Modern Anthro Consulting LLC - 2024 Recap

In March of 2023 I established a business entity around consulting work I had done on and off for a few years.  What seemed at the time to be a good financial decision turned out to benefit me (and my family) in more ways than I expected. While growth of my consulting and business entity is slow (it has always had to be third priority after my full-time role and parenting), growth IS happening. A look back on 2024 helps me see progress and pushes me to keep growing in the new year.

2024 Recap

This was a big year outside of my consulting (which, naturally, impacted growth). I finished my last year as an Assistant Professor, started a new role in a new field at a new university (Director of Donor Relations at St. Lawrence University), found out I was expecting, and managed to keep my other three kids alive these past 3 months. All said, I would have loved to achieve more but can appreciate why that did not happen. Here are some highlights on what I did manage in 2024:

1. Stumbled through business taxes for the first time, learning a lot (including the fact that I way overpaid my estimated tax payments).

 2. Finished a second year of running the Heritage Engagement Project for Ralph Wilson Park Conservancy. I explored a bunch of new topics and genuinely enjoyed writing every single piece I did for them (10 in total for 2024). The articles I wrote include:

• "Ending Plant Blindness and Species Loneliness" - a look at two growing but ill-understood trends affecting humans today and the role of parks in offering a solution.
• "Nature is Still Open" - A call (with evidence) for why we should seek time in nature even in the depth of winter.
• "Parks for Happiness" - a look at how happiness research is linked to time spent in quality greenspaces.
• "Buffalo’s Short-Lived Marine Airport" - a historical piece on the short-lived (and largely unknown) early 20th century airport whose artifacts remain in the park today.
• "A Tale of Three Parks" - the story of three different greenspaces in the same spot on Lake Erie, comparing the new park with those that preceded it.
• "Baseball as Heritage" - A recasting of the game as a form of American heritage and a glimpse at how this park (and others) can help that heritage endure.
• "A New Bridge Down an Old Canal" - a celebration of the arrival of the park’s new bridge with a dive into the history of the Erie Canal used to transport it.
• "Architectural Heritage at the Park" - celebrating the discovery that an outdoor amphitheater with a long history in the park is actually part of an architectural legacy.
• "Welcoming the Winter Birds of WNY" - a collaborative call for celebrating the wildlife heritage of winter birds on Lake Erie and how a park supporting a future for this heritage can impact us in the present.
• "Reflections on the Year" - A look back at the second year of the project (and a bit more on the articles above - coming soon)

​
3. Was hired by Greentopia to help promote the new New York State Park being built in downtown Rochester. I wrote for them, went live on the radio, and spoke at a fundraising event. It was a ton of fun to explore heritage-building at another park. 

4. Applied for (and was awarded) my Women-Owned Business Enterprise (MWBE) Certification with New York State. This was actually a substantial undertaking, so I am proud I got it in and was accepted. 
 
5. Used my consulting experience to help move out of a teaching position and into a Director-level, non-teaching position. The work I have done as a consultant/independent contractor helped get me outside the academia mindset, learn the [financial] value of my work, and advocate for the applicability of my skills beyond the college classroom. 

My first time on the radio - live and with no prior knowledge of what I would be asked!

2025 Goals

I didn’t set out with any specific goals for 2024 other than to find a new full-time position while continuing to grow my side consulting work. This year, I think It might be worth setting some. So, by the end of 2025, I hope to:

1. Learn how to write (and submit) a bid for a state contract. I have yet to do much with my MWBE certification, other than register with the State’s contract system and look around for about an hour. On it, I quickly realized I need to learn how to write a bid for work. Goal number one for 2025 is to take up the offer of help from my local SBDC (Small Business Development Center) to learn how to do this.
   
2. Double my gross revenue from 2024. That seems like an easy, tangible goal to strive for (and track). This can be from new contracts/clients, or growing existing/past projects. 
   
3. Write a better business summary on my website and solidify the ‘elevator pitch’ description of the types of consulting I do (and want to do, going forward).
   
4. Take an extended working retreat before baby arrives in May. Getting out of my normal spaces to work elsewhere does wonders on my creativity and productivity. I discovered this while writing my PhD dissertation, when I used an Aunt's cabin in the woods for a writing week. I was shocked at how much easier (and more enjoyable) it was to work there and completed drafts for multiple chapters, including a very dense one. These days, I schedule a night here and there to work, plan, and strategize in a fresh environment (usually a lodgy hotel in the Adirondacks). This year I would like to take a multi-day retreat (at least two nights away) before baby number 4 makes it hard to get away for awhile.
   

When I established Modern Anthro Consulting, I didn't have a clear plan. In many ways, I still don't. This business is growing in directions I didn't expect, allowing me to grow and explore as well. Because the work I do under this business is third after parenting and my full-time job, it does grow slowly and I have to fight the urge to feel frustrated. One of my favorite books from this past year helps me fight that frustration, however. In Cal Newport's Slow Productivity, he explains how "slow productivity supports legacy-building accomplishments by allowing them to unfold at a more human speed." My slow but steady achievements may (hopefully) add up to something great in the end.

I am excited to see what 2025 brings.   

Seeing the sun rise in Wilmington on Whiteface Mountain, the location of one of my working retreat this year

Writing/working retreats always start with lighting a candle :)