a year-end review; what popped and what flopped

Year-End Review (psssst, rather listen in to a delish podcast version of this baby? click above xo 

Soooo, I kinda need to start with December 2018 for this all to make sense. Time is a relative and moving target sometimes, isn’t it? December 2018 was what I call “The Wall” month, a time of being unable to move, think, or do. Essentially I was immobilized by some outside source I couldn’t name--my angels, guides, God… I can’t say which one. But it was a moment of seeing resisting this was futile, it was not up to me. I believe it was the culminating point of grief from losing my father, Gord Barnes, in June 2018. So I rested. I mean, I had to.

If you look back to my timeline from Dec 2018 on FB, you’ll see this story in real-time. Rather than retracting fully into hiding (because that actually isn’t helpful for me), I shared. I shared the PROCESS I was in, the prayers I said, the beliefs that were needed at this time. I did my best to show up for myself FIRST and in this action, trusting this intention energetically (and practically) showed up online. I had to trust it was safe to step away from my business, energetically. 

December 2018 was also my month to launch my next level sisterhood. It was a critical new step into marketing (AKA selling!) a price point I hadn’t done before. It was scary AF to say the least. 

How could I sell something in my “Wall Month” that was new? Here’s the belief I latched on to harrrrd. I looked back at allll my other sold-out courses from 2018, and even though they were shorter, even though they were waaaaay less of a financial investment, I KNEW I had the foundation to build a slightly different program and sell it. I’ve done it before, and it always worked out.  

Let’s Talk Marketing/Funnels
One thing in any online business you need are ways that people can get connected with you, a path that they naturally take towards your offers. In teaching and learning, we call this scaffolding. You’re building a way for others to reach an outcome. In my business, the outcome is that these amazing women come into my paid courses (where I can give intentional/personal support). But any funnel method is not a one-size fits all method. Not every funnel strategy will energetically match everyone the same. 

Funnels that worked really well were Moon Circles. AND here’s the truth about that: when I started my moon gatherings I really didn’t know much about the moon. But I believed I knew enough. I knew enough about releasing energy (Full Moon) and manifesting (New Moon). I researched, learned and integrated it first into my own daily practise and then into my circles. I made the choice to have monthly and reoccuring events to host women in circle. It was a way to connect in a way that allowed women to BE in the circle, to feel the energy, to experience it with me. Because, after all, this is what I do. I lead circles. So, your funnel REALLY loves it when it makes sense with who you are, your core beliefs, desires and what you do. When it feels natural. Truth connects with truth. 

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Funnels that worked really well were Moon Circles. AND here’s the truth about that: when I started my moon gatherings I really didn’t know much about the moon. But I believed I knew enough. I knew enough about releasing energy (Full Moon) and manifesting (New Moon). I researched, learned and integrated it first into my own daily practise and then into my circles. I made the choice to have monthly and reoccuring events to host women in circle. It was a way to connect in a way that allowed women to BE in the circle, to feel the energy, to experience it with me. Because, after all, this is what I do. I lead circles. So, your funnel REALLY loves it when it makes sense with who you are, your core beliefs, desires and what you do. When it feels natural. Truth connects with truth. 

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Another organic funnel was to host opening circles to celebrate women coming into my programs. And EVERYONE was invited. You didn’t have to be a paid member of the program to be in the circle. This funnel felt really good and worked beautifully. 

After my first 2019 sisterhood was completed in April, I held a round of Intensives for $97. This was a way to host a deeper container, allow someone to be deeply supported AND if they asked or I felt called to share my program that happened. I used this organic funnel back in 2018 and it supported a few sisters in joining my Jan 2019 program. I booked 10 of them, so a 30% conversion rate (look at me doin’ all this math! lol) 

Another “funnel” (I use “” because it was never meant to be a true funnel) was #SisterSpeak. This is a grassroots interview series for visionaries and emerging leaders. I remember sitting quietly in my office with my coffee one morning and this very clear voice that told me to create a platform for women to share their voice, it would be zoom interviews dropped once a week.  It felt aligned... And in deep integrity to my core desire for myself to seen as a leader who holds space for our voices. More to the point a space for women to share and be seen, which was the initial driving force. I plan to continue this into 2020. 

Beyond ALL the strategies, ALL the funnels, ALL the ways things moved last year the ONE part that held everything together was my Guiding Light... my beliefs--about myself, what’s possible, the willingness to shift who I serve and what I support them with. It was the meaning I created out of whatever came up. And when I found myself on a ledge of misery in meaning (aka, I lost a sister in my program so I must be a failure--which wasn’t true but it was healing an old wound and shame point I HAD to move through. This is where my own network of sisters supported me. AND without that I would have been swirling in my own ‘stuff’ muuuuch longer. 

