If I’m being honest, I hesitated to write this post. However, I promised myself (and I encourage others to do the same) to celebrate my wins no matter how big or small. Taking the time to celebrate your wins is important, because it shows that you are making progress and taking steps in the right direction towards your goals. I am also sharing in my quest to inspire others to take action to live their life on purpose, and do what they are called to do.
Last year I waited until the end of the year to do a recap , but I felt like I should do a quarterly update on my #OneWord for 2016….Implement. This post is also my way of staying accountable to myself (and you), since I shared an overview of some of my plans for 2016 with you. 🙂
Coming into 2016 one thing I knew for sure, was that this year would be different from 2015. I knew it would be different because I was even more committed to taking the steps to make it so. Don’t get me wrong, 2015 was an amazing and transformational year for me, but I knew that I wanted more. I also knew for sure, that God was calling me to step out even more and I wanted to be obedient to that call.
First Quarter Wins
One goal for 2016 was to host/participate in/speak at more workshops and events. In the first 3 months of 2016 here’s how I did.
1) I was the guest on a webinar for Caribbean Girls Who Blog where I shared how I went from being a Blogger to a Blogpreneur.
2) I co-hosted the Make it Pop Workshop here in Dallas with I’sha Gaines and special guest De’Ana Fierce. This was something we had been planning since 2015, and we were committed to bringing it to reality in early 2016. The feedback from the workshop has been nothing short of amazing and we have already gotten tons of requests to do another one. Stay tuned.
3) I was invited to be part of the blogger team for the Act Like A Success conference. In May I’ll be heading to ATL for that event. PS: You still have time to enter to win one of 2 VIP tickets HERE.
4) I was confirmed as a speaker for Blogging While Brown 2016 in DC! Last year I attended BWB for the first time, as an attendee/award winner, so I’m really excited to be returning as speaker. To register for the conference, go HERE.
In the name of transparency, here’s a fun fact that I have never shared before, outside of my inner circle. I applied to be a speaker at Blogging While Brown last year (2015) but I was not selected. I was not mad because I took it as a sign that I was not ready. I was however extremely proud of the fact that I had the courage to apply. I could have let that “failure” stop me, but I didn’t and I applied again.
5) I had the honor of being the first guest on Blogalicious’ BLink Monthly Influencer chat last month. This was another full circle moment for me because Blogalicious was the first conference I attended back in 2014. If you missed the session you can catch the replay HERE.
6) Although I only announced it a few days ago, I was also confirmed as a speaker for a Dallas Startup Week panel in the first quarter so I’m including it here :). Dallas Startup Week is a free week long event full of (multiple) daily sessions (powered by Chase) for entrepreneurs, business owners and startups in Dallas. I’ll be part of a panel on April 14th, from 11-11:45 on why video is the new black. To register go HERE
If I do say so myself, I think I did really well with this goal, considering we are only three (and some) months into 2016. Yes, I’m patting myself on the back and you should too. Take the time to celebrate on each step of your journey. 😉
Other wins
Packaging My Services
Prior to this year, I don’t think I ever talked about the fact that I offered services here on the blog. Well, I do and I have been doing it for a while. One of my goals for this year was to get help to better package those services and offerings. I invested in a business coach who has helped me do just that, so that I can be of even better service to my clients. Click HERE to visit my new site.
Ven & Rose
As it continued to grow, in February I moved my Apparel brand Ven & Rose to a new platform which allowed for an even better customer experience, and more flexibility. I also get the opportunity to meet and interact with customers on a monthly basis when I participate in the Dallas Textured Hair Marketplace. If you’re in Dallas, the next one happens this weekend.
CHALLENGES
It will be remiss of me to list all of my wins without sharing at least one challenge. Being an entrepreneur is no “cake walk”. Yes there are lots of perks, but it’s a lot of hard work. I have been blessed to have a really supportive husband and family unit and I do not take that for granted. One of my challenges has been finding the right people to perform some of the tasks that I need to outsource. After speaking to others in my circle, I know it can sometimes be a process of trial or error to find your “match”. One of my goals for the second quarter of 2016 is to continue to build my support team.
READ ALSO: I never wanted to be an entrepreneur
I hope this post encourages you to continue to press forward and take steps to achieve the goals you set for yourself. In the words of Steve Jobs..
YOUR TURN: Do you take the time to celebrate your wins?
Aw, this is BEAUTIFUL! I do agree we should celebrate our wins and I struggled to do that LOL. I am so excited when I win something big that I just take a break and that’s my way of celebrating (by bring still relaxing instead). But I want to get out and get off-line and celebrate more often as you’ve stated here. It is truly very important.
I love this! You did an amazing job last quarter. I am working to be like you when I grow up LOL. Outstanding job!
I am loving your wins Vee! Definitely inspiring and encouraging. My first quarter wins include getting my first ambassadorship as a blogger. It’s a big win because I pitched high and they said yes! I’ve also starting working on my skill set that helps others (wink). Normally it’s like a hobby but there is definitely business there too. Thanks for always being so positive and encouraging.
You’re so right! We have to celebrate all of our victories even the ones we think are small (which might be huge to someone else) as they are the word of encouragement someone may need!
Proud of you Neighbor 🙂 Congratulations on all your achievements. I remembered when I messaged you 6 yrs ago to ask you about blogging tips and you said you did not know , you did not think you were expert enough, haha, but look how you have grown!!! You are an inspiration!! Thank you for sharing. 🙂
LOL! Girl that made me laugh so loud. I literally did not know what I was doing LOL. Thank you so much neighbor. Thanks for taking the time to read and comment <3