As you might remember from my post last year, I don’t really make New Years resolutions. I am constantly reviewing my goals… I do it weekly, monthly, quarterly and yes, annually. A year is a good time frame by which to set larger goals, though, so I do like to take a little time every year to review my progress and look at what’s in store for the next year.

Looking Back

Looking back on 2009, here are a few of the highlights…

I Wrote a Book

I coauthored “Online Marketing Inside Out” with Shayne Tilley. What a great way to start the year… on January 14, Shayne Tilley (marketing manager at SitePoint) contacted me about the possibility of me coauthoring a book with him (then tentatively titled “The Art & Science of Online Marketing”).

It came as a complete shock but was a great start to the year. Of course, I had absolutely no idea what I was getting myself into. I never could have imagined I’d have to have all my first drafts in by the end of February! After a few gruelling months of edits and impatiently waiting, Online Marketing Inside Out hit the shelves at the end of May.

I Really Started Speaking

After the book launched, I started looking for opportunities to speak about online marketing, both to help promote the book and because professional speaking has been a long-time goal of mine. With the help of some friends and colleagues, I was able to quickly find several opportunities and kick-started my professional speaking career.

My speaking engagements included a book signing at Blogworld Expo in Las Vegas, several American Advertising Federation chapters, a few trade organizations, and a private college. All in all, I traveled 12,000 miles from June to November (I took December to myself to wrap up projects and spend time with my family and catch up on some projects I’d been neglecting).

Although I do have experience speaking at conferences, it’s been almost 10 years since I’ve spoken to more than 10 people. It took a few times to get back in the swing of things, but once I got used to it I really started to enjoy it.

I’ve already lined up several speaking engagements for 2010 and am still looking for conferences and industry associations looking for online marketing speakers (check out my speaking page for more information).

3 Years at Kelsey

November 13 marked my 3-year anniversary at Kelsey Advertising and Design. When I sold my consulting company to Brant Kelsey in 2006, I never thought I would stay on board for over 3 years.

I’m kind of a rebel… I don’t really fit into the corporate culture. I’ve worked for a few small businesses (less than 25 employees) and it’s easier, but I’m still not comfortable taking orders or conforming.

I’m definitely more of an entrepreneur at heart (obvious by all my other endeavors I guess). Fortunately, the work at Kelsey is extremely exciting and I’m free to do things however I see fit, as long as the job gets done. It’s been extremely rewarding so far and I’m looking forward to many more anniversaries.

I Became Editor of the SitePoint Tribune Newsletter

After five years as editor of the SitePoint Tribune, Brendon Sinclair stepped down. His coauthor, Miles Burke, continued to write issues every other week and SitePoint asked several people to be guest authors to fill in until a permanent replacement could be found.

I wrote a guest issue for October 22, 2009. I enjoyed it so much, I dropped a few hints that if they ever needed someone for a more permanent commitment, I’d be extremely interested. I was extremely excited when SitePoint asked me to be an editor of the SitePoint Tribune and penn issues alternating with Miles.

My first official issue was published on November 23, 2009.

I’m Speaking at SxSW

I found out that I would be doing an official book reading and book signing at South by Southwest in March 2010 in November 2009, but couldn’t announce anything until December 2. I’ve been to SxSW twice now, and it’s been a goal of mine to speak there since I first discovered the conference.

2BigFeet Had Another Record-Breaking Year

In 2007, Tracy (my wife) and I took over sole ownership of 2BigFeet, our e-commerce retailer of big shoes. 2007 was a rebuilding year… we replenished depleted inventory, cut unnecessary expenses and paid off debt. In 2008 we kicked into high gear and more than doubled 2007 sales.

I didn’t think we’d be able to come close to repeating that, but from early estimates (we haven’t really taken a good look at the books yet) it seems we’ve still had a 25% increase over 2008… amazing in this economic climate. We had an amazing holiday season, and are still going strong the first week in January.

Looking Forward

2010 is sure to be an amazing year. Unlike hoards of A-list bloggers, I’m not writing a “predictions” post. I think they’re a crapshoot at best, anyway. As selfish as it sounds, I’m more concerned about what I’m going to do in 2010 than what everyone else is working on.

So what do I have in store for next year?

More Speaking

I’m really interested in more speaking opportunities. I have several speaking engagements lined up already (like a book reading/presentation at SxSW in March) but am looking for more. If you know of any conferences that have a call for online marketing speakers, let me know!

Podcasting Time

I’m starting a podcast about e-commerce and online marketing. I’ve already acquired all the equipment I need… microphone, software, video camera, etc. I’m lining up a few interviews for the first episode and testing out my editing skills (anyone offering video editing services?).

Hopefully by the end of January I’ll have the first episode ready to publish.

My Next Book

By the end of 2010 I’d like to be pitching my next book. I already know what it’s going to be about (mostly business, not just online marketing). I don’t think it’s feasible to have a contract by the end of the year, but it’s not impossible either.

