What Worked and What Didn’t Work for Me in 2018

This year has been one of the most exciting and challenging years I’ve had in business. Last year I told you about how I made the biggest mistake with my business, ever. I spent most of 2018 building my business back up by focusing on marketing, blogging and investing in new brand photography.

Some of my plans worked out in 2018, and a few things didn’t go the way I had hoped. I’m giving you an honest perspective by sharing what worked for my business this year, and what didn’t.

WHAT WORKED

Instagram
Last year I took The Instagram Lab course by Jenna Kutcher and it was a total game changer for my business in 2018. Within a year I tripled my Instagram following organically, and more importantly I booked most of my new clients directly from Instagram.

Brand Photography
Last year I invested in brand photography and this year I decided to do it again. I found that there were some specific types of shots I was missing and also I was ready for a fresh new look. This time around I hired a new photographer and was really thrilled with the results. If you haven’t had professional brand photos taken I highly recommend it as an investment for your business. Read about How to Prepare for Your Personal Brand Photo Shoot

Client Work
This year I was incredibly blessed to work on a variety of new client branding projects. I’m so proud of the work that was done and for the opportunity to get to work with each and every one of these ladies. Head over to my portfolio to see some of my client work.

WHAT DIDN’T WORK

Email Marketing
Last year I got really hooked on podcasts and workshops with Jenna Kutcher. She got me to realize that having an email list was way more valuable than having a social media following. I immediately signed up with Convertkit^* and started working on sending out weekly emails. Once things got busy with client work, the emails slipped to the wayside and I was lucky if I sent one out every couple of months. One of my top goals for 2019 is to send emails regularly. ????

Finding Personal Time
Since there’s always a catch to good things (like booking more client projects) I found myself lacking any personal time in 2018. I work early in the morning before our son wakes up, during naptime and at night after Ryan is in bed. I miss having time to exercise, paint my nails, read and take a bubble bath.

My Book List
One of my goals for 2018 was to read more books, either business-related or books just for fun. I forget how much I’ve missed reading until I get hooked on a new book. But, along with not having much personal time – I have not had time to finish more than two books this year. ????

WHAT I LEARNED

Planning and preparing as much as possible kept me focused on my business goals. Without a written plan my mind wanders and I lose focus. Maybe if I plan personal time for myself and for reading I can manage to fit that in better in 2019.

Tell me in the comments below, what worked and what didn’t work for YOU in 2018?