2024 Reflections: Successes & Challenges with Annemarie Cross & Karen Crowell

2024 Success & Setbacks: Annemarie Cross & Karen Crowell Reflect

Originally featured on the Ambitious Entrepreneur Show, I’m excited to bring this powerful episode to the Christian Entrepreneurs Podcast as well!

With 2025 now upon us, it’s the perfect time to pause, reflect, and learn from the experiences that shaped the past year. 2024 was filled with both triumphs and challenges—moments of growth, unexpected obstacles, and invaluable lessons that have impacted both my personal and professional journey. To unpack it all, I’m sitting down with my friend and fellow entrepreneur, Karen Crowell, for a heartfelt conversation we’ve titled 2024 Reflections: Successes & Challenges.

Together, we dive into the realities of entrepreneurship—balancing health and business, navigating setbacks, and celebrating personal victories, from launching group coaching programs to exploring new passions. We openly discuss the obstacles we’ve faced, the insights we’ve gained, and the strategies that helped us move forward, all with the hope of inspiring and equipping you as you step into the new year.

I couldn’t be more excited for the opportunities that 2025 holds. A fresh start is here, and we’re committed to helping you make the most of it. Join us for this powerful conversation filled with encouragement, practical wisdom, and actionable strategies to fuel your success. Let’s make 2025 a year of growth, purpose, and fulfillment—together!

Here are three key takeaways to enhance your storytelling in business:

The Balancing Act: Their challenges, from navigating illness to finding harmony between home life and business.
Health & Productivity: Tips on integrating wellness into your entrepreneurial journey.
Financial Wisdom: Strategies for fostering fiscal clarity and reducing stress through profit-first principles.

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Jump straight to these golden nuggets:

06:08 Personal health impacts success and work performance.

07:14 Ignoring symptoms led to serious health issue.

12:49 Prioritize profit first to manage expenses effectively.

15:26 Separate accounts reduce stress by managing finances.

17:45 Embracing herbalism: Personal interest becoming professional.

22:39 Explore herbs' healing properties; reflect on disappointments.

26:18 Struggled balancing health, home, and work life.

27:41 Importance of balance and intentionality in life.

34:06 Considering a tech-focused show for scalable software.

34:45 Karen's software is an effective all-in-one solution.

38:38 Free resources for coaches to increase visibility.

KEY TOPICS:

Topic: Karen Crowell's Challenges

Struggling with balancing home life and business. Found it difficult to manage time effectively on days when health permitted work. Experienced stress from juggling responsibilities and trying to meet business goals.
Disappointed by not being present with her grandchildren due to their illness. Felt guilty and saddened about missing special moments. Struggled emotionally with supporting family during illnesses.

Topic: Annemarie Cross's Reflections

Emphasized the importance of balance between personal and business life
Discussed the necessity of setting boundaries and advocated for creating a sustainable work-life plan.
Sharing health challenge of losing her voice, impacting work. Explained how losing her voice impeded hosting the podcast. Stressed the importance of vocal health for communication professionals.
Encouraged prioritizing health and well-being and recommended practical self-care practices.

Topic: Words for the New Year

Karen’s word “serendipity,” focusing on unexpected pleasures and gratitude. Aims to recognize and appreciate joyous moments by chance. Wants to adopt a mindset of thankfulness.
Annemarie’s words “fullness” and “fulfillment”. Desires a life rich in experiences and satisfaction. Seeks a balance that leads to a meaningful existence.

Topic: Plans for Next Year

Karen's plans to expand her tech business. Intends to scale services to reach a wider audience. Focuses on providing solutions to help clients meet goals.
Potential future show on technology in business. Plan to address common tech challenges faced by small business owners. Highlight cost-effective strategies and tools.

Topic: Use of ITL Technologies’ Software

Annemarie's discussion on using ITL Technologies’ software. Shared positive experiences and the software's ability to simplify business processes. Praised the comprehensive all-in-one solution for business needs.
Noting the software as cost-effective and scalable: Affordable for small businesses and scalable as businesses grow.
Plans to incorporate business coaching. Aiming to offer holistic support combining tech solutions with strategic advice.

