Wow, the past month has flown by. My trip away was beyond amazing & life changing. Not only did I get to make an impact on lives of others during the past month, but I also got to see some of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been in the world. The photo to the right was one I took while in Cape Town, South Africa.
While I was gone I decided I would start my Thanksgiving early and start reflecting back on this past year and some of the things I’m thankful for from the past year. Since I had over 50 hours of time spent on airplanes over the past month, there was plenty of time for reflecting and planning for the future of the business too.
First, I looked at my goals coming into 2012 and what goals I accomplished. A big goal I had for 2012 was to increase my opportunities to travel the country as a social media speaker. In previous years, I was asked to attend maybe 5-8 conferences in a year to present. However in 2012, those numbers increased dramatically. This year I traveled to over 20 cities all around the country to share as a social media speaker. I would say this goal was definitely accomplished.
Another goal of 2012 was to help more people realize the value of WordPress for their website solution. During 2012 I was able to share with thousands how awesome WordPress can be through webinars, conferences, and company meetings. In addition, I also helped over 30 clients get their own custom WordPress site designed. Overall, the goals set for 2012 were pretty well met, or even exceeded.
What to expect in 2013?
Seeing how there are only a few weeks left in 2013, I figured while I had all that time on the plane without much else to do, it would be the perfect time to start planning ahead for the coming year and setting goals. Here’s a few of them so far:
Just like in 2012, one of my top goals is to secure more opportunities to present at conferences as a social media speaker. I’ve already began signing agreements for conferences in 2013. If you have an event coming up or a company you would like me to come speak to, feel free to contact me to discuss presentation topics, rates, times, etc. I want 2013 to be my busiest year yet of travel.
My next big goal for 2013 is to help even more people in getting started with WordPress. To accomplish this there are several things I’m implementing. First is the public launch of a new WordPress starter package I’m offering. I soft launched this product at the beginning of October at a conference and the responses were great. This low cost option is perfect for someone getting started with wordpress. It features a basic blog setup with design and all the plugins you would need to get your site running for a one time setup fee. You will hear more on this over the next few weeks. Of course, I will still be offering the custom WordPress site option for those who want something more involved than just a basic setup.
The third goal for 2013 is to help people protect their WordPress sites from being attacked. While I was gone on my missions trip, some of my sites were attacked and hacked. I’ve spent the past three days over Thanksgiving getting them all restored and back running. Just like the starter WordPress sites, I soft launched a WordPress backup service using Backupbuddy that I provide to clients on a monthly basis this past year. In 2013 I plan on offering the service to everyone to help keep their sites secure and safe. One of the worst feelings in the world is having your site go down and no backup in place.
Unlike the free backups I install when building a site, this one backs up everything on the site, not just the content. That includes the plugins installed, design customizations, SEO work, etc. In addition, it saves the backup of your site to an Amazon S3 storage cloud server so everything is safe from an attack on a shared server. In my instance, I had 8 domains on the shared server and all 8 were taken down by the attack. Currently I have around a dozen clients using this service and hope to increase that number dramatically in 2013 to keep everyone protected.
The next big thing I want to get back to doing more of is webinars in 2013. When I started the company back 3 years ago, it was one of the main things we offered. We offered at least 2-3 webinars each and every month. I pay good money each month for software and don’t always use it to it’s fullest potential. So, be on the lookout for more webinars in 2013. Some will be free, some might cost money to attend. I also hope to do more webinars in 2013 with special guests. If you have a topic or want to do a guest webinar in 2013 with me, feel free to contact me to discuss your topic and schedule. As they become available, I will post them to my upcoming classes page.
The final goal for 2013 is to write more. During the past year I became lax on blogging on my various sites. In 2012 I created a product review site that has set dormant for months now. I hope to begin contributing more there as well as adding several guest writers there as well. I also help to take one of my personal blogs that have set dormant and turn it into a place to start sharing more of my images I’ve been taking. Don’t worry, I also plan on adding many more tips, ideas, and helpful hints here to increase your business online.
Over the last year I’ve found myself really enjoying photography and want to share some of those images with others. I have not yet decided on which site I’m going to convert into more of a photo blog, but when I do, I’ll let you know. One thing for sure, I hope that in 2013 I’ll get back into the habit of sharing more quality content with my readers.
So that’s it, that is the game plan moving into the new year. I’ve got a bunch on my plate, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I look forward to what the new year holds and the things that are to come!