Business
DaSilva Life 2023 Year in Review: How We Scaled Our Team and Doubled Our Revenue
January 10, 2024
Well, that’s another year in the books! 2023 is over in just a few days, and as the DaSilva Life team wraps things up and prepares to take some (much-needed) time off, we thought we’d change things up a bit from our regularly scheduled content.
We think it’s important for every business owner to stop and reflect on where they’ve been. Because when you do, you can see the gaps and how you can improve. But also, to see how far you’ve come. You deserve to hype yourself up for all the hard work you’ve done!
So we’re taking our own advice and recapping the year — the good, bad, and downright difficult! Come take a walk down memory lane with us.
In 2023, we grew in so many unexpected ways! On top of the team we currently have (which was just me, Kristi, and Jeff), we hired three more full-time team members. Which is HUGE. It’s a major accomplishment we’re proud of!
And we’ve definitely felt that impact in the best way possible. At first, we hired just two of those roles — our assistant, Antonella, and designer, Nina. But we quickly realized that we needed help managing our team. As it turns out, when you take on more team members, there’s more work involved in managing the day-to-day!
So, we hired our amazing project manager, Andrea, to help us reign it all in!
We also hired a few contractors under those new employees because we realized everyone had a lot on their plate, specifically our designer. So we contracted out a Webflow expert, another designer, and an animator!
Lastly, we enlisted the help of a few agencies to help us produce content. DEJA for Facebook Ads (they’re amazing BTW!), and we began our second year working with Uncanny Content for weekly content and launch copy.
It’s quite a team, we have, if I do say so myself!
Obviously, this was a big milestone for us! We worked really hard this year, and because our team grew, having that support helped us grow.
Everything really clicked because of our content machine, too, thanks to those newly added positions and continuing relationships with our contractors/outsourced team (Uncanny Content), too!
We also revamped our ClickUp and HoneyBook services quite a bit, which we think is also responsible for the uptick in revenue. We implemented a few new processes and resources, like slide decks and visuals to match all the information we offer on our sales calls.
We wanted to make things crystal clear and combat overwhelm, which is bound to happen when you’re presented with a ton of new information. Our clients work hard and have a lot on their plates, so we wanted to keep it as simple and straightforward as possible to help make the decision-making process easier for them!
The result? Happy and returning clients, which is what we aim for, so it’s a win in our book!
In 2023, we also moved all of our courses and community-based services to Circle.
Previously, we used Facebook Groups and Kajabi. And they worked just fine, but, we wanted something that would make that communication, community, and accessing the actual course information a lot easier for our students inside of Systems School.
Circle definitely had that community aspect we were looking for, and it’s made a difference all around!
These visits will by far be moments in our hall of fame! Getting to go not once, but TWICE was such an honor!
The first time we went, in June, we sat with the product team to give them our feedback. It was so cool to sit with the team and hear about all the upcoming features. It was our first time meeting them in real life, and WOW they are truly the best people. They really valued our feedback as HoneyBook Pros and made us feel so welcomed and heard.
And the second time was in December when Jeff and I led a workshop for HoneyBook’s educators and affiliates!
And here’s the part where we keep it real. While we did get to travel the world a bit (tons of states here in the U.S., and to Brazil this summer!), and finally moved into our new home in NY…this year was a tough one.
We hit new levels of burnout and growing pains. I had dengue fever (which was no joke) and a few other sprints with other illnesses. It was a really challenging time and some days just being able to keep my head above water was enough.
But growing a business is tough! So if you're not taking care of yourself, it makes it a lot harder. That’s also why I decided to hire a health coach and got into a solid gym routine.
Going forward, I want to make sure I'm really taking care of myself physically, and incorporating better boundaries with work. I want to be able to show up and give my best to my team AND my clients! And that starts by taking care of myself.
I will add the disclaimer that I am by no means perfect with this, but I am taking it day by day and doing what I can!
All in all, 2023 was a year of lots of learning and lots of growth. It didn’t all feel good at the time, but looking back, I wouldn’t have had it any other way!
And I can say that personally, and as a team, we’re so excited to move in 2024 and see what’s in store. Especially with a dream team like this, supporting one another as we go!
Also — shoutout to you for being here. We couldn’t do what we do without your support. Cheers!
And psssst…if you want to work with us in 2024, you can learn more, and get started, here!
