Reflections on 2024: Growth, Challenges, and Redefining Success

Every so often, I throw caution to the wind and write a blog from the heart, with no consideration for SEO optimization or serving the analytics gods. Today’s blog is one of those—written from one entrepreneur to another as I share my own reflections, challenges, and achievements from this year in business and life.

Looking Back

2024 has been one of the most rewarding and challenging years as a business owner to date. We celebrated our ten-year anniversary, changed our name, rebranded, and made major programmatic changes that have had big impacts on how we serve.

When January rolled around, I was not ready. I wasn’t ready to be back to work, and I wasn’t ready to set goals for the year. I was tired and burned out from the final push of 2023 and moving across the country in a 26-foot moving truck, towing a car, two kayaks, three dogs, and a cat—all alone. It left me completely and utterly spent. When the new year started, I had hungry clients ready for transformation and a small team that required more support than I had the energy to offer.

I set goals for the year and spent weeks staring at them, feeling frustration and exhaustion at the sheer thought of completing them. The business-minded side of me said, “If you’re not growing, you’re dying,” and I ridiculed myself for not being more driven. But my head and heart needed time—more time to get reacquainted with Denver, Colorado; more time for life balance; and more time to really decide what I needed to focus on with Automation on a Mission.

One of the best and most challenging things about being an entrepreneur is that if you don’t want to do something, most of the time, you don’t have to! We get to change our minds, change paths, and change goals. And that’s what I did.

Starting with erasing the goals I had set for the year from my board, I started again. This time, I took a whole new approach to goal-setting. Instead of being specific and creating focused SMART goals, I focused on goals that made an impact—and let go of tangible metrics. I changed my goals from things like “x% of growth” (I don’t even remember what that number was) to creating sustainability that is not solely reliant on me.

I went from committing to launching a new program or product every single month to committing to creating a pathway that prevents burnout. I let go of a fixed revenue goal and trusted my financial needs would be taken care of when I refocused on loving what I do.

I had no idea how I would complete those goals—I just knew something had to be different so that both myself and the business could thrive.

What Changed

When I look back at the year as a whole, I see faith in action. I had to trust that the things I was doing would produce the results I needed—and they did!

I found the right kind of motivation for me at the right time. It came in the form of a book, Clockwork by Mike Michalowicz. I’ve shared this book in a past newsletter and with almost everyone I talk to. Clockwork gave me the framework to look at not only what we were doing as a business, but why and how we were doing it. The book asked us to take a good hard look at our work, systems, and processes, compare them to our mission and promise, and make adjustments that put an entire team on the same page—empowered to serve one mission.

When I started the book, it was just me and my new team member. I wasn’t sure I had enough infrastructure to need these kinds of exercises, but quickly I learned how irrelevant your team size is (hint: a team of one is also sufficient!). Every morning, I’d read little chunks of the book, get super excited, and come share my newfound discovery with Amber, my operations person. Together, we did the exercises.

These exercises exposed vulnerabilities, weaknesses, and imperfections in how the business was set up. Our work was to do better. Then the most amazing thing started to happen—we grew.

Amber and I used the skills we learned in the book to adjust our programs to better serve our clients and to allow us to be more efficient. We used the framework to add new team members, and they, too, gained a clear understanding of what we do, why we do it, and our commitment to our clients and community.

At the start of 2024, it was me full-time and Amber part-time. Today, we are a team of five and growing. Is it perfect? Nope. But we have a process that is helping us continue to refine and adjust as we learn.

So, as I reflect on 2024 and the goals I set for the year, I’m so proud that my team and I never lost focus on what we were working toward. As a result, we achieved those goals.

I’m excited for the holiday break that we get to take, but I’m not dragging myself to the finish line. I’m motivated, inspired, and excited to do more of this kind of meaningful work in 2025. And the best thing of all? When January 2nd arrives, we’ll be rested, excited, and ready.

How Does This Serve You as an Entrepreneur?

I realize this blog has been a lot about my own journey, but I want to challenge you to see the parallels in your own experience. If you’ve felt exhausted, overwhelmed, or stuck, I hope this reflection serves as a reminder: it’s okay to pause, step back, and reimagine what success looks like for you.

As entrepreneurs, we often measure our worth by tangible metrics—growth percentages, revenue goals, client counts—and while those are important, they aren’t the whole story. Your energy, passion, and well-being are just as critical to building a thriving, sustainable business. I learned this year that impact doesn’t always come from doing more; it comes from doing what matters most—and giving yourself permission to redefine the “how” and “why” of your goals.

So I challenge you to ask yourself:

• What if success didn’t have to feel so heavy?

• What if the goals you set prioritized sustainability over burnout?

• What if you trusted yourself enough to let go of metrics for a moment and focused on the joy of what you do and who you serve?

This year, I rewrote the rules for how I approach my business, and it changed everything. I found clarity, space, and momentum—not from pushing harder, but from leaning into the systems, tools, and people that supported my vision.

If you’re feeling stretched thin, I invite you to reflect:

• What would make your business feel lighter?

• What systems or support do you need to get there?

• What could you let go of to make space for what truly matters?

And if this year didn’t go exactly as planned, know this: there’s always time to course-correct, to make small, intentional changes, and to trust that the steps you take today will build the future you want. Remember that January 1 is just a day, and 2024 is just a year. Give yourself the freedom to change your mind and the grace to allow this adjustment.

As you head into the new year, give yourself permission to dream, to shift, and to simplify. The clarity you need is often waiting just beyond the noise. You’ve got this. And if there’s one thing I know for certain, it’s that your work matters—your clients, your vision, and your dreams are worth it.

Here’s to a 2025 filled with focus, joy, and sustainable success. I’ll be right here, cheering you on every step of the way. And if you're not already a member and want to learn more about being part of this kind of magic, let's hop on a call in the new Year!!