2015 – The Year of Change (only took 56 years…)

01 January 2015

For the last few years, I have tried to start the year with a couple of important (big) but achievable resolutions. 2015 will be no different although I am going to try very hard to document my progress on a week by week basis. I would really like to do a daily blog and will attempt to do that but being realistic, if I can maintain weekly then I will be happy enough. So there you go, resolution #1 is out there – get those blogs done.

I didn’t do so badly on the resolution front in 2014. I had 2 and got the big one, my British Nationality, sorted (scary). The second one, getting my UK driver’s license, I failed. That is back on the agenda for 2015 so resolution #2 is to get that license sorted. I need the wheels and freedom to get around and even consider a potential move out of London.  I suppose you could say my 2014 was big enough with the completion of the sale of my Chiswick flat (after 21 happy years of living there) so good excuse not to have completed the license challenge.

My resolution #3 is probably the biggest and scariest. I had somewhat of an epiphany over the Christmas holidays (I had a lot of thinking time while I sat with my mom in the hospital and also had a rather tacky 'thanks but we no longer require your services' email 2 days before Christmas with an even tackier 8 days notice). It made me realise I really don’t like what I do.  So a change of my professional & business life is the 3^rd resolution.

I just don’t like doing social media marketing for anyone other than myself. Oops – there it is. It’s out there. Let me be clear, I really love Twitter still (have since the day it began). I also really like LinkedIn because it is a powerful professional tool and a great way to personally market yourself. I really enjoy Facebook on a personal level but think it is most powerful for retailers only in the business world. Pinterest is also good for retailers and Instagram is powerful for those whose business have great images and want to target the yummy mummy demographics. There are other great social media channels. But businesses who hire consultants to do their social media are just lazy in my estimation and not getting the best out of the opportunities.  No one knows their businesses better than the owners and employees of that business. Only then can you really be real. I like to write the strategies and train but really love it when I see the businesses themselves take it on and flourish.

Social Media has served me well especially in the last few years while I have had to do a lot of travelling back and forth to New York to care for my elderly parents. It has allowed me the freedom to work wherever and whenever and provided an income so for that I am grateful. But now is the time to start winding down managing other businesses Social Media and do something different. The only clients I will continue to do Social Media for are those who I also do other marketing projects for. It does work then because I am immersed in the business and am considered part of the team. I have a few really lovely clients that I very much want to keep working with.

So you are probably asking what do I want to do? Well that is THE great question and one I can’t yet answer. I have decided that this is an adventure and these blogs will hopefully tell the story of my progress in finding something I really want to do. My two main criteria are to make enough money to sustain a reasonable lifestyle and as equally important, to be happy. Sounds simple but finding the answer will not be easy. But it is an adventure I really am looking forward to. If you are fascinated enough to follow my journey, welcome.  All input, comments (be nice) and feedback will be warmly received.

JS x