I love this time of year. It’s review and planning season for me, which gives me a sense of energy and anticipation. It gives me a chance to look back on the year that was and dream about the coming year. I do this with all different parts of my business, including my content (check out my Content Review and Planning Guide if you’re keen to take a closer look too).
I’ve written this blog every year since I’ve been in business so it’s fun to see what has featured as highlights for me each year. So, grab a glass of your favourite beverage and let’s cheers our successes and all the things that we can be grateful for in 2023.
Finished writing a book
Without a doubt, this is the biggest achievement of 2023. My focus on finishing The Power of Content meant that a great deal of other business ‘stuff’ was put on hold. Including sales. So, whilst I’m so happy that I managed to finish writing the book, run a Kickstarter campaign and create a launch plan ready for release in 2024, it came at a big expense to my business.
I’ll be recording a few podcast episodes talking about the experience in more detail in 2024 so make sure that you’re following The Powerful Content Podcast on your favourite app.
Reached a year of podcasting
Speaking of podcasting, March saw me celebrate a year of podcasting with a special episode with my husband! You can listen to it here.
I love recording episodes with guests, but find it hard going with the solo episodes. But I’ve been consistent, and only missed one week so far.
As I edge towards 100 episodes, I feel a big celebration coming on!
Moved house
On the personal front, this has been a big one. Anyone who’s sold and bought a house will know how much mental and physical effort goes into making it happen. Unfortunately we had a less than ideal experience with a real estate agent, but so happy that the universe was on our side in what was a particularly ordinary market. We managed to sell and buy a house on the same day.
When we moved into our new home I knew that I was going to finish writing my book. You’ll just have to buy the book to read the story on how I knew!
The numbers
It’s true that it’s not everything, but a growth in numbers is always fun to see.
- 58% increase in The Powerful Content Podcast downloads
- 19% growth in Facebook Group The Content Project
- 25% in email list growth
- 2% increase in Instagram followers
- 3% growth in Facebook likes
The learnings
It’s been a year of growth on so many levels, but a few of my main learnings include:
- There’s some parts of my content that don’t light me up and I’ll be looking to potentially shed these in 2024. It’ll be hard knowing how much time, energy and resources that I’ve put into them already, but if you’ve been around me a while you’ll know that the YOU in content matters as much as the who. So, if you’re not feeling it, don’t carry it!
- It’s hard for me when I’ve got several big things happening at the same time. My brain space gets too full and I end up dropping all the balls! I know that I need to be more kind to myself
- I love creating. Once I have an idea, setting up the tech and planning is in my wheelhouse. The trouble is to curb the ideas so I don’t get overwhelmed!
- When you’re connected to the ‘why’ of something, boy, does it make a difference. Despite a slow Kickstarter campaign to fund my book, I always believed it would get funded. Even when it went down to the wire I moved mountains to make it happen.
To celebrate 2023 with gratitude, I’ll be having a glass of bubbles. I’ve just discovered my favourite non-alcoholic kind, so double win!
Now it’s your turn. Grab a piece of paper and write down five things that you’ve achieved this year. Don’t think or qualify what you’re writing. Just write and see what you come up with. And say thank you to 2023 so you can welcome in the new year with a clean slate.
If you’d like some specific guidance with reviewing your content, don’t forget to download my unconventional Content Review and Planning Guide that’s less about the numbers, and more about you.
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