My 2023 Year In Review
Every December as I’m planning the new year that’s quickly approaching, I love to reflect back on what the current year brought me.
January Highlights
My hubby Jim and I kicked off 2023 similarly to 2022 with an epic road trip to Florida (that’s 18 hours of playing name that song, counting dead animals on the side of the road, and talking about the most random things like where we were when Kurt Cobain died).
We had such an amazing time getting to see our dear friends who moved to Taveniere and my aunt and uncle who moved to Fort Myers.
We also finally got to take our first scuba diving trip, which was an adventure in and of itself! But also witnessed some of the devastation that hit Fort Myers and other areas in Florida from Hurricane Ian.
As for my business, Albers Mind & Body Wellness, 2023 kicked off with Copywriting!! I’ve been honing my copywriting skills for years now, but decided in 2023 that I needed to make it official and add it to my Business Coaching Services. So I worked privately with Katelyn Collins through the Copywriter Igniter who’s utterly fab!
Getting to help my Coaching clients not only build their successful coaching business online, but also help them create compelling content and marketing materials, like website copy, sales pages, and lead magnets, has re-ignited a new passion for me; words are my JAM!
February’s Highlights
Jim and I visited our dear friends in Kansas City to see the Chiefs win the Super Bowl!! While we were unfortunately not at the game, it was really fun to be in town and see all the hoopla, the downtown area lit up red, and the amazing celebratory fireworks!
In my business, I enrolled in a Copywriting certification program with the renowned Copywriter, Anna Powers, to become a Clickworthy Certified Copywriter.
I also started using ChatGPT and my mind was blown! While I know that AI will never replace humans and write as well as trained Copywriters who know and understand human emotions, persuasive writing, and tell stories the way we humans do, I gotta say, ChatGPT and other types of AI make such great sidekicks!
My favorite ways to use ChatGPT is to help me be more succinct (hmm…maybe I shoulda used it for this blog😆!), give me subject line and title suggestions, content ideas, and writing intro and outros for my blogs. How about you? Hit Reply: What’s your favorite way to use ChatGPT?
March Highlights
March was fun with friends and family back home in Missouri going to trivia nights, a horse racing fundraiser, and a girls’ night out with my sister, Julie.
Jim and I stayed in the below freezing Missouri weather for nearly all of winter, then in the Spring, traveled back to St. Martin in the Caribbean (we’re basically the opposite of “snowbirds”🙄!
So we landed back in St. Martin towards the end of March so ready to greet the sun, sand, and friends we hadn’t seen since before Christmas!
In my business, I began switching over platforms to Google Calendar and Dubsado, which is always a “fun” undertaking. But I am really enjoying the streamlined changes!
I continued on with my copywriting training and also taught a masterclass, “5 Practical Copy Hacks to Boost Sales During Your Program Launch” which was a hit and led to some new copywriting gigs. Shoot me an email (laura@alberswellness.com) if you wanna get your hands on this training; I may decide to run it again in 2024.
April Highlights
Back in St. Martin, we did a super fun sunset boat cruise fundraiser with our dear friends Ruthie and Denny, celebrated Easter with some delectable food, and the annual Carnival kicked off April 14th with tons of parades and jump ups.
In my business, I received my Clickworthy Copywriting Certification and added Done For You Copywriting Services (DFY-CS)to my Coaching Business. My favorite thing about DFY-CS is how much time, frustration, and overwhelm I free up for my clients. Plus, they then have compelling marketing material they can use over and over again to continue to build their audience and get paying clients.
May Highlights
May 1st was the official St. Martin Dutch Side Carnival parade; so many beautiful costumes, bumping music, dancing, and glitter (ohh, so.much.glitter😂)! We also traveled back to St. Louis mid May.
In my business, I conducted a bunch of past client interviews to get testimonials from my work with them and also uncover their current and future needs. Interviewing past clients is something I highly recommend you do from time to time if you’re a Coachpreneur; it’s what helps you learn your clients’ language and makes creating new offers much easier and more lucrative. I also kicked off a couple new done for you copywriting projects.
