Happy Holidays
This Christmas was the most fun I have had in my adult life! Being the mom of an almost 4-year-old is so fun during the holidays because she’s at the peak of her energy and imagination. Her daycare had a Christmas program where they sang “Happy Birthday Jesus” and she’s been belting it out since December 1st. It’s the absolute cutest, and I’m just soaking it all in.
THREE 2024 WINS
I completed a 6-month business coaching program called Well Oiled Operation. I was nervous about investing in it because the program had a big price tag and required weekly time to devote to it, but it was so valuable! There were so many resources in the program that I wasn’t able to complete them all, but what I did
I won an award for my design at Missy Lane’s Assembly Room in downtown Durham. Working on that project was a milestone for McNeill Brown Interior Design because it was the largest commercial design installation we’ve done. Winning an award for it was an exciting surprise!
I rebooted this blog. One of my dear friends from college responded to my last newsletter, letting me know that he’s been on my email list since 2010—that’s a long time! I am so grateful for him and all the other subscribers who have been with me since then. Although 2024 I didn’t post as much as I would like, that will change in 2025 and beyond. Which leads me to the lessons…
THREE 2024 LESSONS
Marketing is not something I can delegate fully yet. At the beginning of the year, I hired someone I knew personally to assist with marketing, and I quickly realized that arrangement was not going to work. I tried again with a firm I found and had high hopes for them to help me be more consistent. However, they didn’t quite understand my goals and my need to maximize every little bit of time while the sun is up! In 2025, instead of delegating marketing tasks to someone else, I’m going back to my old way of blocking out time to batch content. Stay tuned!
Owning an interior design firm is 80% business and 20% design. One of the biggest things I learned in the coaching program I completed is that being a CEO means only doing what you can do for the business. I am excited to add another interior designer to my team in January and welcome an interior design student from ECU as an intern. That will free me up to be the visionary and lead MBID to new heights.
I cannot pour from an empty cup. I’ve heard this saying over an over again, but it wasn’t until this year that I prioritized filling up my cup. I had been pouring from a partially full cup, but this year I decided to make sure I was first overflowing before tipping to pour. It’s the little things that matter, like my coffee & Bible study in the morning. Addison knows Mommy can’t get her ready for school until I’ve had my “Jesus and Me” time. Beyond that, I’ve been taking intentional steps to care for my physical and mental health, and I can say with confidence that I am ending the year better than I started.
