows I don’t heli-ski, or any ski, in case that’s an issue.” It wasn’t. So, I got stuck in. Research, interviews, sample copy, enthusiastic response.
But first full batch of copy … the wheels fell off.
The lovely marketing manager said, “Lizzie, you’re definitely a skilled writer, I was impressed at how well you picked up the concept, but I’m just not feeling it. I started trying to give you feedback, but I think this is an experience thing, so I’m going to give the job to an ex ski journo.”
And fair play to him, he was right.
For much of my work it doesn’t matter that I’m making myself an overnight expert in my client’s field, because the sell doesn’t happen in the nitty gritty of their profession. The sell happens through showing they understand their customers’ pain, have the expertise to solve their problems, and are decent humans to boot. Often my detachment from my client’s area of expertise works in their favour because I bring clarity and perspective to the table. Plus, I do customer interviews to understand what’s important to them. I’ve got a process and it delivers results.
But for portraying an experience with passionate fans, like heli-skiing, I now realise you really do need to appreciate the buzz personally to portray it authentically.
The year I got cocky and sloppy
I made a right balls up in November. Ended up costing me a couple of days’ worth of work. And it was all because I got cocky.
Occasionally I do storytelling for products. Not often, and only for things I dig, which means my portfolio skews cake, booze, and flowers. And when I do storytelling, I lead the brand positioning process. It’s very rare I agree to take direction from creative agencies. Most of the time agencies take their lead from me. But I’m also delighted to work with agencies, and go through the discovery process together, agree brand positioning, and those key strategic story pillars collaboratively.
This has worked smoothly since I started my business, and everyone’s been chuffed with the results. But last year I got sloppy and dropped the ball big time.
Did a discovery with a new client setting up a wine brand. I was doing the storytelling, and they had an agency doing the visual brand.
I should have come straight out of my first meeting with my client, contacted the creative agency, introduced myself and clarified our roles and responsibilities. Good communication 101. Not to mention good manners, right? But I made a total rookie error, and assumed the agency knew how I work. Which was foolish and arrogant of me.
Turned out the creative agency also wanted to control the storytelling piece of the puzzle.
Which I get … they’re a full-service agency after all.
One conversation would have sorted the whole situation out. They’d either have agreed to my terms, or I’d have smiled sweetly and said, “That’s not how I work, this one isn’t for me,” and moved on to the next project on my wait list.
Instead, I wrote the brand story. My client liked it and sent it to their creative agency, who threw their toys because it didn’t align with their vision for the brand.
When I realised the situation, I walked away because I’m privileged enough that I don’t have to do projects I don’t control, I knew I’d created the situation, and I could afford to lose the revenue. But my lack of process on this project wasted my client’s time, caused me unnecessary stress, and I was cross with myself because at this stage in the game, I should have known better. Key takeaway, make sure all project stakeholders are in the loop and know your process from the start.
The year I got complacent
My last big learning from 2022 was that I didn’t experiment enough with the new.
That’s not a good habit to get into. Complacency is the enemy of personal growth. You may think you’re standing still, but you’re imperceptibly slipping backwards as the tide of change rushes ever onwards pulling the sand out from under your feet.
I like Eleanor Roosevelt’s dictum to do something that scares you every day. And when I say like, I mean I give it the resentful side eye because it’s an uncomfortable truth.
Things that scare me most all involve public exposure.
Group coaching.
Public speaking.
Doing video.
Launching a product.
I’m scared of not being fun or interesting enough, not delivering value, and looking foolish.
And sitting alongside that fear is also a failure to prioritise time to work on those hard things that’s rooted in a lack of respect for my own goals.
But I need to take the advice I give others.
When you let yourself down you have to live with the knowledge you can’t trust yourself.
Fewer people are watching than you think and no one really cares what you do.
Falling makes you relatable.
No fail is a failure if the learning moves you forward.
What do we learn from the wins?
As I review my year each January, the things I define as wins shift.
In January 2021 I was riding high on the buzz of launching a new business and nailing a regular income stream. My wins were mostly personal achievements.
Things like:
Starting a business.
Being brave enough to try new things like coaching.
Getting to know myself better.
Working on my story and my mindset.
In January 2022 I was feeling hella smug because I’d built a group of great regular clients and cracked that six figure milestone. I’d also been showing up regularly on LinkedIn, practicing what I preached by making content marketing work for me. My wins showed my growing sense of mastery.
Things like:
Hitting my financial target and exceeding six figures in revenue.
Walking my talk and making my business a success with pure content marketing.
Growing my client base and diversifying my risk with more solid repeat clients.
