Do you recap your journey through the year? I LOVE this concept because it gives you time to really consider what you accomplished, what you learned, and what might be coming next…AND it gives you time to celebrate your wins again.

The more you celebrate your wins (no matter how small), the more the Universe rewards you with more.

2016 was a 9 year – all about completions. Closing the door. Clearing. Maybe even reaping what we sowed. How did this play out for me? Well..let’s see.

1ST QUARTER (JANUARY–MARCH):

Working from 9-5….

So, hard to believe now…but 1st quarter I still had a day job. I was working part time with an inbound marketing agency, struggling to manage baby + work + life. If I have to be honest….I was hating it. I used to really love my job and what I did, but all the calls and trying to get things to people in between precise hours was turning me into a basket case. I had a baby who was nursing every two hours and was on my lap the rest of the time…this makes typing a tad bit challenging.

I was planning my escape. The Universe stepped in to show me I was ready before I thought I was. In March, I was told the business was closing because they didn’t have the energy or space to run two agencies any longer. I made the decision that I’d support any clients who wanted to move over with me.

Manifestation: Dream Mentor #1

I won a few months of working with a six figure business coach – this is the first coach I’ve worked with this long. The major thing I got out of this was being told “Kristen, you know your stuff. You and I have exactly the same knowledge. The only difference between your business and mine is I have a bigger platform.”

Well. That was something to sit on.

Manifestation: Dream Car

For years, I’ve been saying my dream “soccer mom car” would be a Porsche Cayenne. In either black or dark purple. Well, this one drifted into my flow (with all the features I wanted!) …at a price that was better than any other SUV we were looking at. Thanks Universe!

2ND QUARTER (APRIL–JUNE):

I honestly pretty much neglected my creative business (besides existing clients) during this time so I could grow the corporate business. Ideas were starting to brew behind the scenes though.

Oh crap, I have a business.

Somehow I started off April with more clients than I expected – and there wasn’t really an end in sight. I set intentions on what types of clients I wanted…and they just flowed in! I didn’t even market myself because I was spending time figuring out how I wanted this surprise business to look.

The advantage I had was that I’ve seen this done wrong enough that I knew a lot of the problems small marketing agencies often run into. Don’t get me wrong – I still made mistakes. I accepted a few clients despite my gut telling me no just because the money was good. And each of them was trouble.

So I took this knowledge and got cleared with my intentions on what clients I wanted. Everything’s a lesson, right?

Oh, hey you’ll give me all your clients?

Pretty quickly one of the first agencies I worked with decided they were going to make me their primary resource for inbound social media. Which – pretty lovely. Again, clients just flowing in without me really doing anything for it.

Somewhere in here is the realization that I could never see myself working a 9-5 again. Why would I when I could make more money for less work?

3RD QUARTER (JULY–SEPTEMBER):

Dream Mentor #2: 

I read a book by Kris Oster and was reminded that I should add her to my dream list of people I wanted to work with/get connected with. The next week she opened up a small group program for an unbelievable cost. I jumped.

Dream Mentor #3:

This was around the time when I started realizing I needed more support in my life. I had a few calls with life coaches but wasn’t entirely sure that was what I needed. I could feel transition happening so I also didn’t want a traditional business coach. And then someone who I’ve wanted to work with for years sent out an email about doing 1:1 – on spiritual coaching + business coaching. Again, I felt the call.

Ultimately this was one of my most impactful manifestations of the year – Kat‘s intuitive mentorship somehow manages to touch on all areas of my life every single call – parenting, relationships, spiritual growth, and business. It was during one of these calls that I realized how much I’ve been blending spirituality into my businesses – and how my creative clients were all shifting in this direction.

Another check on the list of people I’d love to work with/be mentored by/etc.

Starlit Strategies hatches.

I tested the waters with one of those creative clients and offered her a new way of doing work together. She jumped aboard the experiment. Suddenly it became “Oh, hey, I don’t think these Starlit Strategies are part of this business. I think this is a whole new thing.”

Which honestly blew my mind because I wasn’t expecting to create anything new at all. But it felt so RIGHT. I grabbed a tarot read from Dee Fells, got a kick in the butt, and swiftly started following my gut on what needed to be created here. (If you need direction or a kick in the butt, I strongly recommend her. Honestly…there are few people I’ll let read for me after working with her.)