June Highlights
Fireworks frenzy always hits in June as my family’s fireworks business, Hoffman’s Family Fireworks, kicked off our 38th year in business🤯! Mid June we have a huge fireworks display open to the public. This year, thousands of people came to enjoy a fun, and colorful, booming night.
The fireworks tent season officially kicks off for us June 24th, so my sister Julie and I were knee deep in fireworks about 14 hours a day through the 4th of July. As hot and hard as the work is, I wouldn’t trade it for anything!
In my business, I joined James Wedmore’s Business By Design Program and holy cow, it’s a good one! I also continued some copywriting projects and of course client delivery when I wasn’t working the fireworks stand.
July Highlights
July brought some highs and lows. I’ll start with the low: during a bad storm on July 2nd, our biggest fireworks tent got completely destroyed along with most of our product. We were unable to reopen after that. Thankfully no people (only a few cars) were damaged from the wreckage. But when a huge chunk of your business’ revenue suddenly disappears, let’s just say it’s scary and sad.
A high in July was my brother and sister and her family coming in to visit from the Pacific Northwest to celebrate our parent’s 50th wedding anniversary. They had a big reception where so many of their friends and family gathered; people I’ve known since practically birth, and of course there were lots of fireworks!
Wow, 50 years of marriage, what an inspiring achievement!
Jim and I, and his sister Jane, also headed back to St. Martin towards the end of July; always love getting to spend vacay time together!
In my business, I’ll be honest, not a whole lot of work got done between fireworks, family in visiting, and vacation…BUT I’m ecstatic to report that July was my best month in business up to that point!
How you might ask? My team worked behind the scenes to send out my socials and promo emails which led to sales on autopilot and booking copy projects.
In July, I also started working with a Business Strategist to help me better leverage my time and morph some of my business coaching programs into hybrid boutique group coaching programs.
August Highlights
The beginning of August I basked in beach glory on my continued vacation and Jim and I celebrated our 16th wedding anniversary…only 34 years to go to catch up to my parents😆!
We also did a poker run boat race in Anguilla which was uber fun…we didn’t win, but I don’t think any of us cared! And I celebrated my birthday with a pool party with some friends.
In my business, I launched Make Money Now (MMN) to help Coaches create an irresistible Mini-Offer, craft a compelling sales page, and strategically beta launch it to their audience. It was very fulfilling to see so many MMN clients get their first paying clients and go on to book further work from their Mini-Offer. If making money in your coaching business as quickly and easily as possible is a goal for 2024, get on the priority list to be the first notified when Make Money Now doors open next.
In August, I also began a new partnership with Dr. Kim Foster of the Wellness Coach Academy (WCA), where I serve as a Copy Coach doing copywriting audits and lead a monthly Copy, Biz, & Marketing Group Call to support WCA students. I’ve loved getting to work with Dr. Kim who’s been so pivotal in my own business growth over the years and helping her students move forward with confidence and clarity in their coaching businesses.
September Highlights
In mid-September, Jim and I flew back to St. Louis, just in time for bonfires, football, and the beautiful fall trees; I’ve always loved this time of year!
In my business, I was uber busy with client delivery of Make Money Now and participating in some email resource bundles to provide value, bring in some additional income, and build my email list. Side note: email resource bundles are my new FAV way to provide value, get in front of new audiences, and build my list!
October Highlights
This month was filled with cheering on Taylor and Travis…err, I mean Chiefs football, hanging out with friends and family back in St. Louis and Kansas City areas, and enjoying crackling bonfires. And of course, celebrating Halloween with our plethora of nieces and nephews is always fun!
In my business, I continued my Copy Coach role with WCA as well as my years long role as a Master Group Coach & Trainer for The International Association of Wellness Professionals. I wrapped up Make Money Now client delivery and will be working with many participants again in the new year.
