TCC Podcast #320: Reflecting on 2022 and Planning for 2023 with Rob Marsh and Kira Hug

On the 320th episode of The Copywriter Club Podcast, Rob and Kira sit down to debrief 2022. What worked? What didn’t? And what’s coming up in the month of December and into the new year? As you begin to reflect on the past year and plan for the next, you’ll find advice and book recommendations to guide you into a successful 2023. Here’s how the episode breaks down: Why you need to join the Strategic Growth Plan challenge TODAY. The difference between how Rob and Kira change their behavior. Trying out a different email style… Masterclasses and diary entries? Is Kira ready to move again? Early-bird for Accelerator is opening when?! CEO retreats – do you need them in your life? Why roles can change when your business grows. How stepping into a leadership role can help your business. Productivity and time management book recommendations for 2023. Check out the episode below or read the transcript. The people and stuff we mentioned on the show: Join The Accelerator Waitlist  Join the 5-Day Challenge  The Copywriter Think Tank Kira’s website Rob’s website The Copywriter Club Facebook Group The Copywriter Underground Free month of Brain.FM     Full Transcript: Rob Marsh:  Okay, so welcome everyone to the Copywriter Club Podcast. This is our 10th episode since the last time that Kira and I were together and just chatting about what's going on in our lives and our business and the things that we've got coming up that we're excited about. And so as we like to do, we're jumping back in to give you another update on what's happening so that you know what to look forward to from the Copywriter Club. Kira Hug:  Yeah. And we thought it would be fun to reflect, as many of us are reflecting at this time of year on what has happened over this past year, good and bad so that we can be more intentional as we move into the new year. Rob Marsh:  Every time we talk about what we've done, Kira, I feel like your list is always so long because you always move, you have a new kid, you do all these amazing things and I'm like, "Huh, I wonder what I did this year." I got to come up with something while you're talking. Kira Hug:  I think you've done many things you just didn't have quite as much time to prep as I did. So I had lots of time to think about everything that happened this past year. So we're going to share again, just like some wins and struggles, personal, and professional from the two of us. And then we are going to talk about what's happening this week in the Copywriter Club, what's happening next month, this month. So we'll try to stay on track and stay focused. I think focus might be the theme for today's... I was going to say today's interview, today's conversation - Rob Marsh:  Episode. Yeah. And if you are used to the longer episodes and you were looking forward to that, we hate to disappoint you. And if you think that other episodes are too long, this one might be right up your alley because it will probably be a bit shorter. Kira Hug:  Yeah, because let's be transparent, it's Friday; it's my end of day. Not quite your end of day, but it's Friday. So we're going to keep this short and sweet. Rob Marsh:  Yes. So Kira, why don't you kick us off. Let's talk about some of the stuff, the wins that you've had. And since we're really talking about end-of-year reflection, we'll go into that a bit more later. Yeah. What's happened this year that's been exciting for you? Kira Hug:  All right. So I do have my lengthy list in front of me. I'm going to try to just highlight a couple. Like you said, I move frequently. So yeah, moving was a big win. Moving is hard. I hope to never move again, ever. So that was a big deal. And it's also rewarding because I really like where I live now and I don't want to leave Maine anytime soon. So I think that's a win. Rob Marsh:  Yeah, definitely a win. And my win is that I didn't move, which means I didn't have to box up any of the books that I own or any of the stuff that, the whole mess of moving. I've avoided that for yet another year in a row. I think I've lived in this house now for about 17 and a half years and my goal is to make it 18 and a half. Kira Hug:  I think I told you before that we have a team of movers. We get a special discount because we move so frequently and we just work with the same team of movers. And every time we move Slava, who's our main guy, he comes to me, he's like, "You have too many books." He's just like, "You need to get rid of some of your books." Which I will never do. So that was a win. I also eased back into monthly CEO retreats, which I had to take a pause on those. While baby Homer was kind of young, it was just tricky to do those monthly and spend a night at a hotel to really focus on business development. But as he's turned into a crazy toddler, I've been able to jump back into those, which