Reflecting on 2023, Planning for 2024

Hello and a very warm welcome to the latest edition of We Are Mimosa, a weekly newsletter for female founders for whom values, and purpose are their strategic driving force.?

We’re about to enter a scarily social period of the year and I’m torn in two. On the one hand, I want to dress up, sparkle in sequins and go to all the parties! But the other part of me is tired, sees the sun setting at 4pm, and thinks ‘nearly bedtime’.??

It’s winter and this is when I need rest, warmth, cosiness, loungewear and mugs of Bailey’s hot chocolate. This has got me wondering if there’s a way to reconcile all my needs??Because I still have:?

• Business goals to achieve.?
• Client projects to deliver.?
• Family commitments to honour.??
• 2024 to plan...?

… and I've taken on an allotment as well as agreeing to become the Campaign Manager for our local Parliamentary candidate, Tom Rutland because frankly it’s time for a change.?

That’s why the focus for this week’s newsletter is on in the things which?are important to me. Yes, I’ll be thinking about my business, but also the people around me, my wellbeing and my own dreams and aspirations for 2024.?

But first how was your week? Was it a week of Christmas parties or more of a Sophie Ellis-Bextor style kitchen disco do-over? Let me know in the comments box below.

This week’s CEO secret?

There’s a tendency to wait until the quiet period before Christmas and New Year’s Eve to do our reflecting, dreaming and planning for the following year. This year,?I’ve decided to carve out time and space to look back on 2023 and ahead to 2024 before?I dive into the more traditional annual business planning which I?love to do over the Twixmas break.?

If you’d like to join me in some goal-setting, dreaming and visioning, below are the prompts I’ll be using. I recommend making yourself a cup of tea or coffee – or better still a mug of Bailey’s hot chocolate?- and getting yourself settled somewhere cosy and warm with a pen and paper and your favourite winter playlist.?

Let’s return to the beginning of the year – January 2023.?

How were you feeling, as we entered this year? Business-wise, how were things looking? ?

What did you hope to achieve this year? How did that go??

What was the highest point for you, in terms of business? And the lowest??

Did anything happen, in terms of your business, that surprised you??

Who have you connected with – online or offline – this year? Which relationships would you like to deepen??

What do you feel proud of, this year??

How have you felt about the balance between money, business and the rest of life??

Staying with?money: how much have you earned? How do you feel about this??

As we come to the end of the year, how do you feel about 2023, as a whole??

Moving into 2024, how would you like to feel next year??

What’s your word?for 2024? How will you honour it??

What hours would you like to be working??

What does an ideal day and an ideal week look like??

How about the weekends: how are you spending them??

How will you look after yourself in terms of your self-care and wellbeing??

What new skills would you like to learn??

What new experiences would you like to try??

If you could achieve any one thing in 2024, what would it be??

How much would you like to earn??

What would you like to be doing to earn that money??

At this time next year, what would you like to say, when reflecting on 2024??

Could you create a mantra, using that phrase, to repeat from now and through next year? Put it in the present tense (I am…, I feel… I do….).?

If you had a magic wand, what would you wish for right now??

Let me know how you got on in the comments below.??

Women-led brands we're loving?

?? Born out of her garage, Sarah Brown launched Pai skincare with ￡15,000 of personal savings in 2007. Brown has become an organic skincare pioneer whose expertise developing effective, all-natural products was born from her own experience living with a challenging skin condition, chronic urticaria, in her mid-twenties.?

The company today is a rarity in the beauty industry in that Pai manufactures everything – despite being told it would be “commercial insanity” – from its west London premises. It recently pulled in ￡14m series C investment as it targets 24% growth in 2023 and staff nearing 60.?

I’m a huge fan of Pai’s Rosehip face oil and I’d be thrilled to find a bottle in my Christmas stocking!?

?? HURR, is my favourite place to rent incredible dresses for New Year’s Eve and other special events. The first rental platform to achieve certified B Corp? status, the company was founded in 2019 as a peer-to-peer rental platform. It moved towards a hybrid business model as more and more brands and retailers came on board. Recently, it’s signed some major partnerships with big names, including last month, the very first rental pilot by luxury online retailer Net-A-Porter.? ?

Hurr looks like one of the companies with the strongest chance of creating an enduring business in the rental sector, having just announced a strategic investment from Praetura Ventures,?bringing its total funding to $10 million. To set this achievement in context, less than 2% of UK equity funding goes to all women owned businesses.?

