Before we begin, it is worth noting that this annual review is a personal process. This is simply an overview of what my year looked like, not advice for others. For a short time, I did monthly reviews on my YouTube channel and I may consider doing it again, but on a quarterly basis as for now, this will suffice.
Success Blueprint, LLC.
2023 was a good year for our company growth. Here are a few of the numbers:
- We grew 18% in 2023 (up from 7% growth in 2022).
- Client base grew 128 to 1575 total.
- We launched our 2nd co-author book in April and completed enrollment for our 3rd co-author book in November.
- We reached a total of 53 co-authors who have reached best-selling status.
- Speakers and Coaches Networking Society is at approximately 22,000 total, holding strong.
Our growth puts us in a good position within our niche market of coaches, authors, speakers and entrepreneurs but we have lots of room for more growth. We continue to use social media with a focus on LinkedIn, book signings, our new book projects, and signature events.
Managing Stress:
Because I spent the year divided between private clients, events, co-author books and masterminds, I stretched myself to full capacity. Halfway through the year I started waking up in the middle of the night and wasn’t able to go back to sleep. I’d find myself up at 3 AM and I would go downstairs or move over to our guest bedroom to listen to a podcast, pray, read or do a meditation.
Through increasing my exercise, doing early morning breathwork, taking cold showers, increasing hydration, and taking magnesium I’ve felt good and have been sleeping through the night again. I’ve battled with a lifetime of anxiety and currently wear an Oura Ring to track my stress, sleep patterns and much more.
It’s been one year since my Mom’s passing. I continue to think about ways to build family bonds and keep everyone together. My commitment is to stay in touch with family members on a consistent basis, plan experiences that unite us (such as travel and holidays), and maintain good relationships with all.
Communication: 2023 was a big year for us.
- Subscribers and Audience Buildout—I pulled back the first half of the year, however, took a positive turn forward during the second half of the year by focusing on subscriber build and list growth through two FB groups: The Speakers and Coaches Networking Society and Daily Journaling with Writing Prompts.
- The Collaboration Forum— After a long hiatus we brought back our networking forum. There’s nothing like meeting creators in person and I’m so happy to bring them back again. While still smaller than our previous years, we had a lot of great creators who made it out in person to learn how to grow their audiences, collaborate and grow their presence online.
What went well this year?
Book Launch: April 27, 2023
“Becoming You” Best Selling Status in 12 new categories including:
#1 Hot New Release
#1 New Release Public Speaking & Speech Writing
#1 New Release Starting a Business
#1 New Release Entrepreneur
#1 New Release Job & Market Advice
#1 New Release Volunteer Work
#1 Bestseller Public Speaker
#1 Bestseller Starting a Business
#1 Bestseller Entrepreneur Advertising
Book Signings: 5 Total in 2023.
Barnes and Noble – San Diego, January 2023
Barnes and Noble – Boca Raton, Florida, March 11, 2023
Denver,CO – Book Signing with Malvina Messler & Suzaita Hipolito, August 2023
January Speaking Events
- Discover the Beauty Within Conference, Ft. Lauderdale, Fl
- Touch a Heart Fundraiser; Boca Raton, Florida.
- University of California, San Diego, January 2023
Conferences & Events
- Unleash Your Superpower with my Co-Author Book Partner, Patricia Wooster Delray Beach, Fl. April 2023
- Unleash Your Superpower, Lake Worth, Fl. April 2023
- Unleash Your Superpower Event, Lake Worth Nov 11, 2023
Networking: This past year I connected with extraordinary men and women in various ways that include meetings, meetups and networking groups.
Audience growth:
Speakers and Coaches Networking Society: 22,300
Weekly Newsletter: 16,500
LInkedIn: from 6K to 8K
Launched LInkedIn Newsletter: An additional Subscribers: 1275
Travel: 5+ Countries- France, Germany, Switzerland, Netherlands, England, Monte Carlo, May 2023
7 Cities:
San Diego, CA
Denver, CO
Baltimore, MD
Atlanta, GA
North Georgia Mountains
Narraganset, RI
Greenport, NY
Work Outs and Daily Walks
Weightlifting: this past year I weight trained 3X a week on average and added in home workouts to develop grip strength, coordination, and agility.
Daily walks including my own “Daily Five” Weiss Method:
-Forgiveness
-Commitment
-Stacking Wins
-Reverse Engineering
-Worth & Confidence Walks
Bio-Hacking I joined Restore Hyper Wellness. I used sauna, red light, cryotherapy and the hyperbaric chamber. In addition, I upped my supplement game incorporating monthly IV infusions.
Family Life
It’s cliche, but I’m really noticing how quickly time is flying by. This year I turned 63 and time with family is more precious than ever.
Our family grew this year. After my mom passed, we now have shared custody of her yorkie, Lucie with our daughter, Kim.
As always, we continue to spend as much time as we can in Atlanta, Georgia with our 4 year old grandson. This year we had a big thanksgiving family reunion in Atlanta as well. November 2023.
What didn’t go so well this year?
Writing. For many years, my business was built on the consistency of my writing. I wrote a newsletter from 2010-2015. I journaled or wrote content every day. I also communicated with my email list at least once a week in a newsletter called LifeNotes. I haven’t been consistent in a long time in the same way.
Speaking. For years, I had spoken on a weekly teleconference call named Sunday Mojo from 2010-2013. I have not have a regular call with an audience since. I have also shied away from being on podcasts and speaking at events to allow for more white space in my calendar. In 2024 I am going to allow for more speaking, guest podcasting, and other opportunities.
Podcast. I switched venues this year keeping my current theme of pop up podcasts based on our co-author book titles although currently have slowed down production while wrapping up the “Becoming You” Podcast. In 2024 we will be taking off again with “Impact Driven Entrepreneur.”
What did I learn this year?
Some of my major lessons from this year include:
Moving fast. The importance of moving fast was clarified for me over the last year. I hesitated in finding a new primary doctor when the last two I’ve had went concierge. I needed to have surgery and really wanted to schedule it before the end of the year. Ultimately I was able to make it happen but it was challenging to tackle all the moving parts. Medical Directive, etc. These things should and must be in place. Enough said here.
Growing takes time. For the last three years my business has been growing moderately. I continue to bring new talent and grow the team which is my focus going forward. But in 2024—maybe!—I’ll have a 10X! That’s what I’m shooting for!
My 2024 goals:
- Be in exceptional shape —100 gym workouts — I want to stay focused and push myself harder. I’ve been working out since my twenties but somehow I fell off track when it came to weight training. I’m back on board again and plan to take on a whole new level once I fully recover from my surgery in December.
- Rent a big house for a family reunion — I initially thought I would do this in Europe but after the series of events, I’ve decided to do this more local either in Ashville, Colorado, or in Florida.
- Buy a small place in Atlanta or N. Ga Mountains — We want to be closer to our son and grandson by owning a place to stay in when we are up north.
- Run a 5k— Most of my life I have been a runner. I plan to start small and run a 5k this coming year. This activity alone will add cardio into my workout routine.
- Dance more— Take dance lessons and start dancing on a monthly basis.
- Grow my personal audience— I want to grow my personal audience to get a lot more attention for Speakers and Coaches, future book projects and events. My specific goals: LinkedIn 100k, Newsletter 25K subscribers.
- 50 newsletters, 50 podcast episodes— Go all in with newsletters and podcasts.
A life well-lived is a life well-edited. My biggest area of growth this year was prioritization. I had to become much better at saying no— and I’m still not very good at it! In short: Audit. Delete what doesn’t serve you. Go for what serves you best. That’s it!
Thank you for reading. Happy New Year!
Wendi