2023, the darkness before the dawn

2023, it has been a tough year!

Not just for me but for lots of people around me.

Our resilience and positivity has been pushed to the brink. Unsettled political situations continue, the cost of living crisis, energy prices rocketing and being a business owner in 2023 has been like wading through treacle.

Back in January I chose ‘growth’ as my guiding word for 2023. I’d actually forgotten about it until my wonderful coach reminded me about it a couple of weeks ago.

I guess I have been so busy I’ve not really even had time to reflect on all of the growth that has been happening around me.

👉 I’ve pivoted my business, nearly doubled my turnover and I’ve started working with much larger organisations.

🎉 I have a lot to celebrate as the year draws to a close. I have grown massively both personally and professionally.

📝 I’ve been busy learning and studying LinkedIn’s behaviour across all the accounts I manage.

✅ I’m now a certified Sales Navigator expert

✅ I have been using LinkedIn’s latest features: audio rooms, live events, newsletters and more recently collaborative articles.

✅ I test and measure everything - I can’t teach things I’m not versed in.

✅ I spend all day pretty much on LinkedIn and it is still a huge learning curve for me.

😩It is also constantly changing and it can feel exhausting to keep on top of all the trends.

😳 The expert status I’ve gained still feels pretty uncomfortable too. Calling myself a LinkedIn expert feels bizarre but I am celebrating how far I’ve come.

🌍 I manage accounts from across the globe and love the international reach of my business. It keeps it interesting and I’ve learnt so much about different cultures and international businesses this year.

👩💻 I’ve created strategies for book launches, developed roadmaps, written a gazillion posts and newsletters, researched hashtags, and audited and rewritten so many LinkedIn profiles over the past 12 months.

💖 Everyday is interesting and I really love the work I am doing.

I never in a million years imagined I could create a business to work around my family.

But like many others 2023 has tested me.

😞 Family illness, exiting toxic clients, not getting paid, people pleasing, procrastinating and still not having great boundaries have all impacted me this year.

2023 has been dark in places and it's important to not gloss over it.

One thing I am really grateful for is the community that I’ve built here - so thank you for following me. Many of you have kept me going when I’ve wanted to sack it all off and get a job in the post office round the corner.

I am, along with many others, waiting for the light of dawn.

Here’s to a brighter 2024!

#LinkedInExpery #LinkedIn #SocialFlowCollective #LinkedInLaura