Rainwater Growth - Year One

Originally posted to LinkedIn on 10/31/24.

I think that it is fitting that I closed out my first year in much the same way that I started it – at a conference.

In October 2023, I landed in Las Vegas, Nevada on a mission.  My goal was to learn as much as possible and to distribute all 100 of the business cards I’d ordered.  I did learn a lot! But becoming a business owner didn’t make me a different person.  A year later, I probably still have about 4 or 5 of those cards left.

But although I didn’t become a networking machine, dazzling listeners with my amazing elevator pitch, gaining a thousand new leads to set me up for the next year, I believe I gained something better.  A sense of belonging and acceptance. 

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These were my people…. I could complain about how PowerApps still couldn’t do something that was a breeze in InfoPath or nod knowingly as they mentioned hiccups encountered when modifying JSON to customize their lists.  There were thousands of people just as enthusiastic about or really more enthusiastic about the technology than I was.

Upon hearing about my plans to branch out on my own at the first of the year, people I’d never met before the conference, offered their support and asked how they could help. Others shared advice and suggestions.  I became a part of an ad hoc affinity group for Black Professionals.  Some really cool ladies from the Women in Tech group took me under their wings, so I got to explore and do things that I would not have otherwise done.

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This encouragement gave me the shot in the arm I needed to take the leap when the time came.

And when it came, instead of landing with a thud, I hit the ground running!  I expanded on what I’d already learned from HubSpot's Email Marketing course by taking advantage of a promotion from General Assembly on their short Digital Marketing program.  So in addition to being one of many Project Management Professionals,® I am also now a certified level one marketer. 

In February, I invested in an eight-week Emeritus/UC Berkely Digital Transformation Course. At the time, it was a lot and by the first week of May I was very ready to turn in my final project. But, it was worth it!  Again, I was honored to be surrounded by people who enjoyed learning and who wanted to use technology to help others.

And I haven’t stopped learning since.  Even though my focus has shifted and I am focusing more on understanding business development, Marketing, and HR topics.  I still make time to learn about technology (and really anything else that interests me and I have time for. Yes, I've heard about what happens to inquisitive felines!)

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It hasn’t been all great.  I definitely made some bad investments of time and money.  I misplaced my trust and have been sorely disappointed, both professionally and personally.  We won’t even talk about my struggles with coming up with a sustainable pricing strategy.  But through it all, I’ve been doing what I enjoy – learning and sharing what I’ve learned with others.

So, returning to the conference I attended earlier this week, I was privileged to return to my second home, Atlanta, for the Greater Atlanta Area ATD Conference and Expo (ACE), where the focus was on how to help people learn, not just technology but a variety of skills so that they can thrive at work.

Again, I found myself surrounded by people with the same passion for learning and sharing as me. Being a creature of habit, I brought another 100 business cards, about 50 flyers, and lots of Rainwater Growth SWAG, but this time, I harbored no illusions about distributing it all. 

But you know what?

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I learned a lot and met a bunch of cool people…, as I start year two, I can’t wait to see how this story turns out….