“December Update” was the title when I first drafted this post. I didn’t have a clear focus for it — I wanted to address both my business and personal life to talk about ending the year and starting a new one. The calendar inspired the post as well as the events of late November.
To say I almost died sounds dramatic and isn’t my style. We’ll just say I’ve never been so urgently swished around by medical professionals in my entire life. And I was politely chiding for waiting so long for treatment. That was how I spent the weekend after Thanksgiving — Med Express to emergency room to surgery to hospital stay. I did address it briefly on social media because I ditched my booth at the Peaksview Holiday Market.
I had been looking forward to the event all year both as a vendor for my greeting card hobby and as a sponsor for my marketing agency. In a way, my year had been building to that moment.
January to June
I started 2023 with a few business goals in mind. For about 5 years, I had been inching away from just being a freelancer to operating as an agency. I know most people would get a business loan, hang up a shingle, hire employees, and declare themselves open for business. But, I wasn’t comfortable with that for a few reasons.
First, it wasn’t right for my family. I found out I was pregnant around the same time I registered my LLC. I’ve been on that working motherhood ride for about 5 years and feel confident in my ability to juggle it — capping my number of offspring at one.
Second, I didn’t feel like I had earned it yet. I’ve been working in this industry for about 15 years rising from intern to marketing director (without knowing a single marketing professional when I graduated school). But, owning an agency is different than running an agency or department for an owner. I felt the weight of knowing other’s livelihoods would depend on my decisions as I grew my business. I’ve seen so many marketing professionals burned by start-ups that I didn’t want to do the same.
Finally, I didn’t want the business to get in the way of the work. I wanted to enjoy the campaigns and clients — and be creative. I also am wary of selling myself and my services over choosing what is in the best interest of my clients. Another thing I vowed I would never do — after years of seeing my peers push software or packages just to hit sales goals.
So, I plugged along at this thing called Verderame, LLC until January of 2023. Then, I noticed I had steady work and steady subcontractors — some of whom had been working with me for years.
Years.
July to October
In the past, it felt disingenuous going by more than my name — like self-employed individuals who use the corporate we to talk about working alone. I went by my name and took pride in my ability to go by it. I stood behind my work and owned it. Yet, the situation had grown beyond just me by mid-2023. So, I decided to brand myself as more than myself. We (meaning me and 4 subcontractors) couldn’t be Danielle Verderame of Verderame, LLC. Because that didn’t represent us anymore.
Me became we.
I threw the name The Shop Shop out there a little. My website and profiles became a hybrid of me and The Shop Shop. Clients took to it.
This encouraged me to move forward with plans to expand in 2024 — starting with some of my first sponsorship and advertising buys for this business.
Rough Holidays
Post-October, my business was busy because I focus on retail marketing clients and Q4 is their peak. By Thanksgiving, I had wrapped up most of my client’s holiday campaigns. I was ready to ride those out through the last few holiday shopping weeks. Then, I could work on content and promotion for my own business.
Instead, my appendix ruptured. I had tubes coming out of my nose and abdomen while I took client calls and sent promotional emails.
I worked from my couch and finished the year strong for my accounts.
But I did not get anything done to promote myself in 2024.
A New Year
Here I am back — with loads of ideas. That’s the one upside of lying around for weeks. You get loads of cool ideas, even if you don’t have the energy to do anything about them yet.
I have an intern for a few months. It’s not my first intern but it’s the first intern for The Shop Shop. I’m already working with two new clients for the new year. There’s a pile of draft portfolio updates waiting for me to publish.
While I wasn’t ready to write this in December, I feel like I can write it now. In December, I was still treading water. Now, I am breathing well and have a grip on my life. This is encouraging considering I woke up less than 2 months ago with the threat of losing organs.
I’m using my project management skills and haven’t missed a deadline yet — even if it meant using text-to-voice to communicate with clients while a tube blocked my throat.
What’s to Come
My team is solid. My accounts are doing well. And I feel like I’ve earned a little time to chill and be creative. My body told me to slow down. So, I’m slowing down for a few months — I’m leaving room in my schedule for passion projects.
I’m blessed with this chance to be a little choosey and dive deeper into my accounts.
About My Central Virginia Marketing Agency
The Shop Shop is turning things up a notch for me. This agency focuses my 15-year marketing career and 5-year freelance business (Verderame, LLC) into a boutique agency. And it’s all focused on retail.
I’ve brought together a small team that specializes in marketing services for makers, eStores, and retailers. Working with us is simple. I am the main point of contact on all my accounts. I visit in person or schedule phone calls to discuss your projects. My team members are all located in Central VA and we work together closely. (No passing you off to a junior coordinator after you sign!) If you want to work together, send me a message at danielle@theshopshop.co.