Stephanie, the Maven here.
I’m not usually one to sit down and write a whole long missive about how grateful I am for my business. I mean, I looked back and there have been two posts in almost 12 years about it. It’s not that I’m not grateful; I just don’t make a big deal about it. But 2023 has not been a usual year for me.
As has been posted before, the long-term, full-time project I was on for roughly two years ended at the end of July. It ended fully on my terms, but it happened a lot faster than I anticipated. Part of why that was ok was because I’d had the forethought to work out how to keep my agency open when I took the opportunity. For that I am thankful.
To that end, the only way I’d been able to keep the agency open was because we had a few fantastic clients who trusted that their work would get done, and they allowed that to happen when the other project wasn’t demanding my attention. For that I am thankful.
My wife travels quite a bit for work. When she came home and saw firsthand the stress the project was causing me, she encouraged me to walk away, saying we’d figure things out if they didn’t work out on their own. For that I am thankful (in part because I don’t know that I would have taken care of myself in that way without her push).
When friends in the industry and in related industries found out I was back under my own shingle full time, they jumped in and the referrals came fast and furious. As in, three months later, our roster is almost at full capacity again. That would not have happened without their support. For that I am thankful.
So as the title says, thankful doesn’t begin to describe it. Even in the bad stuff, there’s so much that’s turned out just right this year. And I’ll be taking the time and making the effort to express my gratitude over Thanksgiving. To celebrate the holiday, the agency will be closed from Wednesday, November 22 through Sunday, November 26 to spend time with our families and friends who have supported us through this roller coaster. Need some help? Send us an email and we’ll get back to you as soon as we return!
