Every month I host a meet up for a bunch of wonderful girls. The shared thread is that we’re all small business owners, freelancers, bloggers, or people just looking to make that jump. The meet up, officially called Business in the City, was started by my dear friend Jess in Chicago, and now has a home in NYC. I love this group. Every time we gather I leave feeling lighter, more inspired, and excited about the entrepreneurial path I’ve chosen. Thanks to our girl Katie, we’ve now also added hors d’oeuvres and wine to the mix, so that’s clearly a plus too.
Our December get together was an exciting one. One of women in the group officially decided (that day!), to leave her day job and make the entrepreneurial jump. It was so nice to just talk about her- about ways to grow her business, secure her first clients, create a business plan, and so on. As we sat there talking, the woman’s concerns reminded me so much of myself and where I was 12 months back. It was nice to be able to offer advice and guidance, based on everything I’d learned in the last year. And while some of that advice covered specifics- like how to find an accountant or create a business investment budget- the advice I wanted to share the most was simply to express, that where she was with all the newness of her situation, was just fine. It didn’t matter if she didn’t have it all figured out yet- where she was in the process of starting her business was all part of the process, and that’s just fine.
As I hit the official one year mark of being in business for myself, I feel the pressure to deliver some sort of awe inspiring lesson to you guys- like some big secret to how I have it all figured it out. Well the truth is, and I hope you know this already (!), I definitely don’t have it all figured out. I may have some secrets, but I don’t know if I’d call them awe inspiring. Rather, the biggest realization I’ve walked away with from this first year is that where I am right now is just fine. It’s part of the process, and maybe more appropriately- part of my process. This first year, though I didn’t know it going in, was really all about exploration. I went in with the intention of being an event planner and came out as a consultant that specializes in creating sincere brand experiences through events, social media, and online content. While I’d love to think that last statement is final, I know my work will continue to evolve over this next year and years to come. But the exciting part is- given everything that happened in 2012, that exploration and evolution of my business is bound to be pretty awesome! So let’s do this, 2013.
Ps: If you live in NYC and would like to join the meet up group (gals and guys welcome!), we’d love to have you! Join the Facebook group to get all the updates on meeting dates and locations.
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Great post! How I wish I still lived in NYC so I could attend! Thanks for the Wednesday words
I just love that quote. Sounds like a lovely group of ladies you’ve got!
Thank you for this post! Being happy with where you are – such a simple concept but so hard for people to get there. Happy holidays, Clara!
You’re so welcome!! Love having you as a reader Bettina
. Hopefully we can catch up in 2013. xx
I loved this post – and find it so inspiring that you took a leap of faith and started down a entrepreneurial path! Congrats! I’ve been thinking about doing something similar myself so it’s encouraging to read these stories. Best of luck in 2013!