Chef Katrina’s 2013 Year in Review

So what did my 2013 Year in Review look like? Now that is a fascinating question. I say that because as we go through life we don’t always realize our successes. We struggle so much with the failures that we fail to look at the growth. So I want to share with you what my year really looked like. I am going to break it down month by month because it will help you see the follow of how success builds on the small details that we don’t even notice. Success is in the small things… not the big one.

So here we go…. What made 2013 a powerful year and a scary year.

2013 Year in Review

• January – This is the month I began to plan my Retirement from Disney. I know I was sitting at my table looking back at my life and wondering when I was going to do what I wanted to do. I began looking at dates and planning.

Last year I had started a Clermont Mastermind meetup for business owners. I wanted to meet like minded entrepreneurs that were out to make a difference in their community.

We had been talking about giving back to the entrepreneur community by creating some sort of local training event.

So we banded together and created Business Mastermind Expo. Boy did I learn a lot during this time. Marketing is a big piece of this and I had no clue how to make it happen. Yet the planning began and things were underway.

Knowing so little but having the desire to see it be a success was all it took. The pieces began to fall into place. First up… the website!

• February – Now this was an interesting month. We were still planning and trying to figure out the speakers and details for B.ME. Yet something happened on the 15th. There is a new addition to my calendar. A number count down that is circled.

This number count down was how many days I had left at Disney. It was my retirement countdown. I know had a date, deadline, and a goal. It was time to put all my years of learning and training into action. It was time to focus on my MLM and my own personal growth.

• March – The idea of putting together Blogging Ingredients began to form. I went back to my training and started to watch, learn, and apply. Again having no idea what I was doing but have a strong desire and action…. The creation of Blogging Ingredients began to form. I created my very first membership site.

Now I am totally out of my element. I have created something that I know nothing how to market. Again the same problem that I was struggling with trying to promote Business Mastermind Expo. Now I realize that I have a huge gap in my education. I have no Idea how to market! HELP!

I was invited to an event called SkyRocket in Melbourne, FL. So I drive almost 2 hours to attend an event that I had no real knowledge about. Walked in a little late… and that event transformed my mindset. I began to see even greater potential in myself and how I could help others. I began dreaming and planning.

I swear, surrounding yourself with entrepreneur makes all the difference when you are first getting started. I learned so much about mindset, marketing, and networked with some incredible business owners.

• April – Business Mastermind Expo is upon us and a success. For our first event ever we had over 60 in attendance. Multiple sponsors and fantastic speakers. This was my first event of speaking about the benefits of social media to business owners. It was also my first Expo where I was the mastermind behind it. My mastermind team was amazing! Still a very proud achievement for me.

The following week I launch Blogging Ingredients. Launch did not go a well as planned. I couldn’t get a single person to buy my course. Again… I didn’t understand online marketing. I was finding this extremely frustrating. There had to be someone teaching this!

A few days later I attended Jessica Brace’s ‘Done for you Video Marketing Weekend.’  4 days of mindset, video, and training. This was a pinnacle moment for me. I met some of the most amazing people and learned soooo much. Friendship were made that still stand true today.

My last day at Disney was April 29th. I walked about from a J.O.B with no back up plan in place. I was going to be struggling financially to make ends meet but I wasn’t going to back down. I was determined to follow my dreams.

My choices were

1. I’m going to do this
2. I’m going to do this

Those were my only choices that I saw before me. I wasn’t going back to the kitchen. I saw the life I wanted for myself and it was time to make it a reality.

• May – No J.O.B.

Failed Launch of Mastermind University for small business owners. This was the next step behind the Business Mastermind Expo. To have an online education system that entrepreuners could access to support them in building their business.

Everything from social media training, business skills, financial knowledge, system training, outsources, hiring/firing people… etc.

I wanted entrepreneurs to have a safe place to go for online training and then have them meet in person to share what they had implemented and learn from each other. (hopefully one day this dream will come true)

Also this month was the Introduction and beta launch of Elite Marketing Pro. A marketing system that taught entrepreneurship with digital marketing tools and resource. (update 10.28.2019 – Elite Marketing Pro is transitioning into AttractionMarketing.com on Jan 2020 – focused on training the network marketing industry)

Recruit my first Reliv distributor in months. They called me and wanted to join my team. Proving to me that attraction marketing does work. He found me online and wanted to be on my team.

