The Entrepreneur Log #15 - June 2022 Review

If May was all about steering my ship back on its course by providing education to individuals via my Mentorship for Slashers and Upskill Training program, June was all about mapping the route ahead so:
 

i) whatever I do now are to get me to my dream destination, and

ii) to make sure I don't sink.

While 2021 gave me a lot of self-confidence with the awareness I got and the revenue I made, 2022 was like starting a whole new page in the same game but at a much harder level. I now understand the Chinese saying, "starting a business is hard, but sustaining it is even harder."

Apart from being a test on my mind (to keep my fire from burning out and continue to have faith in myself), it is also a test on making the best use of previous learnings. It is much easier to start something and let it roll than to stop, review, and alter future doings based on insights and data.

Towards the end of June, I spent a load of time going through all my content performances in the past six months. I had to analyze what has worked and what has not and if they have achieved their respective objectives. I also went through all my website metrics, which surprisingly resulted in many qualitative learnings. So much so I will be releasing a short content series to share on my Instagram in August.

Such new understandings meant I had to refine all of my upcoming content. It involved a lot of thinking and work, but that is the cost of opting for content marketing as my marketing strategy. It's not just about pumping out heaps of content; it is about creating content that has proven to work to cater to my specific niche.

With that said, I have doubled down on Slasher-specific content in June. Firstly, with my Starting My Side Business comic series, and then a blog on my personal story as a Slasher. In the blog, I didn't just share my experience but also the key factors people should consider if they want to become a slasher. I was very happy to find that Cocoon Foundation has reposted my comic on their Linkedin Page, and that my blog has generated the most clicks via all of my EDM newsletter in the past half a year. They are small wins, but wins that I believe are worth celebrating for.

Another highlight this month is on growing my authority organically. The content I have created to drive engagement and awareness on different platforms have attracted me to yet another opportunity! I am proud to announce that I have ben personally invited to become a mentor on sofasoda. Sofasoda is a platform which offers career planning advice and expertise knowledge to post-college students and young workforces in Hong Kong and Taiwan. Members can now book sessions with me via their app, where I will offer insights on content and marketing strategies, career-planning, and storytelling.

In June, I also participated as a mentor in an online zoom session with Inspiring Girls. I spoke to a group of Form 4 students about resilience. Like other mentorship sessions I have hosted, I am (yet again) blown away by how mature Hong Kong students are and how clear they are about their future at such a young age. Through the sharing, I was reminded of how important it is to stay true to yourself, and do what you love, even though it's hard.

Last but not least, I have not stopped learning myself. I attended the Lighthouse Social Summit June 2022 online during Social Media Day, completed a SEMRUSH SEO crash course, and a Linkedin Content and Creative Design Course this month. To give back to my community, I have also gathered inspirational quotes and links I've found in the first half of 2022 into a Linkedin article, and created a brand new Content Marketing Tools webpage on my website.

For July, I have a big project in the making, an offline initiative I am looking forward to, and a bunch of exciting content (including mentee testimonials!) scheduled in the backend that I can't wait to see live. Even though I cannot guarantee what I am doing is "right" and I can't bet on anything to turn me into an overnight success (because that's unlikely to happen), I believe I just need to have faith in myself. I need to keep building on what I love and continue to offer value to help others. It will be a long-term investment, but it is something that will pay off with hard work, persistence, and strategy.

- Joyce