Refining my processes and gaining increasing clarity on how I deliver results for my clients.
Today, as I’ve become more confident in the value of what I offer, I define success less by my own achievements, and more by the outcomes I deliver for others. My wins this past year, are more focused on my clients’ results.
Things like:
Feedback from clients that our work together improves their clarity, confidence, and revenue.
Launching a new LinkedIn ghost writing service, that helps my clients grow connection, community, and opportunity.
Landing on the seeds of a purpose that feels meaningful to others and sustainable and rewarding for me.
Continuing to produce content people find valuable and engaging.
One of the benefits of doing an annual year in review is watching your goals and wins evolve. You can see how you’re growing as a person and a business owner. And you can ask yourself, “Does this change align with the person I want to be?”
The importance of purpose
Last year was also the year I realised the importance of purpose. When I started my business I defined success in purely financial terms. First year, my purpose was simply to prove I could run a business and make enough to pay the bills. Year two, I wanted to hit that six figure business milestone and make more than in my corporate career. Nailed those goals. Yay me.
But year three, I kinda ran out of steam. It’s not that I didn’t set goals. Did a whole goal setting exercise with other business owners. But I guess I set the wrong goals because I lost sight of them in the doings of the year. Which indicates they weren’t big enough goals to make me care. In mid-September, feeling exhausted and unmotivated, I unearthed my goals from the start of the year and sure enough, they were too small. (The fact September was the first time I’d looked at my goals all year was also a red flag I wasn’t personally invested in them). The goals themselves were fine. Sensible, measurable, achievable ... But they lacked a driving purpose. There was no big burning why behind the tactical stuff, which is why when the year kicked off, I just … forgot.
Who do I want to be when I grow up?
I started to ask myself a bigger question. Why am I in business? Which is suspiciously similar to the big question so many of us wrestle with … why am I here? Because if I’m going to spend 40+ hours of my precious life every week on a project, I want to make damn sure I’m proud of the things I achieve and they feed my soul as well as my bank balance.
Now, I’m one spoilt white woman. I’m educated, wealthy, part of Aotearoa’s dominant colonising culture, middle class, well connected, mostly comfortable with my cis gender, heterosexual, healthy, and able-bodied. I’ve been handed life on a plate. And I’m aware how much privilege is inherent in the pursuit of purpose. Many people in this world are too busy surviving to spend time luxuriously pondering how to make their business more spiritually rewarding over a nice single-origin flat white.
But given the abundance I’ve been blessed with; do I not also have a duty not to squander it in the soulless pursuit of profit? As an ardent atheist, quoting scripture ain’t my default, but even the dodgiest self-help manual has its high points and I jive with Luke 12:48, “To whom much is given, much will be required”. So, my question could be reframed to be … what am I here to do? And as an unapologetically selfish creature, how do I live my purpose in a way that’s rewarding and sustainable for me?
How better stories slew one man’s imposter syndrome
A week after realising I’d run out of steam, lacked a sustaining purpose, and (once again) was asking myself who I wanted to be when I grew up, I met Ian Cartwright for a catch up. Ian walked into the café looking good. The slight tan and aura of relaxation from 10 days away didn’t hurt but it was more than that. He exuded the air of someone confident, energetic, and excited about life.
Ian coaches agribusiness and engineering consultancies on how to sell, he’s author of The 6 Fundamentals of Sales Know-How, and a walking, talking example of what getting clear on your story can do for your life. I worked with Ian at the beginning of 2022, helping him shape messages for his new website and gather case studies from his clients. If you know Ian, you’ll know how smart, thoughtful, and articulate he is. So, he made my life hella easy. But as several wise humans have said to me … those projects where you feel you’re stealing people’s money because it’s too easy … that’s when you’re doing your best work. It just doesn’t feel like work because you’re in your zone.
Ian launched his new sales coaching brand in March 2022. And he’s been killing it ever since. When I met him for coffee in September he was booked solid for the rest of the year and fast filling Q1 2023. His clients are bigger. His work is juicier. Things are going off for Ian and he’s kind enough to give some of the credit to the work we did together, saying it gave him clarity on how his services help his clients, and confidence in his own ability to deliver the goods.
I already knew telling better stories was lifechanging because getting clearer on the stories I told others and myself had changed my life. And being happier, healthier, and wealthier than I’ve ever been has made me an evangelist for intentional storytelling. But knowing something yourself, and seeing proof of the value storytelling brings others, are two different things.
Ian proved I could improve people’s lives by helping them tell better stories. And if you’re a coach or a consultant you’ll know how intoxicating it is when you see the positive impact of your work on someone’s life. I wanted more of that feeling. And I wondered if showing people how to tell lifechanging stories was what I was here to do.
