Looking Back to 2016
Looking back at the end of each year is a healthy process for each business owner, to see what is working, what is not, and what needs to be addressed in the coming year. Last year was a busy year for Startup Production as we added 19 projects to our portfolio with new published websites, and we worked with 54 local small businesses and several medium to large businesses. Our Internet Marketing services grew by 40% as companies see the need to not only have a great looking website but to promote their brand and web presences through engaging web content, consistent blogs, social media content, social media marketing and search engine marketing.
I was also very busy sharing, teaching and presenting valuable information for small business owners on internet marketing and planning for an effective web presence. This year I presented the following:
Presented to RYPA (Richmond Young Professionals Association) at their April 2016 meeting on “Building an Effective Web Presence“- 2016 Women Leading Kentucky as Leadership Conference Facilitator for Breakout Session II: “From Passenger to Pilot: Empowering Women to Work Their Business“
- Presented workshop hosted by EKU SBDC and Berea EDC, “Social Media & Content Marketing Strategies” on November 15, 2016 (Berea KY)
- Presented workshop hosted by EKU SBDC and Berea EDC, “Be Found on Google Searches & Google Map” on October 4, 2016 (Berea KY)
- Presented workshop hosted by the Bluegrass SBDC & Google during Small Business Week, “Be Found on Google Searches & Google Map” on May 4, 2016 (Commerce Lexington)
- Presented to Commerce Lexington’s BOAB Purple group, “Social Media & Content Marketing Strategies” on December 13, 2016 (Lexington KY)
And was very excited to present at the Selling to the World Expo on June 9-10, 2016, at the Southeast Kentucky Community & Technical College in Middlesboro KY, where I presented two workshops to fully booked classes:
- “Building an Effective Web Presence for your Business” workshop
- “Individual Web Presence Analysis” class, where we took the strategies in the first class and applied them individually to each business owner present.
Another big change for me personally was my family’s move to Lexington KY. Although my personal address changed, my commitment and presence in Richmond KY have not. I have office locations in both cities and work closely with not only my clients in Madison and Fayette Counties, but I also show community support through various sponsorships, memberships and support of local non-profits. In 2016, I also had to review where best to show my support and donate my time, and choosing only those organizations that are in align with my values, goals and brand. I will only dedicate my time to organizations that show respect for the opinions of all their members, have a well-organized strategic plan, a cohesive and professional board, and are welcoming and inclusive to all in the community.
Looking forward to 2017
This is a year of transition globally, nationally and locally, so we will continue to build on our relationships with fellow local small businesses and organizations that support small business. We will strengthen our marketing avenues to promote our services and the benefits that businesses can realize with our varied and customizable tools in Lexington KY, Richmond KY, local surrounding counties and beyond, as we have clients in NY, GA, FL, TN, WV and more.
My goals include scheduling my time to accomplish quality work, communication with my clients, meetings with prospective clients, marketing my business and of rest and time with family. Time management is a challenge for any business owner as we are wearing multiple hats throughout the day. It comes down to scheduling time not only for your work and meetings but for yourself, putting time in the calendar for creative thinking, strategic planning and marketing your business. Time management and work/life balance are continual challenges for any entrepreneur, so I will also be enlisting the help of a professional coach in 2017. I’m very excited about this new partnership and will share my progress on my blog.
This year I will spend time and encourage others to network, network, network your business and your brand. There is nothing more effective to building new leads is meeting someone face-to-face and shaking their hands. That is the true start of trust and credibility. No one enjoys cold calls whether on the phone, at your office, or by email (which could be perceived as spam), but if the relationship was started in person and then followed up with a phone call, email, a lunch meeting or a connection on social media, how much more it will be received.
Another goal is a focus on quality over quantity when it comes to relationships, new projects, organization involvement and even friendships. I’ve learned a lot last year as we went through some big changes as a family, making some hard decisions about where and how our family would live, work, learn and play. And I appreciate all those who were supportive throughout the ups and downs, and offered great advice, understanding and kindness as we endured the hard work of moving. There’s a few more changes ahead as well settle into our new home soon as we’ve been in temporary housing for the past 4 months. We are excited to soon finally be at home again.
If your goals in 2017 for your business include (1) promoting your brand, (2) engaging your target audience, (3) improving your presence on social media, (4) getting more traffic to your website or (5) adding new, dynamic, original and engaging content on your blog – call Startup Production to help get you started!
