This year has been filled with many changes and unexpected twists and turns. As an immigrant, Thanksgiving became my favorite holiday. It is a time to look back, take stock of where things are, and express gratitude for those who made a mark along the way.
We started the year in Brazil, with my family. We celebrated the arrival of the new year at the beach. It was a special New Year's Eve because it was the first time I had a chance to share with my husband, Ryan, the turn of the year, at the beach.
The beginning of the year was busy. I joined the Board of the Blind Institute of Technology (BIT). Thank you Mike Hess for this opportunity to contribute to the growth of BIT.
Between January and March, I was onboarding a new team member, Tania Du Plessis. Tania worked with me until October. I am grateful that I had a chance to meet Tania and thankful for all the work she did for us this year. She decided to move forward as a freelancer and we wish her the best of luck on her path.
Our time together was short, but it helped me to validate the process that I designed to onboard a new team member, and become confident that I can grow my team.
My father passed away in April. I traveled back to Brazil and spent a couple of weeks with my loved ones. He had Alzheimer's and his health was declining quickly. I had a very close relationship with him, so it was painful to see his health declining. When I saw him during the holiday season he was confused and he often couldn’t recognize me.
I am grateful that my father transitioned quickly and didn't suffer in a hospital bed. I am grateful that I was able to arrive in Brazil on time for his funeral. I am grateful that I had Tania helping me in the business while I was there. Also, I am grateful for all the support from our clients, friends, and family in the US.
In the fall of 2021, I joined an online coaching program for women in business, called Biz Chix. This program helped me to create the process for hiring and motivated me to move forward with my business, despite my fears and mindset challenges. The Next Best Hire content was very helpful in creating the hiring process for new team members.
The support of other business owners who were also hiring, the compassion of the group when my father passed away, and the new process that I implemented to manage my business were crucial for all that we achieved this year. Thank you, Natalie Eckdahl and the Biz Chix team for your support. Thank you to all other Biz Chix members that connected with me along the way.
This year I have been delegating more work to our VAs, at Office Mercenary. Natalie Higgins is our main VA, helping us with our LinkedIn posts, monthly newsletters and blog posts. Selena Thiele helps us with bookkeeping. By assigning these functions that are not core to the work we do, we have more time to focus on delivering value to our clients.
I am grateful for their support, their amazing personalities and sense of humor. I love being weird with Selena in our monthly calls.
September was another busy month for us. I completed the Salesforce Service Cloud certification and shortly after, we became an official Salesforce Partner. I am grateful that I was able to focus on these goals and make them a reality.
I had a chance to be a part of a Brazilian women's panel at Denver Startup Week. Thank you Patricia Guimarães for inviting me to be a part of this panel. It was a great experience to share about my immigration journey. Our panel was focused on sharing how overcoming challenges with immigration helped us with our journey as entrepreneurs. I am grateful for having the opportunity to meet all these amazing women and increase my community of Brazilian women in the US.
I am also grateful for all our clients.
We had several clients help us with our first CRM project for the Public Sector. Thank you Mike Hess, Heather Schneider at Golden Civic Foundation, Kent MacLennan at Rise Above CO, Yuri Share at Access Opportunity and Jessica Sveen at RMMFI for serving as a reference for the RFQ process.
I am grateful that we got our very first CRM Implementation project for the public sector.
I am grateful for the teams at Carbon Chemistry, Project Self-Sufficiency, ICLEI and Equitable Food Initiative for trusting our team to help them with their Salesforce Projects this year.
I want to share a special thank you to the Access Opportunity (AO) Team, for all the different ways that our relationship keeps building up. I had a chance to present to their students, in June. They featured an interview with me, in their Partner Spotlight blog. Yuri Shane recently shared more information about her experiences as the Executive Director of AO and their thought behind adding Social Emotional support for their programs to support another nonprofit that I am engaged with.
I am grateful for all the different ways that we are finding to support each other.
Our very first client is RMMFI. I was at DU finishing my MBA when I met Rob Smith (founder and previous CEO). Our project started as a pro bono engagement and I have no doubt, that I am still in business because of this relationship. I am grateful that I am still working with RMMFI. Now under the leadership of the new CEO, Jessica Sveen. RMMFI's growth is pushing me to grow and support them in different ways, their growth and impact are a source of inspiration for me.
Kent MacLennan, at Rise Above CO, has been interviewed by several potential clients, who then became clients. Thank you, Kent for your ongoing support. I love the work that Rise Above CO does and, I dream of one day having a nonprofit organization in Brazil with a similar model of operation.
Connects Workspace is the coworking space that we use to host meetings and engage with other business owners. They are currently expanding to a new location - Connects Red Rocks. We are grateful to be a part of their community and growth. Thank you Jennifer Thoemke for building this community and allowing us to be a part of it.
Last month Flavia Kubricht accepted my invitation to be a part of my team. She is also Brazilian and we have known each other for many years. Flavia, thank you for joining us and for helping us to get up to speed more quickly with the Salesforce Partner program.
I also want to share a special thank you with Kimberly Lucas at Goldstone Partners. Kimberly hosted a mastermind group for a few years that I was a part of. She recently helped us with some guidance on how to grow our team and how to approach the hiring process.
Sherri Kiarsis at Sublime Creations is our webmaster, and SEO expert. Sherri created the very first website I had for my business. We are back working with her now. I am grateful for her support and expertise and for her willingness to provide the level of support that we need, for where we are in our journey.
I recently joined the Inner MBA program, from Sounds True. An MBA program focused on mindfulness. For each piece of content that I watch from this program, I walk away with a permission slip to bring my authentic self to work. I am grateful for finding a program that is so aligned with my core values, and that is helping me to create my path, towards growing my business wholeheartedly.
It has been a busy year. While most people might be slowing down for the holiday season, I still have a lot that I want to get done. I am moving forward with my heart filled with gratitude.
Happy Hollidays to everyone!