Topic: Collaboration Plans

Annemarie and Karen supporting clients completing the Core Business Foundations program. Intend to provide follow-up support for client success. Aim to bridge the gap between learning and practical implementation.
Enhancing brand visibility and converting setups into influential platforms. Focus on strategies to elevate market presence. Work towards solidifying client positions as industry leaders.

Topic: Health Challenges and Solutions

Annemarie discussing the adverse effects of EMF. Described symptoms like tingling and brain fog. Stressed the necessity of addressing health warnings proactively.
Karen emphasizing giving oneself permission to take breaks. Recommended small, consistent self-care routines. Highlighted improvements in productivity from taking breaks.
Analogy of “sharpening the saw”. Stressed the need for regular self-renewal. Cited examples of greater efficiency and effectiveness.

Topic: Professional Milestones

Annemarie completing the first beta round of a group coaching program. Reviewed successes and diverse participant experiences. Discussed goals for program expansion.
Plans for future growth. Aim to reach a larger, more diverse audience. Outline steps for global marketing.

Topic: Personal Interests and Growth

Annemarie’s milestone involving the creation of herbal tea. Detailed her journey and passion for herbal remedies. Described plans to market and share her products.
Discussion on the benefits of herbs and essential oils. Cited historical uses for health benefits. Highlighted specific medicinal properties.
Embracing personal growth and relationships amidst challenges. Reflected on growth during adverse conditions. Encouraged focusing on building and maintaining relationships.

Topic: Future Discussions

Foreshadowing discussions on business and brand positioning planned for 2025. Plans to explore advanced branding strategies. Aim to provide insights and tools for future success.
Encouragement for reflection as the year ends. Suggested strategies for year-end review. Prepared audience for setting new, realistic goals for growth.

HIGHLIGHTED QUOTES:

“I had double knee surgery at the beginning or towards the beginning of the year. And so, I've had a lot of health issues over the last probably 10 years. And so I just had them both done at the same time, and, it was definitely hard harder to do it that way, but I'm glad that I did it.”
— Karen Crowell [00:04:52 → 00:05:12]

“Because I haven't been ballroom dancing. I used to compete in things, and I haven't done that since the end of 2019. So my birthday present to myself last month was to go dancing again. And so that's what I did. I actually went two times, and I'll probably do it another one or 2 before the year is over. So that was a huge success because just being able to do it and get some exercise and all of that, it just makes your mood so much better. So, helps me think better too.”
— Karen Crowell [00:05:36 → 00:06:08]

“Just giving yourself permission. Sometimes we just feel like we have to do all these things and just saying, you know, it's okay if you take a little bit of time to just get up and walk around and clear your head and yeah. And just do some deep breathing and things just small things. It doesn't have to even be big things.”
— Karen Crowell [00:09:38 → 00:09:56]

“And in this book, it talks about how you take your profit first. Even if you only take $10 or $100 or whatever it is, you just take it first and you put it in a profit bank account, and that bank account does not get touched.”
— Karen Crowell [00:13:17 → 00:13:31]

“So much stress comes in business because we're working 90 hours a week, and we're not making any money. We have nothing to show at the end of the year.”
— Karen Crowell [00:16:14 → 00:16:19]

“I really have enjoyed and that's probably one of the key things takeaways of this last year are just getting more into that and taking more natural teas and herbs and things like that, essential oils, and just really using them more often.”
— Karen Crowell [00:20:34 → 00:20:52]

“I didn't balance my life as well as I would have liked to.”
— Karen Crowell [00:27:04 → 00:27:07]

“My word for next year is serendipity or serendipitous, and I'm going to really concentrate on looking for just wonderful, unexpected pleasures that just appear, just are there.”
— Karen Crowell [00:30:37 → 00:30:53]

“If we're constantly getting fatigued, if we're running out of energy, if we just don't feel on top of things, it's hard to bring our best to personal or business.”
— Annemarie Cross [00:02:52 → 00:04:07]

“All of the studies that have been done that the healing properties of herbs, I really encourage people to as part of their personal if they've got a small garden, even if in a pot, look out for some great herbs that you can, you know, start growing and using, drying, and having as tea, which is wonderful.”
— Annemarie Cross [00:22:48 → 00:23:08]

“It's not always the destination but rather enjoying the journey.”
— Annemarie Cross [00:25:07 → 00:25:11]

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