screenshot of Muse application showing all 2024 Notable Reads boards

Another year of reflections, connections, contemplations, and experiments have concluded. 2024 was certainly a challenging year for Avanceé. But, it wasn’t something that is insurmountable, just a ripple from an intention of more deliberate research, networking, and refining the goal of this initiative.

Refining Vision

Avanceé has always been shaped as an experience derived from consulting a single person who is able to swing between industries, methodologies, and technologies to connect strategy and leadership. This year found a clear refreshing of things as an anchor into the local business community unveiled a gap in language and need. The about page was updated with the following as a result:

“What if your vision had a concierge? Some kind of guide to the future you envision - but they aren’t taking you there. They are merely informed-enough of the possibilities and then you could “rub the bottle” for that insight to be specificly manifested to you?”

This came along with updates to touchpoints such as the business card and AiPin, a simpler flyer of sorts, and resetting some of the cross-posting behaviors happing to Twitter/X, Bluesky, and Nostr networks.

Driving Research

One of the delightful positives of this venture is the intentionality to research. While the mainstream “year of AI” made itself present in several pieces here, it was the diving into the details which made its way through notable reads the most. The nuances of talking about machine learning were the lesson just as much as the studies and news notes. Crypto stays in view because of its volatile nature in edge socials. There’s a shape of ML/AI that’s less explored poked towards in a few pieces and will come out in some upcoming concepts.

Experiments and Insights

That research extended to the experiments which are always a part of this venture. The aforementioned AiPin featured heavily from the summer forward. Brilliant Labs’s Frame glasses picked up where the Monocle was ‘23’s play. Machine learning/LLM play continued with GPT4All, OpenAI, Nomad Labs, Perplexity, and a few others - noting the increasing challenges of ethical concerns, expertise vs marketing, and novelty being the juggle.

There should be some clarity and increased focus movement with a lot of these experiments in 2025 - especially as the AiPin and other tooling becomes grafted into something of a research assistant.

Fractional Leadership

This year saw the (abrupt) conclusion of working in a fractional design leadership role with an identity and access management company. There were positive experiences and solid product/process modeling. Though also, the realization that we can only show the possibilities forward, not guarantee success when there’s a lack of movement or operational maturity.

That experience led to some clarity to a previously published “what do we do” page. And conceptualizing the role of “thought leadership” into more than just pointing fingers and dashboards.

Networking intentionally made itself a characteristic this year. However, conflicts between some behaviors/practices and outcomes will have this under a more discerning eye going forward. Avanceé will be a part of some DC/MD networking groups (121NetworX, Central Maryland Chamber, etc) to help expand the consistency of using outcomes from research and experiments in fractional and consultative capacities.

Articles Published

Lastly, there’s been a good deal more opinion/insight pieces posted this year. The following list adds necessary context to the previous sections of this report.

Dec 2024

Nov 2024

October 2024

Sept 2024

Aug 2024

July 2024

June 2024

May 2024

April 2024

March 2024

Feb 2024

Jan 2024

It isn’t too hard to create all of this, but could be challenging to some. You can use RSS, or any of the socials noted on the About page to catch things as they happen.

Onward to 2025

And with that, Avanceé is onward to 2025. Who knows, it might be the “AiPin secretary” or similar becoming the means things show up on the site. Or maybe, we finally break into other tech which will be a part of positive and challenging conversations. Whatsoever might happen, it’s all about helping you take your next steps forward. Don’t hesitate to reach out directly - or be surprised if you hear from us.