I take so much pride in the wins of those around me. Probably moreso than I do my own. Last week, two of my clients reached major milestones. One celebrated a major, hard-earned promotion and the other got the green light to move forward on a huge marketing campaign we’ve been working to sell in to the organization’s leadership team for the past six months.

It feels so good to talk about these wins. I’m smiling as I type this! As I was reveling in the accomplishments of the folks I work so closely with, I got an email from LegalZoom letting me know that this month marks the two-year anniversary of Visionaries Collective, LLC. That means my little consulting business - the one that started two years ago with me ghostwriting LinkedIn posts and Op-Eds for founders and executives, the one that served as my safety net when I was laid off, is a full on, walking, talking toddler! I want to pick it up and hug it and say “Look at you now! You’re such a big girl!” I want to throw a party, like my friend Ruthie did when her business turned five.​

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I’m certainly not the first to suggest we should celebrate business and career milestones with the same energy we use to celebrate birthdays, weddings and anniversaries, but I have to say, it’s really fun to track your company milestones in the same way you would your child’s.

It was born! I had no idea what I was doing! I asked for help, I didn't sleep a lot, but I had moments of confidence amidst the chaos. Eventually it started talking. I started as an independent contractor. I submitted W-9s in my own name. A few months later, I formed my LLC.

Then we learned to walk. I signed up for a co-working space and joined professional networking communities. I secured my first year-long retainer client. I opened a bank account.

We stumbled, fell, made plenty of mistakes, had quite a few setbacks, got back up, and barged forward. I hired a proper accountant to help me with taxes and advise me on what I could or could not write off.

Two years later, that little ghostwriting side hustle has turned into a full fledged marketing consultancy, enlisting frequent creative collaborators (the collective) to collaborate on projects, to partnering with marketing teams and founders on their brand strategies, messaging architecture, creative campaign development and guiding organizations through agency RFP processes.

And after the success of The Setback Cycle, I now have a whole revenue stream dedicated to professional development programs, leadership off sites and workshops with huge companies like Samsung, Ziff Davis, LinkedIn, a real estate investment group, a few agencies and more in the works.

If I had to boil down what I’ve learned into two main takeaways (think of them as candles on the birthday cake), I would say:

1. Stay open to opportunities. I built my business as a fun side project. I had no idea what a lifeline it would be one day but I do know I’ve always been good at seizing opportunities and building meaningful relationships - all which have been critical as I’ve built Visionaries Collective from the ground up.
2. Build trust and do great work. I've been connected with the majority of my clients via word of mouth, because those who have partnered with me know they can trust me not only to get the job done but to position them to better advocates for themselves within their organizations. Please see the aforementioned client promotion and major campaign approval. And I celebrate the crap out of their wins.

As I look to the next few years, my goals are really summarized by the statement, “more of this.” I want more than anything to continue to have moments of celebration with long standing client partners, helping them find success in whatever way we choose to define it.

At the end of September, I’ll wrap up a project I’ve been working on for the past 12 months, and send that baby off into the world, which means I’ll have space to take on more work. After lots of discussion, my favorite evaluation system (simply asking “what will I take most pride in/will this work matter to me a year from now, in two years, in five years?”) and an informal strategy session with revenue consultant Frenchie Ferenczi, my plan is to take on one more marketing consulting client and then put a hold on new projects so I can focus my attention toward the current roster, continuing to partner with the folks and companies I already work with so I can help them reach their big milestones.

So please join in wishing me a happy birthday to my little company and a congratulations to my long standing clients on their big wins. Now tell me how I can celebrate you and your latest professional milestones.

In the meantime, here’s what I’m:

The 2024 Olympics have technically reached gender parity, but the breakdown among athletes participating in the games does not tell the full story. Areas like coaching are still predominantly male, and female athletes certainly face plenty of other obstacles. In related news, stay tuned for an upcoming article where I got to interview Allyson Felix about her first ever dedicated Olympic nursery and family space (in partnership with my former client, Procter & Gamble!) at the Paris games.

In cultural trends that some might find surprising but also makes total sense, I loved this read on the rise of the IVF influencers, which explores the benefits and pitfalls of going public about one’s fertility journey.

Say what you want about the upcoming election, it’s undeniable that Kamala Harris’ marketing team is on fire (and I'm also pumped about her VP pick - I mean, look at this guy.) My friend and brilliant marketer Rakia Reynolds explains what the Harris campaign is doing well in this Adweek article.

On that note, I really enjoyed this article about the color of the summer: puke green! Sorry, brat green. Says the designer behind the Charlie XCX album that started it all, “It conjures the feeling of freedom. I think the wave of green that has sort of taken over is because it’s a party and it feels wild. This is not millennial pink. The energy behind it is alive.”

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