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2021 was such a fantastic year for Thrive Design Co. It just dawned on me yesterday that this month officially marks ONE year of being in business full-time. One year ago, after 8 months of amazing growth in my business, I put in my notice at my 9 to 5 to finally pursue Thrive Design Co full-time, and never looked back. It’s been the best decision I’ve ever made! It was an amazing year of growth, not just in workload, but personal growth, more experience gained, and so much more. Below are some of the highlights of Thrive Design Co’s first year of full-time business.
End of Year Overview
15 new amazing clients added to the Thrive Design Co tribe
5 new websites launched
3 brand identities designed
20+ SEO clients
Biggest Project: New website for Sheila Mraz Photography
Biggest Impact: New website for Starnes Cove Baptist Church in West Asheville
Biggest Achievements
Left my full-time job in January 2021 to pursue branding and web design full-time
Was able to start paying myself a salary halfway through the year
Worked with 15 new amazing clients, and a lot of previous clients from 2020 on new projects
Rebranded from Thrive Digital Marketing AVL to Thrive Design Co, changed my offers, niched down, changed my entire branding, and launched my new and improved website
Raised my prices to match the effort I was putting into my work and the value that I bring to my client's businesses, and started booking more dream clients
Became a Wix Partner and a Squarespace Circle Member
Got certified in Google Analytics
Got certified in SEO through HubSpot
Took a Google My Business course
Took a branding course
Partnered with some amazing other creatives on some fun projects
Took some valuable time off around the holidays for the first time ever (every job I've ever worked, I was lucky to get Christmas off, if that)
Implemented new systems and software throughout my business such as Dubsado, Flodesk, Planoly, Adobe Illustrator, and hired an accountant
Worked a lot in my business internally and created a better client experience, and refined my processes
Biggest Challenges
Finding a good work-life balance
Not being as streamlined as I wanted to be in the first part of the year
Not being in a good daily routine for maximum productivity and a healthier lifestyle
Not being as assertive or straight-forward as I should’ve been with some clients
Not being confident enough in myself as far as my ability to sell the benefits of my services to potential clients
2022 Business Goals
It’s been such a great year for my business and it’s been amazing working with some incredible business owners this year. I’ve got so many goals and ideas for 2022 and I’m ready for the best year yet.
Launch an SEO course. So many business owners don’t hire anyone to help them with their websites, so they’re missing out on the valuable portion of web design that is SEO. The goal is to make a detailed, affordable SEO course and launch it this year so that more small businesses can start getting discovered online.
Continuing education. I plan on taking a lot more design courses this year, possibly experimenting with new website builder platforms, and expounding on my knowledge in design. I wan to be the best I can possibly be for all my clients, and provide the best services I can.
Book more dream clients. This year I’m working hard on building a portfolio around my dream clients, and the businesses I’d love to work with. I just recently decided I’m working primarily with service-based businesses from now on, but I might start working with e-Commerce again, who knows! We’ll see where the year takes us! I love working with businesses that provide services, and businesses in the food/restaurant/coffee shop/industry.
Offer new services. I plan on adding two new services to my list of services this year, one of them being free website evaluations. During these website evaluations, I go through your website and dissect each page, and all the content, strategy or lack thereof, etc, and let you know where your issues lie, and what isn’t working. From there, you can take what I report and go in and update your site yourself, or you can hire me to work on your website for you!
Share more of my work. I realized that I haven’t been so great about posting lots of photos of my work, which I should be doing way more, since that’s how people are able to know what I’m capable of, haha. So this year I’ll definitely be posting more!
Do more face-to-face meetings. I’ve been gradually getting back to doing more face-to-face meetings and it’s great being able to get out of the house, meet a client in person, go over their project, share some laughs, have some drinks, and have that human connection again. I say this all the time, but human connection is something so incredibly valuable, and important for our health, and we have lost a lot of that during the pandemic. So this year, I’m glad to have the chance to meet more clients in person.
What an amazing year 2021 has been. I am so grateful for everyone that’s supported my business, worked with me, mentored me, inspired me, and helped me and my business grow this year. I’m looking forward to the best year yet, and I’m so glad you’re here to come along on the journey with me.