Read below for TNM founder Kevin O’Connell’s thoughts on 2020, dealing with change and transitions as a new dad and entrepreneur, and finding new approaches for 2021.
With less than two weeks until the end of the year, I am sitting here, outside of my in-laws’ house, in one of my many make-shift WFH nooks I have found myself in this year. A place I can find a sliver of peace and quiet to reflect on 2020.
2020: working from unusual corners of the house, praying wifi works or that my son Noah takes an extra long nap, or that someone - either my wife, our part-time babysitter, or a family member (wait, who are we kidding, support from family or friends visiting has been scaled back or nonexistent) can spend an extra 10 or 20 minutes with him so I can get work done, have time to myself, or grab a quick workout.
Throughout this pandemic my workload hasn’t really decreased and having a schedule has been thrown out the window. The office is home and home is the office (and home is also daycare). There have been a lot of start and stop moments of work, sporadic bursts (and collapses) of energy, and the non-negotiable calls, the “must shower and not wear a baseball hat” Zooms, and adjunct teaching that I had to embrace and pull it together.
Getting Started in 2020
What’s funny, as I reflect to write this post, is I just re-watched this video I made on January 29th, 2020 for The Niche Movement, our first piece of content for 2020 when I announced a new chapter in my life and how my identity was shifting from a husband, son, entrepreneur, and educator to now father. In that video recording, both Noah and I had no idea what was about to unfold.
As far as The Niche Movement, I am incredibly proud that I published that video. Because at the end of 2019, when I evaluated everything on my plate, I really contemplated putting a hiatus (if not closing the chapter completely) on this passion project turned movement that I built over the last 7+ years. It was the meeting I had with Carmen, our former Editor in Chief, and Jaylene, our marketing coordinator, a few days before recording that video, that inspired me to re-shape our content pillar strategy, starting by sharing my own new journey (and challenge), and to put together a content calendar for Q1 2020.
And we did. Fast forward 6 weeks into early March, and the pandemic hit. Compared to a lot of people I follow, it seemed like everyone immediately innovated, pivoted, started something new, took on a new skill, etc. In my heart and mind, I wanted to do the same (I even had an Instagram Live professional development series I wanted to launch) but I was just running out of steam--aka bandwidth, energy, motivation, and time etc. I was in the middle of producing projects for my clients from my other business FYN Creative, educating myself on the CARES Act, small business grants, PPP loans, taxes, and advocating for my business and myself -- all while wanting to put out content for The Niche Movement community.
Looking Back
Now looking back, I am so glad we opened up our Instagram account, put a content strategy together, and found time to draft and publish new content, because I realized in late March that now more than ever our community (and new followers) needed us. Now, nine months later, as my team and I reflect and analyze, we published 26 new blog posts (one of the highest, if not THE highest, number of posts we ever published in a year). We had over 10,400 page views, added and featured 4 new contributing editors, hired and on-boarded a super creative new social media, Greer Blount, and offered our first writing internship to Maggie Barbour who created and published 10 posts in less than 12 weeks. I am so proud of our team - we really fired on all cylinders and worked together to keep our blog, Instagram, and newsletter in sync and most importantly, consistent.
However, what I am most proud of is you: the community. Many of you faced your own challenges - personally, professionally, academically. You pivoted. You took time for yourself. And you helped others.
One way our community came together to help others was to support our first ever scholarship. Something I have been wanting to create since 2017. We raised more than $800 and helped support four Black Student Creative scholarships from Howard University, The George Washington University, and University of Miami. Not only did we fund a scholarship, but I also hosted a mentor meeting to help them navigate their future careers and open up new connections.
Identity and Transitions
Before I wrap up 2020, I want to go back to two keywords I used in my first video from 2020: identity and transition.
Pandemic or not, I found my professional and personal identity tested a lot this year. I fully embraced parenthood and love every moment, but, boy, is it a challenge. The upside to the pandemic is that my wife and I have seen our son develop, grow, learn new things, and hit milestones right in front of our eyes and not in a daycare center report (no judgement to parents who have their child in daycare - Noah will start formal daycare in January). But as I reflect and prepare for a new year, I am having some serious thoughts about my professional identity - my needs, my goals, my mental health, and my impact.
Through my career exploration work and research through TNM, I have found that one of the ways people find their niche and love what they do is because it is not just tied to the job or organization, but their boss. However, when their boss leaves, they quickly realize they didn’t love their job, they loved the leadership. For me, as an entrepreneur, I am my own leader, aside from my clients and partner organization that I get to work with. And for the last several weeks, I have found my niche evolving and my career desires shifting.
I have worked for myself for 6+ years the longest I have stayed in one job next to my time at Rutgers. Read any of my other posts or talk to anyone else that is self-employed and you will know there are high-highs and low-lows. I’ll be honest here but even though my businesses are doing relatively good considering COVID, my mental health has suffered for various reasons. And I need (and want) to change that.
I want to do more. I want to make a bigger impact. I love teaching. I love storytelling. And I love career exploration. But I am not flexing all of my skills.
My masters is in leadership. I excel at leading small, nimble, and growing teams. I have an entrepreneurial drive and creative mind that has built two businesses for more than six years and is sustaining during a pandemic. I also want to be able to build and fully execute on long term strategies.
Lastly, I want to share a word Stacy Campesi, my good friend and catalyst for the last 6 years of my career, said to me in October: “decision-fatigue.” There are so many decisions that go into running your own business - oh yeah, and even more decisions that go into parenting. Trying to think through these decisions and execute them while working on the business and also working in the business is a balance act that requires not just physical energy, but even more mental energy.
I am closing out 2020 and preparing for 2021 so that I can take more control of my decisions. Some sort of transition is needed. I have some ideas on what that may be, but I don’t want to share just yet. I do know I want to make a bigger impact, use all of my skills, and be in control and more mindful of the decisions in front of me instead of letting them control me.
The first step toward that is making the word “boundaries” the word for next year, a word that both my wife Courtney and I chose while talking about life on our walk the other night.
With that said, if 2020 chewed you up and spit you out, let’s look to 2021 for a renewed sense of hope. Maybe you will be going through a transition yourself. Perhaps you just want the status quo and not much change because of the volatility this year brought - that is amazing! You go Glen Coco! Either way, I challenge you to choose a word for next year and define why you picked that word and how it will influence you daily to achieve your short-term and long-term goals.
To everyone that has read this far, thank you. I wish you and your inner circle a happy and healthy holiday season. Here’s to a new year!
- Kevin