My Biggest Business Lessons From 2021
What a freakin’ year! I still can’t quite believe that we’re here at the end of 2021.
I know it’s been a year of many ups and downs, and lots of polarity. What I want to share with you today are some reflections and my biggest business lessons from the year that was 2021.
Now, these are lessons that aren’t necessarily NEW but rather lessons that I’ve really deepened into in 2021.
I want to share them with you because these are lessons that I’m taking with me into 2022. I know they are going to serve me hugely in my business, and I know they’ll be supportive for you too.
But what I want to start with is a quick reflection on the YEAR before the year that was….
Because I feel like the lessons I want to share from 2021 make a lot more sense in the context of what life and business looked like in 2020.
Now, I know many of you will relate, but 2020 was a pivotal year for me in the business. It was a year of big change in my business. Noah was born in July 2019, so when we entered 2020 – he was 6 months old, I was still breastfeeding and my mum was looking after him 1 day per week so I could have one full day in the business.
My word for 2020 was ELEVATION…which was perfect in so many ways.
In 2020, I had my first 5 figure launch. I rebranded and stepped out from behind the brand as Bec Cuzzillo. I pivoted and niched down into the spiritual business space, and I created my 2 signature coaching programs – the Spiritual Business Academy and the Spiritual Business Mistressmind.
I also hired my first team member in 2020. Shout out to Tahryn Bolt, one of my best biz besties and honorary team member. Tahryn still does some incredible copywriting and creative work for me, which I’m forever grateful for. I interviewed Tahryn on the podcast previously – check out episode 6 HERE – it’s a good one to listen to if you’re planning on launching anything in 2022.
But back to 2020... as you can see in many ways, it was a big year of ELEVATION and lots of change for me in the business (and not just because of the pandemic).
Now that brings us to 2021 and the lessons I want to share with you today.
My word for this year has been GROUNDED. After a year of so much change and creating & launching a bunch of new offers – I wanted to ground my energy and the energy of the business. I felt like I needed to land.
I wanted to ground my vision and ground into my role as the CEO of what felt like almost an entirely new business.
I also really wanted to consolidate my offers. And as I reflect back on this year, that is one of my biggest celebrations. I’m really proud of how I’ve solidified my signature programs and my business model this year.
And I now know, unequivocally, that this sh*t works. The results that I have supported my clients to achieve in their businesses and continue to achieve – it honestly blows me away! Of course, I knew it before, when I first created the programs, but now I know without a doubt that these programs are so freakin’ valuable, and that they just continue to get better & better.
I remember sitting in the Closing Ceremony for the April round of the Spiritual Business Mistressmind back in October. One of the themes that came through for a number of women was their resilience and how proud they were of not giving up when things got challenging. One of the women said, “you know Bec, there were times when I thought about giving up but I didn’t because I had your support.”
Ooft. That hit me right in the feels.
And of course there are other factors at play, but having my support in her business was one of the main reasons why she didn’t give up when sh*t hit the fan. That’s more powerful for me than any numbers or metrics!
She didn’t give up on her dream because she had my support in her business. And the people she is now supporting...they don’t miss out on having her magic in their lives.
Which brings me to lesson number 1…
Lesson #1: Your work is MORE impactful than you realise.
Sitting in that Closing Ceremony call was when the ripple effect of my work really landed for me – that my impact goes way beyond just MY clients. I’m supporting incredible spiritual business owners who are impacting their own clients in their own magic way. And so on, it goes.
And I’m willing to bet the same is true for you. The ripple effect of your work in the world goes way beyond those in your immediate vicinity. I want you to take a moment to really reflect on how freakin’ amazing that is. You can’t truly quantify or begin to understand that impact. And that’s so incredible.
I can feel the tingles again now. Because it’s one thing to know something like that intellectually, that your work is powerful and has a ripple effect...BUT to feel it, to really FEEL it... it’s a whole other thing.
Your work is more impactful that you realise. Lesson #1.
Now this year more than ever before, I’ve experienced more polarity in my life and business...and I know from supporting my clients this year that this has been a theme showing up for many of us.
When I say polarity – I’m talking about the highs and lows, the contrasting experiences, the duality, things going really well at the same time as things that aren’t.
And what I’ve noticed this year, is that more and more these experiences don’t come exclusively from each other, but actually simultaneously.
