My quarter 2 goal check-in is here! 🎉🎉🎉

I have to say... what I sought out to do vs what I actually accomplished ended up being TOTALLY different. That's the beauty of goals and life though... you can change them and sometimes things not going to plan is the best gift. One of the biggest shifts being my business.

At the beginning of the year, I had mapped out working on a lot of internal projects and a few different offerings for this quarter but those quickly got pushed back because my business exploded 💥 In the best kind of way. I chat more about that in this post if you’re interested too. So things definitely shifted a lot but it also ended up being one of the biggest months of growth not only for Going Bold, but for my entire 6+ years as an entrepreneur. 😱 Yes really. It was a big quarter for me both professionally and personally! Here’s a peek at some of the highlights.

Going Bold Studio had a business explosion

Like I mentioned, things blew up over at Going Bold Studio! Huge thank you to everyone who has supported my biz in one way or another — it seriously means SO much! This quarter, I got to work with 17 of my dream clients this quarter, booked my services out 2 months in advance, and surpassed my quarterly income target by 28%

Won an Award for being a top Squarespace Web Design

Being named a top Squarespace designer was such a HUGE honor! All of the happy tears! I chat more about that over here too.

Hit 50 rides on the Peloton

Working on my fitness goals has been a priority this year and I’ve been putting in the work! So thankful for all of my friends who have them too who have been such great accountability partners as well!

Got Going Bold Studio up and running

I can’t even name how many things have gone into making this happen. Holy hell, it’s been a lot. Launching my new website, creating new proposal/social media reports/client templates, overhauling my onboarding and a whole lot of other things!

Made some moves on wedding planning

We set our wedding date, booked out venue and hired our photographer! So things are definitely moving on the wedding planning side of things!

Joined the century club on Peloton

I hit 100 rides on my Peloton and truthfully am so dang proud of myself for sticking with my workouts. Working out is not my favorite and to keep up with it during such an insanely busy quarter… proud of myself! 💪 I have a long ways to go on those goals but I’ve been keeping it consistent!

Made some money moves

This quarter, I hit my savings goal I made for the entire year — a whopping 6 months early and I also increased my investments!

Finished a business course

I’ve been dreaming up a new offering at my business for a while and signed up for a course and this quarter I finished it! Some very exciting things coming later this year or early 2022!

My theme of my yearly goals is to make bold moves that will set me up for the long term and I definitely didn’t waste any time getting down to business. It was a quarter of making a lot decisions and a lot of growth!

This quarter was a big one! One that had a lot of unexpected shifts and growth and I’m going into Q3 really dang proud of all of the progress I’ve made. It just goes to show how much can change in a month… in 3 months… and 6 months. Keep at it friends!

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Why do I do goal check-ins?

I started doing goal check-ins publically as a personal accountability challenge. Working on my goals and strategies to accomplish them have always been really important and by sharing them I felt an extra weight of commitment. Plus, I wanted a way to try and encourage others to have their own check-ins and keep working on their own goals. Helping others reach their dreams has always felt like my purpose and by being vulnerable and sharing the journey of my own I hope to inspire others as well.

I feel like the last 6 months have just been go-go-go (mostly on the business side of my life) so now that things are starting to get more settled I thought it was a great time for a check-in! if you follow me on Instagram you’ve gotten peeks here and there but I decided I wanted to do something on the blog that had a little more detail plus was reflective for myself.

Every time I’ve gone through a big chapter of change I feel like it becomes all-encompassing. To the point where I’m just trying to get through things a day at a time. Then there’s this strange stage where the dust starts to settle and you almost don’t know how to just slow down and ease back into ‘normal life’. Does that make sense? Because I feel like that’s the best way to describe where I’ve been the last few months. Stack that on top of being vaccinated nad things starting to open up again in Washington and it feels kind of like the clouds have been parted!

So what have I been up to lately? Here are some life updates!

Updates on the New Business

I won’t sugarcoat it, making the transition from closing one business and opening Going Bold Studio was A LOT! Especially since it wasn’t really a transition I was planning on making. #Realtalk, when I made the final call to start the new biz instead of doing a buyout, I’m not going to lie I was nervous. Sure, I’m not a new business owner, but I still had to start over in so many ways and I was nervous! Especially since I was also doing it while we were still in a pandemic. Nerves! But, hey I did it and now that I’ve come out on the other side I’m SO happy I decided to bet on myself.

Truly, I’ve never felt so aligned with my business, the goals I have and the direction I’m heading in my career. I’ve been incredibly blessed to have a full roster of clients pretty much since day 1… like legit I’m booking out 1-2 months for my design projects which just feels unreal 😱. Plus the projects and clients I’ve gotten to work on this year… ahhh they’ve just been the best. I feel like I’ve had so much growth as a designer which just feels great. There have certainly been some things I’ve had to get used to flying solo, and some big decisions I’ve had to make, but overall I couldn’t be happier with how this chapter has started.

Personal Growth

The last year has been A LOT…. for all of us! And I really needed to take some time to work through the emotions of everything. Honestly I think one of the tougher parts of the business transition was all of the emotions involved… top that on top of the pandemic… losing Scooter… family issues… dear lord it was an emotional roller coaster.

Through a lot of it, I repressed a lot of my feelings — I’m really good at that! 🙈 In a lot of ways it’s a survival strategy for me… I mean, we can ONLY deal with so much at a time. Once I had a little time to breathe though I realized I had a lot I needed to work through. To be honest, it’s still something I’m working on but the important part is I’m doing the work. This definitely isn’t a woe is me kind of thing, just a really transparent and raw look at what I’ve been working through. Because not everything is ice cream and ponies all of the time! I heard a saying, “you need to feel to heal” and I think it’s SO true. It’s definitely not always fun work but it’s important to reflect, work through things and soak in the lessons through it all.

