2024 Year-End-Review

2024 was a roller coaster of a year! I felt like I’ve been saying that every year…guess that’s the life of a business owner. Lol! It was also a year of growth, self-discovery, and focusing on my physical and mental health so I could continue to take care of my family and serve my clients.

One thing I realized is stress is all around us, the one thing we can control is how we react and what we can do to reduce our stress. I’m sure you’d agree.

During the holidays, I had time to reflect on last year’s accomplishments, things I didn’t accomplish, and most importantly, lessons learned.

Here is my 2024 year-end review:

Personal:

• The year that I’ve been waiting for…my kids are finally in the same school! One drop off and one school schedule. Woohoo!
• At the end of August, my husband and daughters got into a terrible car accident. Thank goodness, there were no serious injuries, only bruises and abrasions from their seat belts and airbags. It was a scary moment but I’m so thankful for the police, paramedic, and a kind woman who lives across the street to help my family during the accident.
• Unfortunately, my husband needed to get another shoulder cuff surgery because of the accident. The surgery went well and he is happy with the recovery.
• Focusing on my own health and wellness – I bought a walking pad to exercise when the weather is not ideal and schedule a monthly halotherapy session at my favorite crystal store – Rock Collage in Teaneck, New Jersey.

Some fun photography projects:

• Glam Portrait Photography
  • My client wanted to do this glam photo session to celebrate her birthday. She had 3 outfits including a beautiful silver sari. She hired a hair stylist and a makeup artist to help her create three different looks from natural to smoky eyes and red lipstick. We even use a fan to create some movement in the photos. It was so much fun!
• Calendar Photo Project
  • Every year, my client, Hanson & Ryan, Inc., wanted to do a fun calendar theme shoot for the company calendar. It is something that their clients look forward to getting every year. I look forward to collaborating with the creative director (one of their team members) every year and working together to create the look they want. 2025 theme is movies, check out this Instagram reel.
• Headshots & Branding Photo Sessions
  • Did you know that when you have a team member’s page with the same style of headshot photos of your employees, it creates a great first impression showing your company’s professionalism and building trust with your potential clients? This is why I love working with companies to help their team members and sales staff to feel amazing and create a headshot photo that they love.
  • I did a few branding photo sessions for some new clients and some existing clients at different locations. I absolutely love branding sessions because I learn so much about my clients and their business. Each one of them is so inspirational with unique stories. It’s an honor to be part of their journey.
• In-Home Family & Maternity Photo Session
  • I did a fun in-home lifestyle family and maternity photoshoot for a wonderful client and friend. I love these types of candid photoshoots. Capturing the natural interactions between the parents and kids in the comfort of their own homes.
• Navjote Ceremony Event Photography
  • Since 2022, I had the privilege to document an important milestone for many Parsi families – The Navjote, it is the ritual through which a Parsi child is inducted into the Zoroastrian religion and begins to wear the sedreh and kushti. *Source: Wikipedia*

Photos Credit: Wagner Photo-Grafx

Things I’m proud of:

• Celebrated six years in business!
• My biggest win was hosting the Canvas & Connections event in September. The event was so much better than I had ever imagined. I’m so grateful for all the sponsors and panelists who helped me make this event successful. If you were at the event, thank you so much for joining us!
• Collaborating with Andrea Pass Public Relations to create a safe space for business owners to network and find support at our monthly Women Business Owners Meetup. If you are interested, check back often on my Upcoming Events page or sign up for my newsletter and get a FREE Ultimate Wardrobe Guide for Stunning Photoshoots.

Client celebrations:

• Many of my clients officially launched their businesses or re-branded! It’s an honor to be a part of their business journey.
• A few clients received awards and recognition in their fields. Congratulations!!

Lessons learned:

• Pivoting is a good thing, especially when things are not going the way you plan.
• It’s ok to say no to events, collaborations, and joining memberships.
• I need to speak up when things are not right.
• Reflect, evaluate, and remove things or projects that don’t bring me joy quarterly.

Plans for 2025:

• Looking into creating passive income and/or other revenue streams that align with my business.
• Continue to offer Canva workshops to help business owners who are DIYing their marketing content.
• Continue to offer at least one mini branding session.
• Focusing more on corporate headshots, individual headshots, team headshots, and personal branding sessions.

Thank you to my family, friends, clients, referral partners, and peers for your support! I’m so grateful to work and be surrounded by incredible people.

What are you most proud of in 2024? Comment below and let’s celebrate together!

Wishing you and your family a healthy and happy New Year!

Charissa

Charissa is the owner of Charissa H. Yong Photography, LLC. She is a headshot & personal branding and photographer who is passionate about creating authentic storytelling photos to help her clients show up confidently and consistently.