How I refocused my business purpose
After that meeting with Ian, I spent a few days reflecting on what made my business rewarding, and where I wanted to take it long-term. Here are the questions I used. They may help you reflect on your business purpose too.
First, I asked myself questions to help me focus on what I enjoyed and where my strengths lie.
What brings you joy in your life? (This doesn’t have to be all work related).
What are you proudest of in your life and work? (This can be in the last year, or further back).
What do you admire and aspire to in others?
Sometimes admiration can manifest in envy and resentment. It’s not pretty but it’s true. Ask yourself is there someone who irritates you because they have what you want?
What drags you down in your life? (This doesn’t have to be all work related).
What problems do you enjoy solving most?
Why?
Who needs this problem solved for them?
What clients do you enjoy working with most?
Why?
Would you like more of this sort of client?
How could you attract more of these clients?
What sort of work do you enjoy doing most?
Why?
Would you like to do more of that work?
How could you do more of that work?
How do you add most value to your clients? (If you don’t know the answer to this question client interviews will help).
Is that value aligned to the sort of work you enjoy most?
What do you want people to say about you and the work you do?
Is that aligned to where you add most value right now?
What are your strengths?
What keeps you going when things get tough?
What do other people come to you for help with?
Are your strengths aligned to the things that bring you joy?
Are your strengths aligned to the clients you enjoy working with?
Are your strengths aligned to the work you enjoy most?
Are your strengths aligned to the value you add to your clients?
Are your strengths aligned to what you want people to say about you and your work?
Once I began to get clear on the themes in my answers, I began to define my purpose.
What would you like your life to look like?
What does your ideal day look like?
What does your ideal week look like?
What does your ideal year look like?
What do you want more of in your life?
What do you want less of?
What new things do you want to try?
What is your purpose? What are you in business to do?
Why do you want to do this?
How will you do this? What people will you work with?
How will you do this? What services will you offer?
How will you attract clients? What stories will you tell?
What are your purpose-related goals?
Short-term goals (within the next 90 days).
Mid-term goals (within the next year).
Long-term goals (2-5 years).
Of course, it’s important your business purpose is sustainably financially, so it helps to go through a pricing exercise as you consider your businesses’ future direction. I recommend Natalie Coombe’s nail your pricing course. She specialises in working with women operating service businesses, but her advice is equally valuable for all service entrepreneurs.
Who do you want to be?
If you’re struggling to define your purpose, another useful question to ask yourself is who do you want to be? Because once you know what sort of person you want to be you can ask what life that person lives.
What kind of business do they have?
Who do they work with?
What problems do they solve for those people?
What services do they offer?
What stories do they tell the world about their business and who they are?
How do they behave?
What are their values? What do they believe about life?
Sometimes, to know who you want to be, it can help to go back in time. Who did you want to be when you were a kid? I mean … I ain’t never going to be a prima ballerina … but I can still be a writer. In fact, I am a writer already, just not the sort of writer little me imagined.
Is your purpose to help younger you?
When I started my business, I understood the importance of choosing a market niche but wasn’t sure who that niche would be. Then I read an article on how your ideal client can be your younger self because if you’ve solved your own past problems, you’re qualified to help others tackle similar situations. And you don’t even need to be an expert in resolving those challenges. Being only a few steps ahead of the people you plan to help still gives you valuable advice to share.
This was a real epiphany for me. The most pressing problem I faced at the time was building a regular client base for my brand new copywriting consultancy. But I wasn’t that stressed about this challenge because I knew how to grab attention with valuable content, and I knew how to convert enquiries from that content into business without doing the hard sell. I had a clear plan.
However, I could see many talented business owners wanted more clients too and they hated marketing their business and selling their services. Many coaches and consultants are amazing at what they do, but when it comes to promoting their business, they’re way out of their comfort zone.
I figured perhaps other consultants and coaches could use some help telling stories to attract clients who dig their vibe, love their work, and pay them what they’re worth. Three years later, 82% of the businesses I work with are coaches, consultants, and service businesses, so that hypothesis worked out. Not only that, but I inadvertently unlocked my purpose by zooming in on my market niche. Helping people tell stories that unlock clarity and confidence and attract opportunity and community is the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done.
Here are a few questions you could ask yourself to work out if your business purpose might be helping younger you:
What problems have you solved for younger you?
Did you enjoy solving those problems?
Who might also need those problems solved for them?
What services could you offer to help other people solve those same problems?
