In retrospect, what I found funny was that I was describing exactly the thing that's actually worked for me. It’s worked every single time and across every industry I've ever worked in. The gallery openings that looked effortless? My collaborators knew I'd been stretching and hanging canvases until 2 AM. The meetings at this year’s SeaTrade that felt serendipitous? I'd been gathering intel and building toward those conversations for months before I landed in Miami. Even the moments that feel like luck are, if you look closely enough, just homework wearing a dapper outfit, vintage shoes, and a toothy smile.

By nature, I'm a pattern recognition person. I don't happen onto things. I position myself to be in the right place with the right context, and then I wait for the moment to be ready. That's it. That's the whole enchilada. It's not a secret, it's definitely not sexy, and it requires an irrational stubborn tolerance for doing invisible work without immediate validation.

Which, I'll be honest with you, is a particular flavor of hard when you're a solopreneur and your success is taken as a given and your setbacks feel like personal moral failures. (Hi. Yes, this feels true more often than not for me, but I swear I've got mad coping skills.)

I turn 50 this year. I’m a Gen X woman, raised on hose water and neglect with very few fcks to give. I have been rebuilding my professional footing for longer than I'd like to admit, for reasons I'll get into more in October when there's actually a story worth telling. What I'll say now is this: I stopped waiting for someone else to decide I was worth betting on. I started Looking Glass Strategies staring out a porthole window because I clearly see the value that I bring to the table. I filed the LLC. Got the EIN. Did the certifications paperwork. Did the homework nobody sees. I didn't do ANY of that because it was glamorous.

I did it because this is mine. And because the announcement — the real one that means something — has to be built before it can be broadcast. My show doesn't run on vibes. It runs on potentially illegal amounts of caffeine, 2AM art display arrangements, 3AM shitpostings, 4AM code debugging, etc. etc. Always has. Some people want the Marilyn Monroe of business development. (Meh. Fair enough.) I've always been more of a Hedy Lamarr about it… you might not clock what I'm doing while I'm doing it, but eventually something gets invented, and it becomes inevitable to notice.

But wait! There’s more!!!

Anyway, that's what's been on my mind.

Well, that and the fact that The Looking Glass Ledger is now live. The Ledger is a prospecting service, twenty vetted prospects with an executive summary, delivered in five business days. If your pipeline needs a jump start and you're tired of spraying cold outreach into the void, that's what it's for. Isn’t that just lead generation with fancy title? Not exactly. Most lead generation firms ask, “How many people can we reach?” I work to pinpoint, “Who actually needs to hear this story, and what will make them care?” It’s subtle, but there’s a difference.

I'm doing the Speakeasy Storytelling workshop on Tuesday, June 16th — full day, brand story architecture, actual speakeasy, with more than just juice and Costco cookies. Yes, really.

And June 17th, I'll be at the Howard County Chamber Small Business Summit talking about why “Your Story Is Your Strategy”. Later that evening, I’m hosting a TEA mixer for the Mid-Atlantic region.

If any of those things sound like something someone in your world needs, I will happily accept a warm introduction in exchange for a thank you hug.

That's all I've got for May.

Head down, doing the work, and occasionally talking to Gizmo about it.

♥️ Your pal, Liz

P.S. Gizmo has been very supportive through all of this. He has not yet invoiced me. I'm choosing not to think too hard about that.