2021 is now over and it is time for me to take a look back and see how this unique year has gone. I’ve divided my reflections in sections, so feel free to have a look around!

What happened in 2021

Long term collaborations

I started collaborating on a monthly basis with the Jetfly group in 2020, and we continued working together all through 2021. Projects ranged from monthly reporting, SEO audits, SEO check-ups before new website launches, and I tagged along as they launched new ad campaigns in Europe on Google Ads and social media.

New Projects

In 2021, I worked with agencies in the UK, France, and even Dubai on projects in industries like:

Bedding and household linen
Firewalls and cybersecurity
Household cleaning supplies
Aviation
Tourism
Architecture
Training programmes
Pensions and savings schemes

New clients

My clients this year were mainly small companies in:

Photography
Cryptocurrency

But also a medium-sized company in the private aviation industry.

New territories

Through my clients and the projects I worked on with SEO agencies, I was able to dive deep in markets from all over the globe! I feel really lucky to be able to incorporate such a huge part of international projects to my work.

Place I’ve (virtually) been this year:

My home region: Alsace, France
Our neighbouring region: Lorraine, France
United Kingdom
Luxembourg
Switzerland
Belgium
USA
Canada
Australia
New Zealand
Abu Dhabi

New connections

2021 was also about connections. I joined Alice Benham’s ON IT crew that provide monthly calls and check-ins with fellow entrepreneurs to talk and exchange ideas about our businesses. I got to meet lots of new friends!

I have also had incredible conversations with women from the Women in Tech SEO Slack group, and I was fortunate enough to be hired through their freelancers list.

This year was also the year I launched my professional Instagram account! You can find me at @alizeebaudez.seo. The idea behind this account is to help entrepreneurs understand more about SEO and regain control over their organic visibility.

The podcast episode I recorded with @katetoon is out! 🎙

We had a lovely conversation about #SEO strategies that stand the test of time, talking about how to react to #Google Search algorithm updates, what to do when a competitor ranks on your keyw

Finally, I was able to attend BrightonSEO last September. I had missed these conferences so so much! It was amazing to talk to people again, see them in 3D and connect. My tickets are ready for the April 2022 edition!

New partnerships

Early 2022 I reconnected with a former classmate from... at least 10 years ago, when I started my studies in Annecy. He is the co-founder of Bolk, a branding and web agency that works with many freelancers. I got to collaborate with them on various projects this year and we get along really well.

The main advantage of being part of this community, is that I can now have access to tens of freelancers that can help out my clients. I’m very proud to be able to offer additional value like this.

New offers

As with any business, my services evolved in 2021. I created packages to simplify my offerings, and streamlined many processes. For 2022, I’m currently refining my services. I’ll make sure to keep you posted. 😉

Knowledge transmission

I’ve always found that teaching skills were very important in digital marketing, and especially important in SEO. This field is pretty complex and you can’t just get good at it with a couple of blog articles. When I work with clients, I always take to time to explain new concepts and how the Google algorithm works. That’s one of the reasons I opened a dedicated Instagram account.

Alizée Baudez teaching a digital marketing class — I was very happy to be able to bring those skills to students again this year. I taught digital marketing and SEO to students from Epitech and my former business school: EM Strasbourg. I even taught to students in class! That was definitely a big change for me, as I had only taught classes online so far.
On of the classes that was the most fun to teach, was a project-based program about SEO, where students had to participate in a Google ranking competition I created around one made-up keyword. That keyword referred to a role-playing world I created with deep lakes and misty mountains, castles and creepy forests. Each group had to create a fake company in the tourism industry in this world. It was so much fun to read about the dragon cruises, the medieval city tours and even the carriage Uber of the region! Send your payment by pigeon mail and your carriage will come straight to your door, providing you with a knight for protection on the sketchy roads. 😂

Creating space for growth

2021 was also the year I worked on my branding with Marine from Nevermind Studio. It was about time I had a proper branding for my business that reflects my ambitions for this company moving forward. The result is cheerful and cosy, which is the kind of experience I aim at giving my clients.

Along with the new branding is a new website, of course. I’m leaving behind Wordpress and all the sys admin to focus on the content, and I chose to migrate to Squarespace. Time will tell if it was the right choice!

This year was my first full year of implementing the Profit First method for my finances. In a nutshell, it consists in working with different “buckets” to better budget through the year, and having one “bucket” dedicated for profit. This money is for my enjoyment only, and a way to reward myself as a business owner.

So far, with this method, I rewarded myself with weekend getaways, 2 spacial editions of Harry Potter books, a solo trip in the mountains and craft supplies. The kind of things that make my heart happy and filled with joy!

What the year looked like

Intentions and goals

My intentions for 2021 were for my business to be financially stable, less dependant on my time and more aligned with my values. I set myself goals each quarter that sometimes didn’t work out, but always move my business a step closer to what success meant to me.

Financially stable

With the implementation of the Profit First method, and with a bit more communication, I managed to double my revenue this year, but also set aside 6-months worth of expenses. I feel way more relaxed now as a business owner and I can allow myself some time to relax and work on strategic topics.

Less dependant on my time

Time is the thing you can’t get back right? My business was always meant to fit my lifestyle, whether I’m traveling or staying at home, whether I’m having the best day ever or a complicated moment.

To sustain this, I knew I needed to automate a few things and streamline some of my processes. I switched to a new accounting software (Freebe) that freed a lot of time for me each month and started playing around with project dashboards for my clients. It’s not perfect yet, but I’m working towards offering the best experience to my clients while having as much flexibility in my day to day as possible.

Aligned with my values

At the end of 2020, I felt like my business wasn’t reflecting my values enough. I worked all through 2021 to figure out what my ideal client would be and how to get in touch with them. A few A3 sheets filled with arrows and bullet points later, I contacted many branding experts and settled on Nevermind Studio to create a brand for me that would reflect what I wanted my business to look like. So far, this has been a great decision and I’m getting contacts from people I truly connect with.

Lessons learned

We all like a bit of an end of year conclusion, right? So here a few lessons I learned in 2020:

Resting is the key to performance. Sound paradoxical at first, but this has proven to be true so many times !
It's okay to double your yearly income, but don't get greedy and aim at x2.5 😅
Working ON the business is as important as working IN the business
I am not my business, I am the captain of a ship I built myself, but it's just a ship 🙂
The more you pay attention to and take care of your money, the more you get 💸
Investing in my business feels great and brings results
Pitching to talk at a conference isn't so hard after all (even though I didn’t hear back yet 😁)

But also... What I said no to

A big part of running a business is saying no to some projects opportunities. Here are a few things I said no to in 2021, no hard feelings but no regrets either.

Working on wonky projects that would have taken 3 times the time to complete than what I would have been paid for
Working with notoriously toxic humans or people that didn't respect my boundaries before we even had a signed contract
Working on projects that didn't fit my skills or felt like too much of a set back regarding my expertise
Working for companies I didn't feel like a good fit or in industries I do not believe in

What about 2022? 🎉

I’m still in the process of figuring out what 2022 will hold for my business. So far, I know that I want to sustain all I have created last year, but also explore and develop new ideas that have been on the back burner for a few months.

Thanks for being part of my journey as a freelance and entrepreneur. ❤️

If you would like to get in touch, feel free to send me an email at hello@alizeebaudez.com or book a call with me whenever it suits you best: https://calendly.com/alizeebaudez/30-min

2021 in review