I also joined The Experience Product Masterclass in October to further increase client engagement, enjoyment, and successful completion of my products, courses, and programs. I love what I’m learning about how to gamify learning and will be incorporating it into my business in the months to come.
November Highlights
We excitedly headed back to St. Martin November 10th. My friend Tiffany came out to visit over Thanksgiving and we took a 2 day girls’ trip to Anguilla. Jim and I also got tattoos🫨-my first, his second to cover up a previous one.
We also enjoyed fun island activities like a sunset art walk, wine and cheese tasting, singing with my friend’s band, and cheering on the local softball team.
In my business, I kicked off a Make Money Now: How to Add $1k to Your Coaching Business While Building Your Signature System masterclass and also relaunched that program.
I began feeling burnt out in my business in November and into December and really scaled back as much as I could on my work hours. Thankfully I was able to do so without sacrificing clients and cash flow.
December Highlights
For the first time ever, Jim and I decided not to go home to St. Louis area for Christmas and stay in St. Martin. It was a difficult decision and one that was not popular in my family. But we really wanted to experience something different, have a beach holiday, and engage in Christmas activities island style. Plus, as much as we enjoy traveling, traveling as we have the past 2 years over the holidays has been pretty taxing.
While we really missed our families and friends back home, I gotta say we had a blast between seeing all the Christmas decorations everywhere, getting my own little tree, doing a paired whiskey tasting and wine and cheese tasting, going on a snorkeling trip to Anguilla, renting a cabana poolside on the boardwalk, lively Christmas parties, and ringing in New Years Eve with some super impressive fireworks…it was exhausting at times, but oh so much fun!
In my business, I actually had more time this month because I wasn’t traveling everywhere. So I worked a ton behind the scenes on a new course, Nail Your Niche Now, that I’m super excited to launch in early 2024.
What I’m most proud of about this course is that you get the mindset shifts that most often hold Coaches back from niching down, plus the actual strategies including my proven 7-step nail your niche formula so you can confidently choose your profitable niche.
Plus, I share the 5 things you can skip doing in your business that cost most Coaches months and months of time (not to mention lots of dollars) and I share the only 3 things you really need to focus on once you’re clear on your niche. You also get 25 winning strategies to find and attract your ideal clients. If you wanna get priority access to the course when it launches, just click HERE.
I’m also working on my next Make Money Now Launch in January–you can get on the priority list for that as well by clicking HERE.
My Biggest Takeaways from 2023:
Don’t plan much around the end of the year: I started to really burn myself out in November and part of December. Deciding not to travel for the holidays, while a difficult decision, was a big reason I was able to recharge and refocus. In 2024, I’m going to plan on having a quieter, slower business in November and December
I surprise myself by how much I can actually get done when I have clear steps, a deadline, and accountability. A BIG shoutout to my business manager Monica for helping me so much with this! I tend to overwhelm myself thinking a task is too much or gonna take too long…if I instead invested that time, energy, and focus into actually getting said thing done…I’d get it done!!
Listen to my energy and my mindset (this goes along with #1): I launched my Make Money Now Program in November at the height of my burnout (because it had been on my calendar; likely something I scheduled at the beginning of 2023). I kept thinking, “Please no one sign up” because it just wasn’t the right timing. I had 2 sets of friends coming in to visit us within a week apart, so between entertaining them and taking time off, trying to squeeze in a launch amidst 2 national holidays was just too much. While I’ve already planned 2024 and purposely kept November and December slower, it’s a good reminder to always be listening to my body and mind and prioritize self-care.
Thanks so much for not only checking out my 2023 year in review and hanging with me up to this point, but also being a valuable member of my community and an inspiring human being!
Check out more of my blogs around business and marketing, mindset, copywriting, and all things in between. And don’t forget to get on the priority list for Nail Your Niche Now and Make Money Now!
May 2024 shower you with laughter and love, patience and presence, and growth and gratitude!