Corporate clients shift energy.

As I got cleared on what I wanted from my corporate clients, I noticed that they’d flow in and out. One of my clients was fabulous money but starting to be way too much negative energy. I reset my intentions and they flowed out – in a way that all of my business contacts were pleasant – and would be happy to work with me again. Win!

I hired an assistant!

I’d been really hesitant to hire an assistant as I didn’t want to do hours of hours of training. But yay more time! BUT I also learned that I need to develop a new structure for working with people, especially when they’re coming into my brand without being fully immersed. My structure worked, but I think I could have come up with something that was more efficient and used both our strengths.

4TH QUARTER (OCTOBER–DECEMBER):

Starlit Strategies is born!

Hooray! Soulful strategy! Marketing that manifests! Finally something that blends all of my expertise and experience with the core of me.

The Goddess Quiz unveils!

I’d been sitting on the Biz Goddess Archetype Quiz for awhile – before Starlit Strategies was even a thought – and it was SO exciting to find where it belongs.

This was instant reassurance that I was on the right path from the interest in it to the really lovely emails I got from people telling me what it meant for them.

1st Retreat + Dream Mentors 4 + 5

I randomly got an email about a retreat near me. After some hesitation, I decided to go. It certainly wasn’t what I expected, but I got a LOT out of it. Most importantly the realization of how much my business has shifted and how I needed to support it – spiritually, and physically.

This was also the realization that I’d been doing too much by myself, with no/little support or outside help. There was the click of “Oh, hey, you could invest in yourself even more.” I ditched the thought of “You’ve been doing marketing for 15 years” and replaced it with the decision to go in quest of a business coach.

Lesson of the year: your business is not an island. To grow, you must have outside support.

I hired a new assistant!

My first assistant had to take leave…BUT I was right about to hire someone for my corporate business. I happened to find someone that could do both – from a recommendation from the retreat. Thanks Universe. I hired Jill solely because of her energy – I KNEW she was a right match to work with Starlit Strategies and she understand exactly what’s being created here. No ick, all light and love.

1st BIG SCARY EXCITING investment

Anddddd I finally made that big investment! The coach I had intended to work with had to shift her 2017 plans. At the same time, I had randomly applied for Allison Braun’s mastermind, Sexified Success Circle, even while thinking “I don’t actually know if I want to do this. But I’ll be open to it.” Turns out this was the same coach that my intended coach was going to recommend to me. Again, the Universe was working some magic.

Ironically I realized I looked at a mastermind at the beginning of the year for the exact same price and scoffed the idea of being able to do it soon/that it would be a wise decision. 12 months and some major energetic shifts…and here we are.

What’s next for Starlit Strategies?

Free things! You get a freebie, and you get a freebie, and you get a…

I’m creating some BIG things as we speak. Another quiz! (Maybe even two!) Trainings on creating sacred parts of your business.

Basically, be on the lookout for some fabulous things.

A Facebook Group

As much as I heart Twitter, it’s not always the best place to bring people together into one conversation. 2017 is all about community + sisterhood for me and I really want to create a sacred place where we can chat biz magic + spiritual marketing + soulful strategy + life.

Group Program: Cosmic Roots

I’ll be kicking off Q2 with a group program on putting spiritually infused success into the heart of your business. Aligning your business with success from the inside out.

Think: sacred profits, rituals for success, embracing the mindset that creates lasting and aligned success – more profits, more joy, less of increasing profits only to increase expenses too.

Now imagine doing it in a group of like minded entrepreneurs who are supporting your vision and sharing in the journey. Magic. Sheer magic.

Scholarships, say what?

You heard me. 🙂

Teaming up with a surprise coach 

Can you guess who? I’ll be bringing in a special coach into Cosmic Roots to bring her own flair and special mojo to help you uplevel and shift your mindsets.

New things!

All sorts of new things are on my 2017 map – and I’m in the middle of an upleveling transition now so I *know* there will be more change once I do my last round of vision mapping.

Admittedly…I have NO clue what’s going to happen with my corporate business. It’s been a wonderful, entirely easy thing to have this year, but I might want to leave all my energy for this. We…shall see.

And that’s that.

What happened in your world?

May 2017 be worlds above your 2016. Blessings.