• June – Time to commit! Now I need start creating income. Time to focus on blogging, video, and learning how to market online with the help of Elite Marketing Pro.

This was a month of mental growth. I didn’t see much money but I learned more about blogging and how to marketing online. I started working on promoting Elite Marketing Pro. I followed their step by step guild to building online. I discovered the power of video. I learned how to create my own follow up.

Still struggled both with my MLM and financially.

Created a 90 blogging and video challenge for myself. 90 days of blogging and 90 days of creating video.

• July – Started to realize that I wanted to help more people and those on my MLM team. So I created a social media hangout. Made a commitment to helping others.

Thankfully my MLM was hosting their International Conference here in Orlando. So I attended that event and networked like crazy. Promoting my blogging course and offering to help and coach others. Exposed many of them to Magnetic Sponsoring.

Was still blogging daily. Sold a few Blogging Ingredient courses. Super excited about that!

Elite Marketing Pro launched! Holy crap did I learn even more about promoting and online marketing. I really learned the value of email! I do recommed grabbing their ebook Magnetic Sponsoring. This is one of the most influence books for network marketers and gave me the courage to to quit my job because I found a better way to build online.

It showed me the truth of attraction marketing.

Recruited my 2nd Reliv Distributor through attraction marketing. Giving hope again that online marketing does work.

Still a struggled to build my MLM and borrowing money to cover basic living expenses. Ugh.

• August – Scrapping by to make rent. Had an amazing family reunion. –

Flat Broke during this month. Worst month for me. Doubts about what I was doing. Thinking I should just get a part time job. I was ready to throw in the towel. Frustrate beyond anything I had ever know. I was tired of not having a penny to my name. I knew something had to change.

Wrapped up my 90 day Blogging and Video Challenge.

Had my 1st Reliv customer contact me and want product. Again attraction marketing at work. Fire is kept alive!

• September – Laser focus… my residual check from Elite Marketing Pro came in… Total Blessing. Now I could finally pay my rent.

Began focusing in on my event in October. I was completely social media and blogging immersed. Discovered Blog Talk Radio and began my first Podcast station.

• October – Tipping Point

My parents came down to visit this month. Had a huge heart to heart with them. Let them know what I was doing. Helping them to see my vision and my determination. The support from those few days gave me strength I didn’t even know I needed. I broke down. My parents are truly amazing and I am blessed to have them. I wouldn’t be the person I am today if it wasn’t for them. They have been my rock. Love ya both!

Walked into Home Based Travel Agent Forum as  a Keynote speaker for building any business online with blogging.

The phrase, “Every expert was once a beginner” was my quote for those 3 days. Learned so much and was able to share my tips about blogging and how powerful it is for any business.

• November- December

I call this the “Tripping Over Yourself” period. Everything I had done to this point with no results, no financial gain began to give results and financial gain.

Everyone says… the holidays are the worst for people in the MLM industry. I found this to be completely untrue. All the years I wasted making up excuses on why people wouldn’t join during the holidays was unfounded. I was the reason people didn’t buy… because I didn’t share.

This year was a success in every failure and every setback. I embrace the New Year with such faith and hope. Something I haven’t done in years. I am planning and setting goals for the first time in ages. I understand the power of creating goals and setting out to achieve them. I am sadden now when I see people give up their New Years resolution before then even give it a chance.

6 year of failure and learning have given me the tools to create success in ways I have never dreamed. I look forward to sharing next year with you and hearing about your success journey.

At the end of the year I had accomplished my goal. I am a blogging coach, successful online marketer, and building my MLM one new distributor at a time. For all the ups and downs I step into 2014 already running.

Thank you for being a fan and for your support. Your desire to build your business drives me to share more ways for you to make that a reality. Let’s make 2014 your year to write in review!

Did This Help You? If so, I would greatly appreciate if you commented below and shared on Facebook.

Yours in Gratitude,

Chef Katrina van Oudheusden

Connect with me on Pinterest or Facebook

Email: Katrina@theChefKatrina.com

P.S. Stop the pain of struggling today. There’s an answer waiting on the other side, one simple system that you can use to generate upwards of 20 leads a day for any business. (Unless You Already Have Too Many Leads) – Discover the Young Entrepreneur Project!