There’s something pretty magical when the stars align. It’s no different when it comes to a leap year – when an extra 24 hours gets added to the calendar to jive with planet earth’s lap around the sun. I’m no scientist (I’ve always been more the creative type, for as long as I can remember), but I think a leap year boils down to being at the right place at the right time. Let’s ponder that for a moment…
Rewind four years ago to Leap Day on February 29, 2016*. Do you remember where you were and what you were doing on this very day? For me, it was the start of a new adventure with the launch of Maven & Mention. Taking the leap into the great wide open of entrepreneur life.
The past four years running my own shop has been filled with plenty of ups and downs and everything in between. It’s been an absolute thrill – and, I’ll be the first to admit, stressful at times. Exhilarating, scary, joyful, eye-opening, rewarding, the list goes on.
One of the perks of being a solopreneur is getting to choose who you work with and what types of projects you work on to carve out your dream job. While I’ve pivoted and tweaked my consulting offering here and there since the early days of Maven & Mention, I’ve held true to my mission to work with community-minded individuals and brands that share a passion for what they do and are dedicated to making a difference in the community in their own way. It’s been a real honour to exercise my creative muscles and team up on marketing strategy and storytelling pursuits with amazing clients spanning industries — from food to design, entertainment to environmental, retail to lifestyle, tourism to wellness, to name a few.
I’ve challenged and pushed myself to level up my business – starting with clients locally in Calgary and expanding my roster west to Vancouver and east to Toronto. I’ve embraced the opportunity to take Maven & Mention on the road and work remotely from coast to coast while traveling for business or pleasure – even on a sunny beach or a campsite nestled in woods!
I once said that “a leap year is like the bonus round – one extra day in the year to do something extraordinary”. This definitely rings true for 2020: an extra day and the heightened anticipation, excitement and opportunity that comes with a brand new decade. And as a new mama returning from mat leave, it’s the joys of nurturing my new baby and my other baby (Maven & Mention).
To all the wonderful people who inspired me to take the leap in the first place, I’m beyond grateful. To the fantastic community of clients, collaborators and cheerleaders, I’m honoured to have you in my corner. Thank you for all the high fives, pep talks, fist bumps, shoutouts and local love along this whirlwind journey called entrepreneur life. It truly means the world to me.
Cheers to the start of another quadrennial – more memorable moments, more stories to share, more meaningful conversations, more impact. Happy Leap Year, everyone!
*Now, the question is… Is Maven & Mention four years old? Or technically one, with the leap year and all? Let me know what you think! Let’s chat.
-michelle