I Missed My Own Anniversary!

The double-edged sword of success as a solo entrepreneur is that on one side of the blade are the visible manifestations of your success: lots of client work, job security, and of course, making some money!…But on the other side of that sharp equation is the constant need to hone your skills and grow your business, while simultaneously keeping on top of the frankly, in my opinion, less-savory tasks of being your own accountant/IT help desk/house-keeping staff! As someone who didn’t come naturally to being their own boss, this has been a tough balancing act to learn.

Okay, in all fairness, I did reach out to friends who have vastly-superior IT skills than myself on occasion, but everything else was all me!

What I just realized today is that my three-year anniversary as a consultant passed me by in a blur. Today I literally lifted my head and looked at the calendar on the wall (yes, I am old-school enough to appreciate a good wall calendar, especially if it features sloths) and saw that it was April 28, 2019, and it hit me:  I missed my own self-employed work anniversary in mid-March!

To be fair, March was a busy month with Natural Products Expo West in Anaheim and my mom’s 70th birthday afterwards (I traveled from Iowa to Connecticut to celebrate the special day), plus a dog-sitting gig for an old friend in between…but April is about to become May, and I’m serious when I say that it didn’t even hit me until today that I’ve – successfully – held my own as a Non-GMO/Organic/Gluten-Free/Vegan/Plant-Based/Clean-Label Consultant for three years!

My first and second anniversaries were very big deals to me, so I can only chalk up my obliviousness to this year’s anniversary to that one side of the blade where I have a ton of work to do and just got too busy! Today I want to, belatedly, honor and acknowledge that other unseen side of the blade to tell the world that I am feeling so grateful to all my clients and partners who believed in me initially, and still believe in my abilities to get them across the certification finish line. You all know who you are! What I love about my work is that we are in it together…I couldn’t reach my full potential without helping you reach your full potential. So, Happy Belated Third Anniversary!!!

In the coming year, I pledge to keep both sides of the blade sharp so that I can continue to bring my clients and myself the quality services we both deserve!