???Established in 1994,?as a?mail order business selling items through a 12-page catalogue, The White Company?has grown into a multi-channel, international business. Started with a small government grant and ￡6,000 inheritance, it originally had a 500 people mailing list. Founder Chrissie Rucker managed to gather some editorial coverage - including the?Financial Times - and press coverage?which led to it making ￡80,000 in the first year, just breaking even.?

Originally selling bedding?products including sheets, covers and pillows, it later expanded into home décor, dinnerware, fragrances, candles, furniture and clothing. A children's division called The Little White Company was later added. As of May 2022, The White Company had 70 stores, clearance stores, and?concession stores in the UK, US and Ireland.?

This Christmas, I’m loving The White Company’s new Nordic Woods collection . Think frosty winter walk through a snow-covered forest.?

Read: Business Lessons from Lunch with the White Company Founder, Chrissie Rucker ?

Shine a light

Which women-built brands do you love and would like to shine a light on? Help me to support more female founders by sharing the brands you love in the comments box below.

We’re talking about…?

??... how the climate crisis is not gender neutral.??

Climate change has a disproportionate impact on women and girls, and gender inequality is at the heart of the matter. During extreme weather events, women face spikes in violence, maternal deaths, displacement and poverty, and they are often the last to get adequate food. Their humanitarian needs, including access to contraception and safe births, are often overlooked in response plans. Their vulnerability to gender-based violence is?heightened.?

When?Cop28?opened in Dubai, UNFPA, the UN’s reproductive and maternal health agency, released data showing that the 14 countries most at risk from the effects of the climate crisis are also those where women and girls are more likely to die in childbirth, marry early, experience gender-based violence or be displaced by disaster.?

Read: Gender equality goals under threat in climate crisis-hit countries, says UN ?

Spotlight on Anna Huttunen, Finland, Carbon impact tech expert

With COP29 running from 30 November to 12 December, this week we're shining a spotlight on Anna Huttunen, a carbon impact tech expert from Finland.

As a sustainable mobility enthusiast, Anna pushed for greener, cleaner, more efficient mobility in the Finnish city of Lahti, named the European Green Capital 2021.?

She led the city's ground-breaking personal carbon trading model - the world's first app to allow citizens to earn credits by using environmentally friendly transportation such as cycling or public transport.?

She works as climate neutral cities adviser for NetZeroCities, an organisation which helps European cities attempt to reach climate neutrality by 2030.?

Huttunen aims to make others excited about sustainable mobility and is a keen advocate for cycling, which she considers the future of transport in cities.?

And Finally...?

I hope that you enjoyed this edition of CEO Secrets. Why not let me know what your key takeaways were in the comments box below.?

Until next time.?

Denyse?????

My Blog, CEO Secrets ?|?Substack ?|?Instagram ?|?Work With Me ?

About Denyse?????

Hi. I’m Denyse Whillier, a former CEO and strategic business coach specialising in female entrepreneurship. A very warm welcome to CEO Secrets, a?newsletter dedicated to one thing, breaking down the strategies, concepts and tools that I’ve gathered from 25 years working in purpose-led companies and showing you how you can use them in your business.?

This is the real nuts and bolts of running a successful purpose-led business, broken down in an easy, accessible way. Confidently plan, grow and scale your business and build it safe and strong.????

Ways we can work together?

An experienced and empathetic business advisor, I’m always happy to talk to you about how I can support you on your business journey. Here are four ways you can work with me:?

? A Power Hour: Are you grappling with a business decision and in need of one-off advice to move forward? A Power Hour is an intensive, one-hour call designed to help you solve?a specific challenge or issue in your business.?

? Monthly Business Coaching: Are you looking for support and expert guidance to make big changes in your business, increase revenue, improve operations or build your team? Business coaching is for female founders who want a former CEO on hand as they start, grow and scale their business.?

? Small Business Audit: Are you so focused on today that it’s hard to find the time to take a thorough look at your business? That’s where I can step in. A small business audit will provides you with a full review of your business, an actionable list of recommendations and 12-month action plan.?

? Strategy Planning Day: Do you want to create an annual plan for your business but aren’t sure where to start or what to include? A strategic planning day ?is a dynamic, intensive day together where we’ll dig into the detail of your business and create an exciting plan together, mapping out clear actions that you can take to move your business forward.?

Ready to book a discovery call? Or would you like to read my case studies first??