I know in my life – I’ve been celebrating something epic on the one hand while simultaneously moving through really big challenges on the other.
And my capacity to hold that for myself and to support my clients through the same...has been challenged and stretched this year more than ever before, and as a result my capacity to hold all of the things has expanded.
So lesson #2 is…
Lesson #2: The MORE you hold, the more you CAN hold.
Your capacity is limitless and ever expanding. You can hold it ALL!
Your business gets to support you in life AND your life gets to support you in business.
To give you an example of what that looked like for me this year – I’ve had a number of launches this year ALSO coincide with illness in my family.
There was one launch where I was unwell for the entire 3 weeks of open cart and then again, most recently, the night before I opened the doors to the Spiritual Business Academy we found out that Noah had tested positive for covid and we were going into quarantine as a family.
So there were a number of times where I was really stretched to my edge of what it looks like for me to create results in my business and continue showing up for my clients, while also looking after myself, looking after my family, resting, prioritising #allofthethings in life.
This year required me to ask for more SUPPORT than ever before, to TRUST more than ever before and to really look at where I was still holding on too tightly and making things harder than they had to be.
2021 really stretched my capacity to hold all of that energy and recalibrate to a new level of holding space for myself and my clients in a way that felt easeful and energising, as opposed to draining. And, of course, this is something that I’m still working on and will always be working on – because our capacity for how much we can hold is limitless.
The more you hold, the more you can hold. Lesson #2.
The next lesson is related to this one...
Lesson #3: You make your best decisions when you take the emotion out of it.
I know that I’m not alone in feeling stretched to capacity this year. Especially as we come to the end of a really challenging 24 months as a collective.
What I’ve noticed is that even super optimistic humans – people who usually have no problem looking at the bright side of things and being solution-focused – have found it increasingly more challenging to stay in that positive headspace as we close out 2021.
If that’s you, I see you and I feel you. You have been stretched to the limits of your capacity.
Which is why this is one of the biggest lessons of 2021. For me. For my clients. For you.
You make your best decisions when you take the emotion out of it.
I’ve recently started seeing a hypnotherapist – because I’ve needed to call in more energetic support for this exact reason.
One of the things that he said in our first session really stood out to me. And I’m paraphrasing here, but…when we can take a step back and NOT dive into the pool of emotions that surround whatever challenges we are facing, we make better decisions.
We can SEE the next step as opposed to being in the brain fog of our emotions.
And as the CEO of your business – you need to be making decisions without attaching YOUR personal emotion to it.
And it's not about NOT feeling your feelings...but rather feeling your feelings and then taking a step back out of those emotions to make a decision and ACT from a more centred space.
When you are IN that pool of emotion, you are not connected to your higher self or your intuition and everything feels harder. You might have thoughts like: Why me? What am I doing wrong? Why does this keep happening? Maybe I’m not good enough. Maybe I’m not cut out for this.
But when you can step out of that pool, you step out of that anxious, out-of-control energy and into a place where you are taking responsibility for what you DO have control over.
In that space, ALL of the opportunities and possibilities open up. You can seek creative solutions to your “problems”. You can see your challenges in a new light. You stop hitting the wall, and you can make a decision and choose an action that is going to support you.
But first you have to make the conscious decision to step out of that emotion.
And, of course, this was something that I already knew. As a coach and NLP practitioner, I already knew this. But it was such a good reminder that sometimes, no matter what we KNOW, we need someone to reflect it back to us.
There’s always a deeper level of embodiment that can happen. We’re always growing. We’re always learning. So even if this something you already know, consider this your gentle reminder to check in with yourself.
Where are you allowing the emotion to drive your decisions?
Where are you allowing the emotion to colour your perception of how things really are in your life and business?
You make your best decisions when you take the emotion out of it. Lesson #3.
Lesson #4: Growing and scaling your business is a messy process
Especially when you grow fast. And you’re just going to have to get comfortable with the messiness of it all.
When you grow and scale your business, there will be things that just aren’t a high priority. You’ll be setting up systems and processes as you go. You’ll outgrow certain platforms and subscriptions that once served you well but just don’t quite cut it anymore. And that’s okay!
If you want to grow and scale your business, you’ve got to get comfortable with that messiness.
