2022 Recap

2022 Recap

2022 was the first year I took the whole idea of reflection seriously, both with my personal and professional goals. I reflected on my wins, what worked, where I could improve, and what lessons I learned along the way (in fact, I kept track of all the lessons I learned in 2022 because of these reflections). As a result, I became more observant, which can be good or bad depending on how you view it.

So like the other freelancers I follow (and who inspired me to write this), I want to share a recap of what happened with my business in 2022.

I will be breaking this down into wins, what worked, what I want to improve on, lessons I learned along the way, and what I’m looking to do in 2023.

Wins

• Raised my prices
• Hired a subcontractor
• Stopped working for agencies
• Grew my overall social audience by over 30% (Twitter by almost 84%!)
• Ended the year with retainer clients
• Started writing my own articles again
• Got more clear on my niches, services, and the clients I want to work with
• Had two “viral” tweets (viral for me, that is)
• Featured in an email newsletter
• 4-day work weeks
• Made six figures
• Took A LOT of time off
• Consolidated and updated my website

Overall, 2022 was an excellent year for me, especially with it being my second year as a freelancer. I made a concerted effort to grow my social audience, and while my numbers were not huge, the gains were significant for me. The biggest win this year was writing for me again. Granted, I didn’t publish that many (we’ll get to that later), but it felt good to write about topics and interests I’m passionate about. When you write for others, it’s easy to forget why you decided to write in the first place. And my old writing was what re-inspired me; I came across an old blog from when I was in college and reread some of the pieces, and all I can say is WOW, 20-year-old me knew what was up. This was my biggest inspiration for getting back into it, and honestly, it’s changed the trajectory of where I want my career as a freelancer to go.

What worked

• Going after retainer clients for consistent income
• Establishing firm boundaries around SLAs
• Dedicating time at the beginning of my day to work on personal projects or writing
• Communicating with clients about SLAs and expectations
• Balancing my work with the rest of my life
• Getting into a practice of asking for client testimonials

My biggest goals for 2022 were establishing more boundaries around clients’ SLAs and better work-life balance. I achieved them because I communicated, pushed back, and set expectations accordingly. I also worked to find higher-paying retainer clients that allowed me to do work I liked doing in a more manageable way to where I didn’t feel guilty for not working. Also, I started to dedicate roughly the first two hours of my day to working on projects or writing to force me to work on my business, which has been a huge game-changer. Lastly, I started asking for testimonials from all my clients, which has been a tremendous asset from a marketing perspective (and even more significant when your clients advocate for you!).

What I’d like to improve

• Put stronger processes in place for my client workflow
• Stick with a project management system
• Time tracking to know how long I’m spending on my tasks
• Have a clear direction for my business projects
• Set up a wind-down routine
• Narrow down my niche and services
• Refine my positioning
• Writing more regularly

If one word summed up 2022 for it, it was experimentation. I tried many different things, from project management systems to my work, to the business projects I took on. The problem was that I didn’t have a clear direction or purpose for why I was doing them. I didn’t know what I wanted or what I was looking for. That said, it felt chaotic and overwhelming. Furthermore, I didn’t see how these would fit into my long-term vision for my business. Going into 2023, I want to have a sense of purpose, a reason why I’m doing what I’m doing. I want to double down on the right things and drop anything else that will not serve me at this point (or ever).

Lessons learned

• Saying no allows you to say yes
• Don’t undersell your value or experience
• Don’t ask, tell
• Everything always takes longer than you think it will
• Underestimate how many tasks you can get done in a week
• Retainers, retainers, retainers
• Add in more time for deadlines
• If you’re stalling on a project, try looking at it from a different perspective to find the solution
• You can get burnt out not only by overworking but by working on the wrong things

I learned so many lessons this year. Many of them are textbook best practices for freelancers, but you know what they say: You must learn the hard way. As a business owner, this was my most lucrative year yet; I grew so much in the last year because I took control of the business, not letting it control me. Because of that, I’m much more confident in who I am, what I do, and where I want to go.

What I want 2023 to look like

• More writing for me
• Get more comfortable with pitching (and hopefully get some accepted!)
• Establish systems, processes, and SOPs
• Get better about regularly posting on social media
• Create a forward-looking business plan that gets specific about who I’m doing it for
• Double down on my niches and offerings and land clients in those areas
• Grow my social audience
• Land a speaking opportunity

I’m SO excited for 2023. The word I chose for my professional life this year is “confident” because I want to be confident in who I am, what I do, and where I want to go. I want this to be the year I’m refining my business and getting it to a place where it is streamlined, and the foundation is built so it can continue to grow. I want to work with clients who align with my niche and on projects that contribute to my long-term vision. This year is about doing the right work for the right people for the right reasons. And I’m ready to dive in!

Thank you to everyone who has been a part of my journey in the last year. You’ve inspired me to be a better freelancer and business owner, and I am so grateful for your support!