Fizzle Points
So I’m guessing you’re wondering where the fizzled and ‘fails’ of the year showed up? I mean, I’ve been riffin’ on soooo many parts that went well. There are two. And to be clear, I subscribe to the belief there are never failures, only moments of feedback and a chance to ask yourself: What is the pattern I’m running, what am I missing? How have I created this outcome, what is happening within myself? 

“Fail #1” Fall 2019 launch. Straight off the heels of my summer vacay with the fam-jam I hit the ground running and headed into what I would consider the messiest launch to date. I wasn’t claiming that I wanted to work with women in business, I was flip-floppy and was still trying to please everyone. (whomp, whomp!) I wasn’t being intentional in the way I knew this program needed me to be. Why? Because I was scared in some ways. Brave AF at points, confident in the work I teach (always have been) BUT there was still a voice that told me it wasn’t safe to really shift who I worked with and ‘problems I solve’. And if you’ve ever worked with me, you know I’m talking about shifting who we believe we are, our identity, which (you guessed it) is the deepest level of transformation you can experience IMO. So this launch was my smallest circle, and on paper was my least $$ generating. But, and here’s where the magic is. This particular round of women was by far the most committed to the work. They showed up on every call. They did the work and experienced shifts. So, energetically speaking (aside from the facts/data of this launch on paper), it was my most successful course. In fact, I’ve been slightly hiding how wonderful the reviews were. Something I know I get to work on! #Bragging is so powerful! 

Fail #2 Upgrading Prep Course. Again...remebering that failure is simply feedback, this was a slight flop on paper. So, this was a prep course to get people into the work I do, give them a taste AND (most important) a result or inner shift that would support them. I opened the group December 8th and spent a couple of weeks sharing it and getting people in there before we started. I had an application section that people HAD to fill out to get it, which was new for me. I wanted people truly ready/wanting to show up for the work not just clickity click a free course. This course had three live calls; all teaching circles with an open and closing ceremony. There were three short and easy units with short exercises to do. I made sure to show up, but without overwhelming the group make sure to tag the members when something new was posted. When you host a group it tells you who has and who hasn’t seen the post. (stay on that!) 
The way this was a flop IMO (at least on paper) was that the engagement in the group was okay but not what I felt it could be. There were many not responding to the exercises, or showing they had completed them. Bearing in mind I had never done this before, it was hard to gauge how ‘normal’ this was. 

Stats 
I used course craft (like teachable) to host gathering emails and for members to access the materials after the group was closed. The data on that shows very few have completed the work AND that’s actually normal. On average online DIY courses have a whopping 97% Incomplete rate. So, this is on par. Giving them the online course link made sure they have the work when they want AND to create another way to stay in touch. (Just because they weren’t active in the group or did the course doesn’t mean they are closed to staying in connection) Soooo, why was this a “fail?” In the end. the conversion rate from the 60 members to how many went on to have a chat with me about the program that followed (the next step in the funnel) was low. Yes, there were sisters that DID sign up. Yes, there were so many moments I was like “yessss, this is amazing”. BUT, while I plan to archive the group I’ll first go back and access what I would change next time. I know my copy and CTAs need refining and tweaking. And the general pacing of it all gets to also be upgraded. 

The Unexpected Outcome
The BIG win from this ‘fail’, is that it solidified that creating a monthly $97 membership would be of high service for many of the members I met in that prep course. This is something I’ll be putting together in the next month. Those who were super committed to the course were not always a good fit for my 6-month container, A Course in Transformation (the one I’m launching now) BUT the membership is beyond perfect. 

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In the end, the failures simply gave me new insight and direction. Likely what you’d imagine I would say lol. But in order to see this as my reality (that I didn’t fail) there were some guiding beliefs about life, myself and what was possible I need to have. And this, my loves, was what held all the other wins and fails together in a safe and expansive package ;) You can apply all the magical strategies you want, but the netting of your soul, identity and beliefs will determine the outcome above all else. The work of embodiment and transformation will be found more and more in the online business space. This I know to be true and also why I teach this work. 

What would I change about 2019? Nothing. 
What would I change for 2020? 
Everything. 
Because that's how we grow. 

So, go out and be amazing. Be free, wild and expansive. Be brave and bold in your vision, because it’s calling you, sister. And it won’t stop until you heed that call. 

Ready to get real with your vision, stop playing the prep game and get in the arena? Check out my programs here, sister


Big light and love!

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