The year 2020 was certainly one for the books. There were many dark moments, sure, but there were also many light moments as well. If for nothing other than my own posterity, I wanted to share some of my notable moments of 2020.
The Launch of Spark Solutions
The first most notable thing was publicly launching this business! In a pandemic, no less. It was a bold move, on my part, particularly when sports were restricted and unable to play (and continue to be now). This may be candid, but I high-fived myself every single month when I was able to pay my bills.
Joining the Sheffe Consulting Team
In June, I joined the Sheffe Consulting team as an Associate. Sheffe Consulting is located in Ottawa and is led by Nora Sheffe, who is a Certified Professional Facilitator & Master and Certified Virtual Facilitator. We facilitate meetings, including town halls, strategic planning, stakeholder consultations, debriefs and decision-making meetings for a variety of non-profit and public clients. I’ll be discussing my work with the organization in an upcoming blog post, but under Nora’s mentorship, my facilitation knowledge and skills have grown exponentially.
Graphic Facilitation
This year, I took a course in graphic facilitation. Graphic facilitation is the use of large-scale imagery to lead groups and individuals toward a goal. I took the 2-day Basics Training course from Jill and Jill from the bikablo® akademie. I learned how to use simple techniques for creating graphic elements. These methods are great for knowledge sharing, dialogue, and co-creation and I can’t wait to use them with clients in the future.
Managing Financials
As a business owner and entrepreneur, I am responsible for every facet of my operation. I took the necessary steps to increase my knowledge about accounting and bookkeeping. As it turns out, the knowledge from two accounting courses that I took 10 years ago hadn’t stuck in my brain whatsoever. Thanks to my accountant and bookkeeper, I gained a lot of knowledge and tools to effectively manage my financials, and I’m quite proud of my growth in this area.
Virtual Coffee
2020 was the year of virtual coffee! The social-distance/quarantine has facilitated the invention of the virtual coffee. It’s simply that: coffee (or not) and chat over a virtual platform. I’ve connected to new acquaintances in Victoria, Winnipeg, Regina, Moose Jaw, Edmonton, Ottawa, Toronto and Argentina. These are acquaintances that I otherwise would have not connected to, because of our geographic spread. These have been great for meeting people and learning about how we can work together. It’s something that I intend to keep doing in the future.
Joining The Exchange
In September, I joined The Exchange. It’s a 3-year business growth program helping women entrepreneurs scale their businesses, lead by the Women Entrepreneurs of Saskatchewan. I am in a cohort with 11 other women, lead by a chair. We meet monthly for a presentation and discussion on a range of topics like fiscal management, human resources, marketing, and vision. Relating to the group and supporting each other has been incredibly valuable, and I’m looking forward to seeing where we go from here.
This is a small sampling of the different things I’ve been involved with this year. Certainly the more notable moments of 2020. 2020 has been challenging but it’s also brought great things and I don’t want to lose sight of that. I’m wishing you all a great holiday season, and can’t wait to work with you in 2021.