Fourteen Years In Business Lessons On Consistency And Personal Branding

I’m celebrating 14 years in business this week.

I asked my audience how I should celebrate. I’m a little tired of posting photos with balloons. The overwhelming response was: share the wisdom you’ve learned over the years.

You can scroll back to past posts for lessons from earlier chapters. This time, I wanted to reflect specifically on this past year, my first year doing business in Pennsylvania and the Lehigh Valley.

I was tempted to “cheat” and ask ChatGPT to summarize my years of blogging into neat bullet points (it did a great job last year, honestly).
But this year felt different.

This reflection was inspired by something that happened last Friday.

Showing up when it’s uncomfortable

I attended a women’s networking event where we had to deliver a one-minute elevator pitch — and then remain standing while someone else stood up to give us a compliment.

Yikes.

I didn’t expect much. I’ve only lived here for a little over six months. People don’t really know me that well yet.

To my surprise, I received four different compliments. The common theme?
How often they see me out networking.

The biggest takeaway for me: consistency matters more than confidence.
Show up even when you don’t feel ready, known, or settled.

If you get anxious, you’re not alone

I shared with the group that I often get anxious (hello perimenopause) and being new to my surroundings — especially when driving to a new place for the first time.

Since moving to PA, almost every event is in a new location.
But I still show up.

I rely on meditation, tapping, breathing, and yes… rewards.
Cookies and dark chocolate are my go-to.

Sometimes you just need a nudge

I’m consistent in my follow-ups. I remind people what I do. I nudge, gently but persistently.

I’ve shown up to networking meetings during the last minute and walked in like it was intentional. (Side note: networking meetings should absolutely start at 8:30am instead of 7am to better support working moms.)

After months of nudging one influential businesswoman, we finally started working together. On our Zoom call today, she told her team she was grateful for those nudges.

Lesson learned again: a “no” right now doesn’t mean “never.”

Had a bad day? Read this.

I’ll be honest. I had a rough day last Fall. Someone I was excited to work with decided not to move forward.

I was crushed.

But I asked myself: What do I have to lose if I do something bold?

The next morning, I emailed a professor in Germany asking if I could teach a LinkedIn class to his marketing students. I was already traveling there with my husband for work, so I figured — why not?

He said yes.

(You can read the wrap-up post here.)

What I’m most proud of

Melinda Haas asked me (over direct message) what moment I’m most proud of in my 14 years of business.

It was last year, when I was asked to lead a six-week business course for female veteran business owners. That experience helped me realize how much I truly love teaching — and it sparked a new dream of becoming a professor here.

She also asked for my biggest tip:

Write handwritten cards.
Birthdays. Thank-yous. Congratulations. Holidays.
That simple habit has helped me stand out more than any algorithm ever could.

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Reflecting on these moments reminded me that I’m still building — and that my brand, like a 14 year old teenager, is growing in a new environment.

If you’ve been in business for years and find yourself starting fresh in a new place, I see you.

P.S. If you’d like help amplifying your personal brand with strategy — or want someone to keep you accountable — I’d love to chat.

Thank you for your support these past 14 years.

See my previous posts and podcast appearances here:

• Fourteen Years In Business Lessons On Consistency And Personal Branding
• Featured in the Just Wanted to Ask podcast
• [Podcast] Starting Over Without Starting From Scratch: A Smarter Way to Lead and Market Through Change
• What I Learned After Moving to Allentown PA and Growing My Marketing Business in the Lehigh Valley
• From Student to Standout: What German Students Taught Me About LinkedIn (and What You Can Learn Too)