Wedding Planning

On a much happier note, wedding planning is officially a go! With everything going on, it 100% got put on the backburner. Now that things have calmed down a little though it’s happeningggg and we officially have a date… June 11, 2022 — so almost exactly a year from now!

Apparently, a lot of people don’t know this about me, but I’m notttt into event planning. Like at all. Which I guess surprises people because I love doing DIY projects and decorating.. but legit even planning birthday parties stresses me out. So the idea of wedding planning was enough to give me hives. After a lot of brainstorming and researching options though, I think we found the perfect option for us. It’s an option I’ve been pushing since the beginning but Evan officially got on board once we visited the venue over Memorial Day weekend.

The venue is in eastern Washington at Loon Lake, which means a lot to us. It’s where we’ve spent summer trips with Evan’s family, where we first said I love you and where we got engaged… So it just felt right. Plus, the venue has the low-key vibes I was really after, has lots of options for lodging, and isn’t far from an airport for our out-of-state guests. It’s also close to a lot of Evan’s family who have already been so generous and supportive in offering to chip in however they can help! Which has been so amazing.

I know they say that your wedding day is yours so you really need to plan it how you want.. but dang that is easier said than done! I know we’re on the early end of planning, but it took me a hot minute to try and get over that. I felt like if we were going to have out of town and out of state friends and family apart of our celebration it needed to be this grand event which is notttt what I wanted at all. After getting over that though, I’m feeling really good about the direction we’re taking things. BBQ noms, summer camp/camping vibes, wildflowers, colorful touches, smores, donuts and corn hole… it’s feeling very “us” which somehow takes some of the stress out of it for me.

I know I said we just officially started planning too, but at this stage we’ve already ironed out most of the key big details…. budget, style, potential vendors, food, desset, honeymoon… we’re definitely well on our way of nailing things down. Listen, when I’m in on something I’m all in 😜

Family

Last but certainly not least, I’ve also been spending lots of time with family. My mom had surgery at the end of the year so I’ve been doing everything I can to support her in her recovery. I’ve also been embracing Aunty life! Little Squish has brought SO much joy to our lives and I soak up all of the time I get to spend with him. He’s turning 1 next week too! AHH! My other sister also moved back to Washington and we’ve been getting in lots of quality time! Lots of game nights, sprinkled in with adventures (which we’re starting to do more of!)

We’re also planning a trip to Disneyworld in the Fall! Evan has never been to the Disney parks and Faith has been itching to go so we’re making it happen! I always joke Evan is a Disney princess because he lovesss Disney, Marvel and just is an overall fairytale mush so it’s been fun to see him and Faith geek out together over everything.

So there you have it! A life update on some of the key things that have been keeping me busy lately!

Unpopular opinion... Not everyone should become a full-time business owner or entrepreneur. 

Now before you get it twisted, I’m not saying this because I don’t think everyone is cut out for it. Not at all!🙅🏼‍♀️ I’m saying there’s a lot more that should go into that decision than just hating your 9 to 5.

Every year around this time, there’s a big push by a well-known life/business coach and his cohort for living your “best life” and a lot of the conversation is about starting a business. Which, I’m a business owner and 100% support others doing the same to chase their dreams! Here’s the thing though. Being an entrepreneur has been hyper glamorized in the media and by business/life coaches when in fact it’s not always the best fit for everyone.

You’re sold on the idea of finally having freedom from your corporate job, having unlimited earning potential, being your own boss, working whatever hours you want, and making money while you’re sleeping. You’ve seen the pitches! The part you’re not always seeing though is there’s a tradeoff.

As an entrepreneur, some days you’ll be working 9 to 9 (and weekends), have inconsistent paychecks, and it can add more hoops to jump through to secure financing for big purchases like a house or car. When you say goodbye to that corporate job you’ll also likely be saying goodbye to those corporate health benefits, matching 401k contributions and PTO.

Again, this isn’t about crapping on being an entrepreneur…. it’s one of the best decisions I’ve ever made and there are certainly solutions for some of the tradeoffs. Instead, this is more of a reality check. A reality check that it is NOT the right decision for everyone and that is okay! We ALL have different visions for our lives and that should ultimately be the deciding factor for the path you decide to take. 

For some that may mean never starting a business! A totally okay way to live your best life.

For some that may mean you start a side-hustle that stays a side-hustle. A totally okay way to live your best life.

For some that may mean starting a side-hustle with the hopes of making it your full-time hustle. A totally okay way to live your best life.

And for some that may mean quitting their job and jumping head-first into being a full-time entrepreneur from day one. Also, a totally okay way to live your best life.

The point is, there isn’t one way to live your “dream life” and have your “dream career”. As a business owner this messaging is probably more amplified in the circles I’m a part of on social media. I just hate that it can make people feel like they are less than. Like they need to be doing more in their careers, their lives, or in their businesses to meet the marketing pitches being thrown at them.

I’ve always strived to give a really transparent look at my journey as a business owner both here and on the Going Bold Studio blog, so this is something I wanted to speak up about! Especially because I know a bunch of people who have been in a career transition with all of the changes we’ve been throw over the last year+. 

So in closing, here is my advice to you… Stay true to your journey, your goals, and make decisions because YOU want to make them and not just because someone else says it’s what you should want.💖