My three words for 2024

Another New Year is here and so for the thirteenth year in a row I will talk about my three words for the year ahead. It is a tradition that Chris Brogan started in 2006 and I’ve enjoyed choosing words to guide my decisions and actions since 2011. It’s an interesting practice, because whilst it’s not designed to outline specific resolutions, it does help provide a reminder of where we need to be focusing our efforts and attention throughout the year.

Before I talk through my three words for this year, I like to look back at my three words for the previous year to see how I got on. Where did I succeed? Where did I fall short? And what lessons can I take on board for 2024?

Start?

I challenged myself in 2023 to stop procrastinating and start doing. As it happened, I started more things than I’d have ever expected! I left my role at Pizza Hut in March and almost immediately started working full-time as a freelance marketing consultant and trainer. It has been a big change and very full-on. But it’s also encouraged me to learn new skills and go outside of my comfort zone.

Over the last year I have run new training courses and projects on everything from digital marketing strategy and Google Analytics 4, to search, social media and content marketing. And in November I started a new limited company - Walrus Marketing. At the start of 2023 I never would have believed I would be a company director before the end of the year!

Connect

The last year has forced me to find new connections between my different skills and experience. Although I’ve been working in marketing for nearly 20 years, things are always changing. ChatGPT was only launched in November 2022 but it’s the topic everyone seems to be talking about. So identifying connections between the ‘old’ and the ‘new’ is key to finding the right way forward.

This year I’ve had to be agile and innovative in my work. For example, when I’ve been teaching people about GA4, I’ve had to be both patient (giving people time and space to understand GA4’s new concepts and functionality) and technical (many people are already experienced users of Google Analytics - they just need to find the connection between the old and the new ways of working).

Practice

My freelancing work in 2023 has meant I have had to put into practice everything I’ve learned. This is especially the case with training, where it’s important to explain to the group not only how something works but also how it can be applied to their specific roles and organisations. Theoretical concepts and ideas are all very well, but ultimately they need to be practical and useful.

My three words for 2024

Here are my three words for the year ahead:

Continue

When I look back I consider 2023 to be a ‘foundation’ year - time to establish myself, my areas of interest and areas of expertise. I still want to start things in 2024 (e.g., there are more writing and presenting projects I’d like to tackle) but the priority should be concentrating on continuing my freelancing journey. Walrus Marketing is at the very beginning of its life so I want to use 2024 to build the brand and my reputation as a marketing consultant.

This year will also give me a chance to continue building on the new skills and experiences I developed in 2023. I’d like to delve deeper into the connection between strategy and tactics and find new ways to teach and inspire people about marketing and how this can work for them.?

Impact

One of the reasons I chose to go it alone is the desire to make an impact. Of course people can make an impact working for other people’s businesses but there’s something unique and intriguing about doing this yourself. Running your own business means getting involved in so much more (not only the delivery but the admin, accounts, networking etc.) but also the satisfaction of knowing that you have made a direct impact with your work.

I would like to continue making an impact in 2024 for everyone that I am working with and for. Impact can mean making a tangible difference to an entire team for a consultancy project or just one person as part of a coaching or mentoring programme. Whatever I’m working on I want to feel as though I’ve helped the person or people I’m working with to take a step forward in their thinking or actions.

Balance

One of the challenges I’ve found whilst freelancing is the inevitable ups and downs of winning and losing projects. Unlike a full-time job where the work and money is consistent and predictable, freelancing can be erratic. And a bi-product of this volatility can be a tendency to take on more and more to compensate for the uncertainty ahead.?

At times I’ve found the amount of work overwhelming. As well as preparing and delivering new presentations and projects, I’m constantly reviewing and updating my knowledge to ensure I am fully up-to-date. I have sometimes missed having a manager and colleagues to act as a check on what I’m doing. So in the absence of them I would like to create more balance in my life in 2024 - the right combination of work, exercise and rest. Productivity and output is important. But there are no end of articles and studies emphasising the importance of good quality sleep.??

So that’s my three words for 2024. I’ll set a reminder to check in at least every three months to see how I’m getting on. I’d be interested to see how everybody else will be approaching 2024!