How do I sum up this past year ??? I struggle to even acknowledge it has been a whole year, as it just seemed to whiz by at lightning speed !!
Let me start by saying, I haven’t been as active with my blogs as I should be for 2 reasons....…
1/ Its been busy and …..
2/ I was thinking, jeez these blogs are all about me !!! Who is even interested in me ???
So then I googled what exactly a blog is supposed to be....
"Blog, is an online journal where an individual, group, or corporation presents a record of activities, thoughts, or beliefs."
There was more to the definition but I just picked out the part that said to me ‘Yes, I should continue to write blogs, it's like a personal journal and people will choose to read them if they want. What I have found is, I always get a lovely response to any posts I share, especially when they are more personal. So, if this entry inspires even one person, it will be worth publishing !!’
I said this time last year that 2021 would hold many opportunities and a lot could be achieved. Well I’m delighted to say that was the case ! It was very, very, busy, a good complaint but it was at times, a little overwhelming. But the trick is to know your limits, learn how to say NO and when to say YES !!
For me, 2021 was a year of LEARNING, lots of learning. I do believe it is important to keep upskilling but I have a tendency to start courses without actually considering the full extent of what is involved and that was the case with 3 new courses I completed this year. But the good news is, that it was all worth it.............
1/ I’m now a qualified coach, through that course I gained really valuable skills and connected with amazing people.
2/ I refreshed my Train the Trainer qualification, which involved very detailed assignments, they were tough, worse than the leaving cert - ha ha !!
3/ I did a proficiency in Public Speaking course, I thought I can blag this, how hard can it be ???? I really should stop with that attitude, as all 3 courses were much harder than I anticipated and involved exams and assignments that I wasn't prepared for. But all worth it.
I am currently on Year 1 of the Entrepreneurs Academy THRIVE programme and this is a chance for me to take a step back and focus on my own business, plus again I’m connecting with really great people in business.
In 2021, I continued to grow my network, locally, nationally and even internationally !! I know sometimes I complain about zoom but it really has opened up great opportunities for me and for my business. The past 2 years, collaborations have been very important, I’ve joined forces with other companies with phenomenal results, more of this to follow in 2022 !!!
In January 2021, I was invited to feature on the Everything Entrepreneurial podcast. This was a real highlight of my year. Typically I would run a mile from an offer like this but I choose to say YES and I loved it and the response I received was unreal. Link... https://everythingentrepreneurial.ie/podcast/episode-016-sandra-maybury/
In 2020, I challenged myself to be more visible on my own social media, practise what I preach to my clients and all that. In May 2021, to celebrate 1 year since officially launching the rebranded - Maybury Marketing, I posted my first video online. I know that sounds ridiculous to so many who are very comfortable in front of the camera but for me I was a nervous wreck. The video only appeared as a snippet on facebook and Instagram, which was an epic fail, however the full 3½ minutes did load on LinkedIn (see link here to replay) https://www.linkedin.com/posts/sandra-maybury_maybury-marketing-is-1-year-old-today-activity-6808356143950311424-tG9l
I was literally blown away by the response, I had hoped my video would inspire others and I believe it did. Admittedly that was my first and last video on my social media channels but as my school reports would say ‘Could try harder !!’, so that is the plan for 2022.
Another personal highlight, was to share a photo with my 4 generation family to celebrate International Women’s Day, thanks to Flash photography. I love this photo, how lucky are we to have 4 generations, although 3 of my nieces are missing from the photo.
Over this past year, I have had the opportunity to mentor wonderful business owners and managers from a variety of sectors, all across Ireland. In a short space of time, we see amazing results, and that, is real job satisfaction for me – knowing that I can help others achieve their goals. I have been part of the award winning MentorsWork programme from its launch in September 2020 and I’m also on the panel of mentors for Cork County and City Local Enterprise Offices. 2 positions I am very proud to hold and a part of my job I absolutely love.
There have been many other highlights in 2021, I was a finalist in the Network Ireland West Cork Businesswoman of the Year awards. A couple of years ago I wouldn’t have dared put myself forward for something like this but the support of the Network has been fantastic. It was such an honour to also be nominated as a finalist in the Cork Business Awards 2021, the awards ceremony is postponed until March 2022.
During the year I’ve gathered a nice bit of press attention – all good – ha ha !! and I am so grateful to each of the journalists and editors for featuring me and my business in their publications. These are just some of the live links, there was great print coverage too.
And I was very thankful to be involved in a number of projects locally that gained press attention too. Not forgetting my 7 seconds of fame on National TV… click on the photo for the link
2021 has had plenty of challenges too but lets not dwell on the negative stuff. But I will tell you about one recent challenge.... a few weeks ago my facebook account was hacked !!!!!!!!!!!! yes hacked !!! Let this be a lesson to all, it does happen. The Maybury Marketing page was then removed but I’m working on getting it live again but it’s a slow, slow, slow process !!
Now, I can’t finish, without mentioning two ladies who were a great support to me this year. Marian who was our Marketing Graduate for Q1 and Aisling who continues to work like a beaver behind the scenes, helping clients with their canva designs and social media posts. And all the wonderful people I had the pleasure of working with. Thank you to my clients for your continued support.
So what is the plan for next year ????? I will continue to support clients, colleagues, friends and family when needed. Keep doing what I’m doing, if its not broke, don’t fix it !!
But I did get a MAD notion over Christmas that I would write a book in 2022. This idea scares the life out of me but excites me enough to not let the fear hold me back.
That is it, I've said it now !!! I'm going to write a book - wish me luck - I'm gonna need it.
Happy New Year to you all. – I hope 2022 brings all you wish for !!
Sandra