Whew. It’s been quite a year, hasn’t it? ‘Tis the season to take stock of what the outgoing year has brought before jumping into the madness of new goals and plans.
I launched Competency Consulting at the beginning of January with only the vaguest sense of what starting a business would really mean. The months since have been nothing if not a series of learning experiences.
Accomplishments
- I wrote and published 24 blog posts.
- I revamped my LinkedIn presence and started posting, although not consistently.
- I created a business Instagram handle, @competencyconsulting, and started posting and interacting there.
- I joined 2 in person networking groups, and have made some great connections.
- I created some free tools that I’m quite proud of: the Training Report Card and the Training Cost Calculator.
- Best of all, I got my first client, and earned actual revenue! Guess that means I have a real business.
Lessons learned
- I experimented with cold outreach on LinkedIn and email. It’s not for me, and definitely not for me now.
- I’ve learned a lot about YouTube – something that will be a big part of 2026.
- I have a tendency to think that the next class, book, or tool will be the thing that makes everything work, instead of remembering that it is ME that makes things work.
- This is not a process that can be rushed, financial concerns notwithstanding.
- Nothing replaces being super clear on what you are offering and why it is of value to your customers.
All in all, I am proud of my first year in business. I’ve got some plans for 2026 that I’m excited about, including a bit of a new look for my newsletter. More on all of that in a couple of weeks.
Meanwhile, a happy holiday season to all!