Grateful for 2018 & Gearing Up for 2019
During a business trip to San Francisco, I took an evening hike up the Bernal Heights hill. A plaque on the pictured bench displayed a beautiful poem that stuck with me throughout the year:
Awakened by daybreak
A pug licks my face
Gratitude washes over me.
-Karen Heide Reed
The most significant business lesson I've learned in the two years since I started my consulting practice is that even sole proprietors never truly go it alone. While fully acknowledging the ubiquity of "an attitude of gratitude" in the current moment, I find it useful to reflect on the following people and experiences that have made my strategic consulting business sustainable and enriching as we head into 2019.
Through my continued partnership with my friend and colleague Bill Johnston at Structure3C, I had the privilege to work with brands such as Autodesk, IBM, and Salesforce on strategies to better support and engage their customers and report on the ROI of their online and in-person community efforts.
I reconnected in 2018 with the wonderful folks at Training Resources Group, who gave me the opportunity to deliver two rewarding projects for USAID's Office of Education: 1) development of a content strategy to accelerate progress toward education goals and 2) a research and workshop facilitation project to develop a new vision, partnership strategy, and sustainability plan for the Mobiles for Education Alliance.
I was delighted when some new acquaintances at Mental Health America invited me to join their Nonprofit Technology Conference session "How to MacGyver Your Way to Digital Success as a Small/Mid-Sized Nonprofit." I blogged about it when I returned home from New Orleans (but not before checking out some of Jazz Fest).
With support and collaboration from Higher Logic, I was able to relaunch the DC Community Managers Meetup group in September. Our next event on Communities of Practice is scheduled for Thursday, January 17 at The World Bank.
I also had the opportunity to donate some consulting time last year to Rabbi Robert Barr and Our Jewish Community, a progressive online congregation (with a counterpart bricks-and-mortar synagogue in Cincinnati) that was a pioneer in live streaming services and has always been a welcoming, inclusive community.
Thanks again to everyone above who has helped me on my journey thus far. Between all of these rewarding experiences, I enjoyed meeting and catching up with many of you both in person and virtually.
As always, let me know if I can help you in any way. I offer free consultations to discuss project concepts and provide guidance. If you or someone you know would be interested in my services, get in touch.
Best wishes for 2019,
Brian