Three years ago today I launched Brand Excitement here in Hudson County, New Jersey. At the time I was till working a full-time job, had just graduated from Rising Tide Capital’s Community Business Academy (one day before) and felt empowered, for the first time, to make a real go at being a business owner.

I started part-time. Building my clientele and visibility up as I began. I had already started planting seeds the year before and had garnered enough visibility from a pilot-run business to get into O, The Oprah Magazine and get into a few local newspapers. From that “social proof” I launched on January 8 with the plans of going full time. By June 15, 2010 I had resigned from my corporate job at Mattlin Mandell and was in business full time. It was a whirlwind.

The first year was getting to know what it was like to be in business. The second year, getting to know what my clients truly wanted and the third year has been understanding how to grow, hire help and continue to serve my clients. I’ll admit, I have dropped a lot of balls, but fortunately the failures are greatly outweighed by the successes. We’ve won awards from Rising Tide Capital and American Express/Count Me In and have received recognition for our work and reputation right up the chain, all the way to Evan Carmichael, making his list of the top 25 Brand Experts on Twitter.

As we turn 3 (entering our fourth year) we are full of anticipation and excitement. People are starting to “get it” and branding is no longer a corporate term. Small businesses and entrepreneurs are grabbing hold of this concept and understanding just how critical it is to “brand” a business and not just build a business. As we progress through the year we’ll be releasing new products, launching new programs and planning events that catapult our community like never before. As we say in our newsletter each week… Excitement Drives Everything!

Well, the year is done. As I look back on 2012 I look back to a year filled with fun, growth, opportunity and connection. I think I’ve traveled more this year than I have since the years when I used to model. The year found me on a plane practically every month, beginning with my trip to Chicago in January for my mother’s 80th Birthday. After that I went through a series of fun and not-so-fun moments, such as when I missed my *next* flight to Chicago that following week for Fabienne Fredrickson’s tour stop.

I was introduced to a new mentor this year, Dani Johnson, and started membership with two women’s organizations: Savor The Success and Ladies Who Launch.

Other highlights of the year were as follows:

• Being a 2012 Count Me In/Make Mine a Million $ Business Awardee and being filmed by American Express for the victory!
• Launching my first series of self-hosted events “Building Brand Exposure“
• Being selected as a judge for Rising Tide Capital’s Start Something Challenge
• Getting up close and personal and selected to share a moment on the stage with Kendall Summerhawk in Tucson, AZ, Max Simon in San Diego, CA and Dani Johnson in St. Louis, MO!
• Spending a full week working just minutes away from the beach in Hermosa Beach, CA with my friend Helen Hodgson of Serve The Goddess… Don’t we all start a business so that we can have that flexibility?
• Expanding my New Jersey office space – I moved across the hall into a space 4-5 times larger and hired my first in-person assistant Miriam 🙂
• Paying off all my credit card debt – The icing on the cake!

I’ve already started to make BIG plans for 2013 and I’m excited. When I look at what I was able to accomplish in 2012 I am reminded of something my mother has been telling my my entire life “You can do anything you put your mind to!”

What victories, either personal or professional, are you most proud of in 2012?

Good Morning!

Today we’ve sprung forward. I think more than me my dog Samantha is excited about the weather staying consistently warm here. I took advantage yesterday by going to brunch (you know where, at Le Pain Quotidien) with my friend Julye and having some girl time.

This week I also had another speaking engagement. I spoke to some local entrepreneurs about Words That Sell for Rising Tide Capital, one of my favorite organizations here in my community (second only to my church).

One of the keys to their event success is their ability to deliver an exciting Brand Experience over and over again! Imagine if you could identify and create an inviting an unmatched experience for your clients at each and every touchpoint? Repeat business would be delightful and referrals would go through the roof. It’s one of the things that I discuss in my Bankable Branding Bootcamp, and also the topic of today’s article.

Also, though it’s definitely a bit techie, today’s brand booster helps you do an inventory of your website so that you can smartly examine which sections of your content need to be updated.

Have a great week and keep springing forward!

I mentored Veronica into winning 1st Place at RTC’s Plan and Pitch!

Last week I had the privilege of volunteering with Rising Tide Capital, a great non-profit business building organization here in Jersey City. Last year they hosted a business pitch competition and I was the winner, walking away with $1,500 to use for my business. This year I was a volunteer helping Veronica Saunders to pitch her business and she tied for 1st place too!! I feel myself passing on a legacy of achievement and influence.

If we don’t make an impact in what we do, and only do it for the money, it really is a disservice to those around us. We should all leave a legacy. What’s yours?

Veronica’s business, Flowers 4 rent, creates beautiful floral arrangements for special occasions using silk flowers. Because the flowers aren’t live, she’s able to serve a community of people that have allergies, want flowers out of season, want to save costs or have last minute needs. The first time I wore her flowers I didn’t even know they weren’t real! That’s how great they look.

Veronica will be building her brand soon, and as she does I’ll be sure to let you know how you can connect with her. Have you ever used silk flowers for an event?