I know for me this year, there have been things that have sat on my Asana board overdue for a really long time. Things like, updating parts of my website, cleaning up the google drive, migrating files from my desktop to my hard drive.
Once upon a time these things would have REALLY annoyed me. Does it annoy me that these things have sat on my list for months? Yes, a little. But are they important? No, not really.
There are WAYYYY more important things. And while I love a good plan and I love being organised – I’d rather be growing my business and dealing with a little mess, than stalling my growth because I’d like to have all my files organised.
Growing and scaling your business is a messy process. Lesson #4.
Which brings me to my next lesson…
Lesson #5: Create the plan and then be flexible.
Because things might be messy but having a plan helps.
Coming back to my word for the GROUNDED, this year I have really solidified some of the systems and processes in the biz, including how we plan out different projects and programs.
Our launch process, for example, is now SO tight. We always have a plan. The plan comes together easily because we’ve done it so many times before, and we know it works. Having a plan gives us the structure and container to flow within.
Because you want to create the plan and then be flexible.
This is something that has served me SO well this year when things have hit the fan during launches – me being unwell, Noah getting covid, the whole family going into quarantine, etc.
When LIFE has lifed...having a PLAN has been THE number one reason that I’ve still been able to launch successfully and have my biggest launches ever this year.
Did they always go to plan? No. But did the plan support me? 100%
Plans help to alleviate stress because they take the guesswork out of it.
When you have a plan you know exactly what the next step is and you know where you can shift things around. The plan provides the masculine structure and container for the feminine flow to be responsive, adaptive and guided intuitively.
I know so many of my beautiful intuitive clients will cringe at the idea of having a plan because it feels “restrictive”…but it's actually the most freeing thing ever. Because it gives you a container to flow within.
Having a plan takes the pressure off, so your brain space isn’t taken up thinking about all of the decisions to be made and next steps to be taken. You have the plan, so the decisions have been made and you have the freedom to be creative and intuitive and go with the flow. It’s magic!
Create the plan and then be flexible. Lesson #5.
Our sixth and final lesson is…
Lesson #6: Challenges are an opportunity for growth.
2021 has been one of the MOST stretchy, challenging years for me in life and business.
And I know I’m not alone in that.
But these experiences have made me a better coach, a better business owner, a better mum, a better friend, a better wife, daughter, sister, a better human being, in general.
It is through these challenges that I’ve been able to ground MORE into my vision, my mission, my values. All of the things that are really freakin’ important to me and important in my business.
And I know that I am coming out of this year a better coach and a better business owner than when I started.
Sure, there have been times when I haven’t wanted to face the challenges head on, when I have found myself neck deep in that pool of emotion without even realising it.
But in the moments when I’ve made the decision to take that step back and into the driver's seat, to put my CEO hat back on and my big girl boss pants – they have been the MOST significant moments of growth for me.
This year I have grown MORE than ever before and honed my craft because of how I’ve navigated these challenges.
Now…Universe, that is NOT me asking for more challenges in 2022. Bring on a more easeful year, my friend, please and thank you.
But it is with deep gratitude that I can look back on these challenges as opportunities.
Challenges are opportunities for growth. Lesson #6.
To recap, my biggest business lessons of 2021 are…
Your work is MORE impactful than you realise.
The MORE you hold, the more you CAN hold.
You make your best decisions when you take the emotion out of it.
Growing and scaling your business can be messy AF
Create the plan and then be flexible.
Challenges are an opportunity for growth.
Now before I sign off today…
I want to say a big thank you to YOU!
One of my BIGGEST achievements and celebrations for 2021 is the podcast. I can’t believe that it has been 10 months of podcasting!
This is without a doubt my favourite way to create content and connect with you. I am so grateful for each and every one of you who listens to the podcast.
Every time I hear from you in my DMs or I read a review or I see you sharing with your community on instagram...my heart does a literal flip. You are just the absolute best!
I am so excited for 2022 and creating more epic podcast episodes for you.
I’ll be taking a 2 week break over the holiday season. Consider this your opportunity to catch up on any episodes you’ve missed.
Wishing you all the love, joy and abundance for the new year. I’ll see you on the other side. Big love!
Join Goddess Goals
The 10 day online course to set your heart-centred goals and achieve them with ease. Join Goddess Goals by clicking here.
