Lucy’s Season of Success: The 90 Days That Changed Her Holidays By MJ Durkin There is something about September that feels like the world is quietly telling you it is time to get serious again. The mornings become a little cooler. The sun disappears a little earlier. Vacations wind down, children and grandchildren go back to school, and those long summer weekends filled with cookouts, trips, beaches, backyard conversations and family visits begin to give way to a more predictable rhythm. For a business owner, September can feel like the starting gun for the most important stretch of the entire year. I call it SOND: September, October, November and December. For those of us who build businesses through relationships - recruiting Team Members, finding customers, making recommendations, giving presentations, following up with prospects, posting consistently on social media and building Monthly Recurring Revenue - SOND isn't simply another four months on the calendar. It is a season when focus can turn into income, income can turn into freedom, and freedom can create experiences that make all of the work worthwhile. That is exactly what happened to Lucy. Lucy Had a Wonderful Summer—Maybe a Little Too Wonderful. Lucy loved summer, and if she was being truthful with herself, she had allowed herself to love it enough that her business had gradually slipped into the background. There were grandchildren visiting and afternoons when a quick lunch somehow became an entire day together. There were family cookouts where nobody seemed interested in going home. There were beautiful mornings when Lucy would sit outside with her coffee and think, "I'll do my outreach this afternoon." There were vacations, day trips and spontaneous invitations that were simply too much fun to turn down. None of these were bad things. In fact, they were exactly the kinds of things Lucy had dreamed about having more time to enjoy when she originally decided to build her own business. But there was a problem.

I’ve been working on getting out of my own way and letting people get to know ME, instead of always trying to explain or sell what I do. So I made a simple Reel that opened with the words, “I can’t keep doing this.” No fancy production. Just me talking to the woman who feels overwhelmed and like she’s running on empty. 14 hours in and it has received.....1.6K views so far — organically! But what excites me even more are the comments and conversations it has started.... And it's no where near perfect or even attractive. 😂 One woman I used to work with reached out and told me she feels this way every day. That really drove home something I’m learning here: emotion creates connection. Thank you, MJ. I’m listening, implementing, and learning as I go! ❤️

I'm Kelly, wife, mom of 2 sons, and grandma to 2 little girls. My first career was engineering, which I enjoyed but felt a strong tug to be home with my sons. Back in the dark ages, my friend and I played boys HS soccer. We were jocks so it was normal for us. I joined this group to get better at effectively posting and following up, authentically, with the goal of helping others look, feel, and live better. Thank you to all for being here!

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