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I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what changes I want to make for the new year, and while I am not sure where exactly I will end up at the end of 2009, I do know what direction I want to go, and what directions I do not want to go.
I am thinking of doing more training, more consulting, and more web projects (my own or joint venture). These are things I love and am passionate about, and fit my work habits.
On the other hand, some of the things I plan on not doing this year:
- I will not be fixing people’s computers for pay. (I may fix some close friend’s computers, but I actually hate fixing computers yet everyone seems to ask me to. From now on if customers ask, I don’t do that anymore.)
- I will not be designing websites for other people (except for my own or joint ventures…. I will outsource or refer the web design requests I constantly get. Speaking of which I need to find some reliable people to refer business to who pay referral fees. I’ll continue the web hosting and related services business, however.)
- I will not be giving personal discounts, working cheap or working for free anymore.
- I will not get sucked into businesses or jobs that I am not passionate about, even if there are promises of big money.
What I am passionate about is:
- Helping people be successful in their own businesses, ventures or careers.
- Training, consulting and educating people. Making people think. Watching them grow and develop.
- Creating multiple streams of residual income from websites and businesses I create (myself or with others).
And this year I resolve to do what I am passionate about. Hopefully what they say is true. Do what you love and the money will follow. And luckily I am good at what I am passionate about, so I think it will be true. 
2009 will be a good year for me I think. I still have more planning to do to make sure it goes the way I want, but I already know what course I want to take, and that is half the battle.
Good for you Scott!
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I completely understand the feeling of wanting to help people out with their site, but they are actually taking advantage of you. In a former job, that happened to us all the time because we were trying to create a name for ourselves….we failed. Charge what you are worth & stick to your guns, it WILL pay off.
You should start and end every week by looking over your goals (which are very attainable…not like you are trying to loose 250 lbs in 4 months & floss every day!
Good luck!
-jen
I’ve found that going in-house is far more profitable than trading time for dollars. I am producing my own line of training materials — I love writing once and selling forever. I’ve also considered speaking in public, but only as a “front end gateway” to yes, my products and services. I see the whole process as a funnel designed not just to get people inside it spending money, but to explode their potential. I’ve often been called a “catalyst” by friends and close business associates, so I’m going to use that characteristic to increase my business in the new year.
We’re a content production company ourselves, but we have two techs — one of them lives in Houston. We’re more advertising/marketing/ online tech (website development, graphic design & such), but we’d love to trade business with you, if that’s what you so desire.
I’m a little more in-house at the moment, as I loathe trading time for dollars (unless it’s going to be high dollars), but I do like where you’re going on your journey, Scott! Forming joint ventures with like minded professionals is the ultimate way to go. I have a small mastermind group online, but I’d love to build an offline mastermind where everyone’s helping each other without fear of their ideas being hijacked or ridiculed. Any thoughts on how to make that happen?
I intro’ed myself last comment, but we spoke offline on Sunday at Coffeegroundz. I figured I’d show your blog some comment love , as I enjoy the way you think
Work hard, play hard, love easily!
Isabella “Niche Lady” Murphy, The Staying Paid Diva
Thanks for your great comments.
Yes, 2008 was a year I was taken advantage of. That is for sure. But it has been a year of a lot of good things as well.
For some things I will be going more in house, but many things I will be outsourcing or referring to others, namely stuff I don’t like doing or don’t do as well as other experts in the field. I think it is best to concentrate on my core competencies and delegate the rest where possible. On one hand, a CEO of a small company is really a Chief Everything Officer who needs to fill in the gaps as needed, but on the other hand that does not mean I need to be in lines of business that I am not passionate about or take on projects that divert me from my goals. There was a lot of that this year too. You wouldn’t believe how many people asked me to come on board their start-up or small business. Of course, none of them had money and wanted me to either work for cheap or work for some mythical big payoff down the road. I wasted a lot of time helping people for free or little money while not taking care of me and my business. A mistake I shall not repeat.
I have some ideas on what I want to offer and how to market it. I am totally restructuring my business this year. I plan on writing my own training materials and perhaps even some books as well. And thinking about how I can build communities, and both benefit and contribute at the same time. And how best to use video, podcasts, webinars, seminars, e-mail & RSS newsletters, classes and books in the new business model I am creating. Lots of tools. Many ways to implement, some more effective that others.
In some ways, what I am doing is repackaging what I am good at. I am good at explaining things. I am good a teaching. I am a good listener. I am a quick learner and can take knowledge I learned a second ago and be teaching it the next second. I have been through a lot in my life and have been exposed to many different cultures and ways of thinking, which makes me able to empathize with people and get along with almost anyone.
The trick is how to package that in such a way that I make good money and ongoing residual income, while giving superb value that is unmatched, and doing it in such a manner that income is immediate and not months or years down the road.
As I said, I have wonderful ideas, but I would love to hear yours if you are open to sharing. And I have been playing around with the idea of a Mastermind group myself. I think that would be something perfect to create for 2009.