How would it feel to build a business on solving these challenges for others?
Bringing your values to life in your business
Purpose is inextricably linked to your values.
And when I look at where I failed this year, twice I fell because I ignored my values.
I’m clear on who I won’t work with. Certain industries are a flat no, and I’ve a no arsehole policy. Unfortunately, twice last year I was referred work where the potential client failed my sniff test. But because they were sent my way by people I respect, I double guessed myself, saying, “Maybe I’m being intolerant. They seem ok. Maybe I should give them a chance.”
Don’t do that.
Both times I gave people who weren’t the right fit the benefit of the doubt, the projects crashed and burned, wasting my time, and messing with my peace of mind.
Knowing your values is a fundamental element of a strong, sustainable business. Values are guiderails that help you make decisions you can live with and be proud of. They also influence how you behave. When you define your values, ask yourself how this value informs the way you do business. A value that hasn’t been expanded into a set of behaviour guidelines is meaningless.
What are your values? If you don’t know them yet, I recommend Rachel Klaver’s chapter on defining your values in her excellent book on content marketing, Be a Spider, Build a Web.
If you’re clear on your values, it’s worth asking yourself:
· Are your values aligned with your purpose?
Are your values aligned with your potential clients?
Are your values aligned with your services?
Are your values reflected in the stories you tell?
I’m still a business novice but one thing’s clear. The more aligned your clients, services, and behaviour are with your values, the better work feels, and the better you’ll perform.
Refocusing on systems and processes
If I review my list of nine goals from last year, the only one I achieved was my financial goal. Eight goals were a complete wash out. Not only that, but I made no progress at all towards five goals. And seeing as we’re being totally honest, two of those goals had been on my to-do list two years running.
I suggested earlier my goals didn’t have a big enough why behind them, and that’s probably true. A bunch of them were on the list because I felt they were what a smart, successful business owner should be doing, not because I actually wanted to do the thing. But also, to paraphrase James Clear in Atomic Habits, I didn’t rise to my goals, I fell to the level of my systems. Those systems weren’t good enough because they didn’t align my weekly actions to my goals.
However, if I flip that coin, one of the things I’m most proud off is prioritising self-care. Every weekday I do an hour’s workout then I run six days, at least 48km a week. Rain or fog, winter or summer, I run for my head and my arse comes along for the ride. Getting up on a dark, cold winter morning at 5:15am isn’t always a joy. But I do it. I also showed up consistently on LinkedIn at least three days a week last year, even when I was busy, tired, and thought I had nothing to say.
So, I know I can do hard things when I create a system that makes that commitment a habit. That’s why this February I’m working with business strategist and systems specialist Jen Heuett to review my business systems and align them to my goals. I don’t want to be sitting here in January 2024 admitting to another year of zero progress on most of my goals. That’d just be awkward, mate.
Investing in relationships
2022 was also the year I admitted to myself I was lonely. My life was full of people and conversations, with a packed calendar and a lively community on LinkedIn, but it was also curiously empty when it came to people I could talk to about dreams, life, doubt, and the everyday sublime.
One of the things I enjoyed most in 2021 was my series of interviews with consultants and coaches. I learned so much … but more than that, the connection was joyous. Is there anything more beautiful than the way someone’s eyes light up when they talk about their zone of genius? One of my failed goals from 2022 was to reinvigorate this interview series. But unlike many of last year’s goals, this was something I really wanted … so I’m disappointed I failed. Adding a system for creating interviews, case studies, and long-form articles to my week in 2023.
Finally, when exhaustion and loneliness coalesced into a sticky sadness in September I felt afresh the lack of a mentor. I wrote about the importance of having a wise guide at the end of my first year in business, so this is a case of failing to practice what I preach.
I’d like to bring more to the communal table in 2023. To be a better friend, and a more valuable member of the New Zealand community of coaches and consultants, while making more time for those conversations that make the heart sing.
Whether you’re reading this in January 2023, or some day in the future, I hope something here has made you think, smile, or feel less alone. I struggle writing a piece like this, walking a line between the desire to share what I’ve learned, and self-indulgent navel-gazing so fingers crossed I’ve held the balance. May your year be full of light.
Read my last two year in review articles
When I started my business back in March 2020, I promised to share the story, warts, wonders and all. It’s mainly a record for me, but other consultants have been kind enough to say that they find this transparency handy too. So, here’s what worked and what didn’t in year two of consultant life.
I’m a year into freelance life, helping consultants pimp their websites to be bad ass new business machines and create content that’s their best salesperson. I promised to do this transparently, sharing what I learn as I go. Partly as a resource, partly as a record.