has been just, I think, really the best thing I've done for myself and for the business and probably for my family too. So that's... I'm actually on one right now. And so I will chalk that up to a win. Rob Marsh:  Yeah. And for those of you who haven't heard us talking about retreats in the past, we've mentioned it a couple of times on the podcast and we definitely talk about it in places like the Think Tank. We have an upcoming episode, it's not out yet, but it will be out in the near future, an interview with Steph Travado where we go a lot deeper on the idea of retreats and what's involved. So look forward to that. Kira Hug:  Yeah, we'll dig really deep into that. Because I think there is an art to the CEO retreat and there's so many ways to do it. So I think we'll dig into how you could do it to make it work for you. So we'll talk about that soon. Rob, why don't you share some of your wins so it's not just me rattling off a bunch of mine. Rob Marsh:  Well, if we're going back the entire year. We had a great event, TCCIRL. We have talked about that before and the speakers that were there and the fun that we had. So that was an amazing win. It's always fun to get together with other copywriters, hang out in person. We may be doing something a little bit differently next year. Maybe not the same big event that we've done in the past. We're still working on how we might be able to break it up or do it in some different ways. So we're not announcing anything. But it was a huge win. And I think something that you felt was a really big win too. Kira Hug:  Yeah, definitely a big win. It does feel like it was forever ago, but that was this past year and it was wonderful just to see everyone. I think that that was the biggest win, even though events are hard work and it can be exhausting, which we all know, just seeing everyone. And even recently I was looking through the photos from the event and it just brought back all of the feelings and all the good feelings from that event with so many incredible copywriters that showed up. So I think it happens way too fast and it's a really special event. So glad that we were able to pull it off this year. Rob Marsh: Yeah, I think we have realized that this is one thing that we tend to do really well, whether it's an event or retreat. We do have a retreat coming up in the Think Tank next month in January, and it's much smaller than what an IRL is, but same kind of awesomeness where you get to hang out with copywriters, work on your business, get coaching, all of those amazing things. So that's not a win, but it's coming up very soon. Kira Hug:  Yeah. No, that's worth mentioning. If you are a copywriter who may be at this stage where you're trying to figure out the next thing in your business, the next level in your business, and you need more of an intimate retreat with copywriters who are more experienced, who are operating at a different level, you may want to check out the Think Tank and do that before our retreat in New Orleans at the end of January. That's a great way to jump in. Rob Marsh:  Let me give you one more. I'm not sure if I count this as a win or not, but I was talking with my wife the other day and I said to her, "I have to admit something to you." And she said, "What is it?" And I said, "I think I'm becoming a runner." And my entire life I've hated running, but I've been doing so much running lately and I feel so good after my runs. I don't love running itself after running and I've now bought whatever my fifth or sixth pair of running shoes that I've gone through over the last couple years. And I might be approaching the time when I can step into owning the fact that I'm a bit of a runner. Kira Hug: Wow. Rob Marsh:  I used to be more of a cyclist that's... Cyclist... In the past cyclists were always smiling when they're on the bikes and we would pass runners and they’re just gritting it out with pain on their faces. And I may have accidentally slipped onto the other side of that gulf between cycling and running. So is that a win? I don't know. Kira Hug:  It is. Runners are smiling on the inside, they're always smiling on the inside, but they look like they're in so much pain on the outside. I think that's amazing. I've noticed that you've been running more and I didn't really want to say anything because I didn't want to... I don't know. Slap that identity on you and have you push it back and push it away. But yeah, I think that's exciting. Rob Marsh:  Yeah, we'll see if it lasts. Kira Hug:  That's funny because I've always been into running and now I'm trying to get into biking for the... See, that's foreign to me. I just have never been into biking besides being a child and biking. And so I'm trying to ease in that way into that world. Rob Marsh:  Yeah. Biking for me, has always just been so much more fun. It's faster. Climbing up the mountains is a little bit easier.