2024: The Good, The Bad, The Unexpected

This time of year always feels a bit surreal, doesn’t it? You’re looking back at the highs, the lows, and all the moments in between. For me, it’s been an incredibly impactful year and a half.

When I was laid off in August 2023 the fear of not being able to support my family blinded me to the possibilities ahead. I would never have forecast the 2024 we just experienced.

My family split for the first time in over 20 years with my wife and I relocated to the US full time, and my young adult children staying behind in Sydney, Australia to start adulting their way on their own. We moved from Maryland to Utah and all the while, I was at the helm of Betty bringing opportunities to Associations that were not even possible just a year or so before.

Let's do a quick run-through of 2024...

The good, nay, the amazing:

• Experiencing my kids prosper in their own ways, living without their parents for the first time in their lives.
• Working with co-founders Thomas Altman, Dray McFarlane and the Blue Cypress team to grow Betty to a team of nine very talented individuals and 70+ customers in the first year.
• Watching Betty launch for just over 60 associations in multiple countries.

The bad:

• While I always tell my kids I am only a phone call or 24hrs of travel away, learning to not be around them is emotionally taxing. They are fun young adults, and I miss them.
• Not always meeting people’s expectations and sometimes failing to meet our own. It’s not like we are performing lifesaving medical procedures, so it is what it is. Still, I don’t enjoy the feeling I am letting people down.

The unexpected:

• We hit our first major growth milestone in 10 months, we hit our second in just 3 months. We had a growth spurt in Q4 that was simply mindboggling. A heartfelt thank-you to my team for the grit and determination they all showed to make our customers successful.
• And to you, reading this message, you’ve been a part of this journey, and I can’t thank you enough for being here. Whether you partnered with us, bought something, sent encouragement, or just read this blog, it means a lot to me.  I’m not joking. I really appreciate you and it’s hard for an Aussie not to just joke about it!

What's Next?

2025 is comin’ in hot, and I’ve got BIG plans. I am going to make the most of living in Park City, UT this winter as well as get myself back in shape for the Summer/Fall seasons on the mountain bike.

We’ve got big plans at Betty and a lot of them we will be talking about at our Roundtable meeting coming soon, on January 28th (ask Anna Eaton about it if you are interested in an invitation). Many association executives talked with us about the poor member experiences finding stuff on their websites. Yeah... our talented product team fixed it and the latest AI-powered knowledge tool from Betty is about to be launched!

Thank you everyone, we are excited to be contributing to the associations industry in a meaningful way and partnering with some amazing associations, vendors and consultants to do great work for great people.

Alright your turn - email me and answer one of these, and I will without a doubt reply back!

• What’s been your biggest win this year?
• What’s a goal you’re setting for 2025?
• Anything you’d like to see from me in the new year?

 Signing off from summer in Sydney, Australia. Goodonyamate!

Alright 2025; let's do this. 

Sincerely,
Rob Barnes MBA CAE
rob@meetbetty.ai 

PS: Our ‘Executive Guide to Introducing AI to your CEO/Board’ was one of the most popular downloads by Associations in 2024.  

Every Association Executive who requests it from me and completes a demo with our team January-February 2025, will be eligible for up to $5000 off the onboarding fee if their organization partners with Betty in 2025.