I’m going to be hitting up all my friends who are published and will be asking for tons of advice, introductions to agents, etc. It’ll be a fun and interesting process pitching a book idea, since I was approached for my first book.

I really think the idea is unique… something that hasn’t been done before and yet something that people need to know. I’m excited about both pitching the idea and writing the book.

Unknown Projects

Well, if I gave away all my ideas for 2010, where would that leave me? I need to keep a few aces in the hole so I can have a few surprises for next years post.

Seriously, I have a few ideas that I’m working on that aren’t even close to the point of realization (doesn’t everybody?). They’re exciting, somewhat risky and a little different (at least to me). I’m sure some will be hits, and some will completely flops… only time will tell.

All in all, I couldn’t be more excited about 2010. It’s sure to be my most exciting year yet. I’m most excited about the opportunities that haven’t even presented themselves yet. Looking back at last year, so many things that were the highlights of my year weren’t in my “roadmap” or predictions. They were a complete surprise.

You have to keep your eyes open for opportunities and seize them when they present themselves… After all, we make our own luck.

Have a great 2010!

New Year’s Resolutions are made in good faith, really. Most people think they’re doing something positive by making a goal to get something done (or stop doing something, or start) in a new year. The problem is simply that life moves at you so fast, things change and you may be in a completely different place in another 365 days.

Ever year I do revisit my goals… I revisit the same short and long-term goals that I had in the previous year and re-evaluate whether they’re still appropriate moving forward. Maybe I don’t really want to keep learning the guitar, or maybe I want to start kickboxing instead of running a marathon. So what? You shouldn’t feel bad about breaking a “resolution” you made with yourself just because you changed your mind, or because life threw a curveball at you.

So around the beginning of each year I like to look back at the previous year, review my successes and failures, goals and accomplishments. And I look forward to the next year to see what might be in store.

A Look Back at 2008: Pure Awesomeness

2008 was a great year. In the words of Po, it was “Pure Awesomeness.” New Year’s Eve marked 10 years since I met my beautiful wife. After a decade together, and 6 years of being married I have to say I’m the luckiest man on the planet. I’m fortunate enough to be married to my best friend and have two wonderful children.

We more than doubled revenues in our big shoe business 2BigFeet.com, smashing record after record, and hired our first employee, Katie.

I was promoted to Interactive Director at Kelsey Advertising & Design, along with increased responsibilities and exciting challenges. I developed a mobile web application for McDonald’s and was invited to Orlando to show it off to owners from all over the world. And in just a few months, it has been adopted as the official mobile website of McDonald’s.

We went to SXSW and Blog World Expo, had an absolute blast, and I was able to finally meet two good friends, Patrick and Chris, in person. I won the “E-Commerce Guru of the Year” award in the 2008 SitePoint Community Awards. I really started using Twitter.

Of course there were some downs too. I made the difficult decision to stop writing for The Apple Blog. I just had to cut back on my commitments. I also didn’t complete several of the sites and projects I had planned to work on this year. Some I just decided needed to be postponed, some I decided not to do at all. Others I really wish I’d have had more time to work on, but that’s that.

My Thoughts on 2009 and Beyond

I’m so excited about 2009 I can’t stand it. I just have so many great projects I want to work on, so many ideas. I’ve always been an “idea man” though, and I know, realistically, I won’t get half of them done. That’s okay, though. If it’s anything like 2008, even completing one of them will be wildly fulfilling.

Some of the things I’m looking forward to in 2009… 

• Steady Growth. We have big goals for 2BigFeet.com this year, but I know we can grow steadily in 2009 despite a slowing economy. We’ve set really challenging goals and I’m looking forward to smashing them again.
• Challenging Projects. We have some really interesting projects at Kelsey this year and I’m excited about working on them. I’ll be pushed to be both an innovator and a leader, and that excites me.
• Getting Out of Debt. We’ve realized that consumer debt is crippling, and the only way to build true wealth is to earn interest, not pay it. We won’t be completely out of debt in 2009, but we’re on the path. I look forward to paying off the credit cards and auto loans, and only having a mortgage left!
• SXSW. I can’t wait… it was an absolute blast and I can’t wait to see all my friends and colleagues again.
• Opportunities. 2009 is going to be the year of opportunity. We aren’t given opportunities, you have to find them and take them! Keep your eyes peeled for them, because I have a feeling they’ll be everywhere this year!
• Family. I’m looking forward to spending time with my wife and kids, and all my family and friends this year. They’re why I do all this.

Words of Wisdom

You can get depressed about the future (especially looking at the news media) but it’s important to take it all in perspective. According to some, 2009 will be the worst year ever… and if you listen to them it will be. Forget all the drivel about the economy and think about what you can do in 2009. Think about what you can change.

I can’t do anything about the economy, the weather or world politics. But I can work on being a better person. I can always strive for perfection, and learn from my mistakes when I fail at it. 

I’m looking forward to an awesome 2009. If I were to make a “New Year’s Resolution” I think it would be to try to take 2009 one day at a time. Loving, learning, living life. Okay, so maybe resolutions don’t sound so bad after all…