A Few Personal Goals for 2009
Gosh, it’s going to take forever for me to get used to putting 2009 instead of 2008, seems like I just got used to putting 2008 on checks and things the other day. In lieu of a New Years Resolution this year, I have a few personal goals for 2009 that I want to achieve instead. I figure that if set several goals for things that I want to achieve as instead of locking myself into one thing like I have in the past I will have a lot better chance for success, even if on a smaller scale.
By the way, my resolution this past year was to lose weight and get into shape, and I am happy to report that I somehow managed to do just that for the first time in my life! Over the past few months I have managed to drop about 20-25 pounds, and most importantly corrected some bad lifestyle and dietary habits that I had accumulated over the years which should help me long term in my overall quest for wellness. (I am still losing weight so hopefully it will continue). If anyone is interested in my diet just drop me a note and I would be more than happy to share it with you.
Here are some of my goals for 2009, in no particular order:
- Personal Ministry: It has been my belief that God gave me certain talents and abilities in order to make a good living, but the main reason for this gifting is to further his kingdom, which I have strived to do over the past few years by working closely w/ several evangelists and ministry centers. I plan to take this to a new level this next year by incorporating some cutting edge technology into my online ministry projects. Stay tuned…
- Business Networking: I have honestly taken the last few years off in terms of business networking, I used to meet at least 10 new contacts a month during the startup years of Powersite but since getting the business off the ground and later co-founding Pleth, I just haven’t done a lot of that anymore, this is going to change as I find myself craving new and exciting projects for the coming year. Also, Pleth just opened a satellite office this past year in Jonesboro, I hope to make it over there a lot more this next year to re-connect with some old friends and make new ones within the industry. I am also looking forward to meeting with new clients in Northeast Arkansas to share some ideas and continue to work on awesome projects from that part of the state. I am also going to make it a goal to finally get out and meet new people in the Conway area. I have managed to stay busy this past year on client projects and haven’t devoted a lot of energy toward establishing my presence here yet, I hope to change that this next year by becoming more visible in the business community.
- Expand our Print Business: This past year my partners and I added print and graphic design to our list of service offerings. Since that time we have been awarded numerous bids on print jobs and design projects. I hope to do a better job of marketing our services in that realm and providing our clients with more comprehensive marketing solutions.
- WordCamp: I would love to attend a WordCamp somewhere in the United States this year and network with other Wordpress Developers out there and build some relationships within the community.
- Ministry & Non-Profit Service Offerings: Focus on adding Ministry & Non-Profit Web Solutions to Pleth’s portfolio of service offerings. We have had great success this year in packaging some key modules for podcasting, blogging, video, and content delivery for Church’s and since this is an area I am passionate about I would like to turn this into not only a valuable service to further the kingdom but will also turn into a profitable product offering for our company as well.
- Social Networking Integration: Explore further the possibilities of social networking integration into applications we develop for our clients. This past year I was successful in obtaining Facebook Developer status, w/ the help of a few fellow developers from the community, to launch some Facebook Connect applications on a few websites. I see this as an emerging technology that should be absorbed and not ignored.
- Powersite Real Estate CMS: I want to Devote some time to finally release my Powersite Real Estate CMS to the masses both as a packaged download w/ installer and as a PHPR template download.
- CSS & XHTML: Devote some time to getting a better grasp of CSS and XHTML. This past year I made some great strides toward teaching an old dog (myself) some new tricks and ways of doing things. I am by no means a master but should be able to get a lot better grasp on it over the next 12 months.
- Java scripting: I also want to familiarize myself with some of the emerging JavaScript technologies out there like scriptaculous, jquery, etc. I have seen a lot of new uses for JavaScript over the past 12 months and I see this continuing.
- Podcasting: I have been giving a lot of thought towards adding a podcast on my personal blog to discuss my favorite topics, PHP Development, Facebook Connect, and Wordpress. Podcasting is an awesome commitment, guys like Mitch Keeler just make it look easy but I can only imagine the amount of work that goes into producing a weekly or even monthly show.
- E-Commerce: My partners and I share the same goal on this one, we are looking to further enhance our e-commerce and security offerings this next year. Stay tuned to the Pleth website for news and updates regarding this venture.
- Email Solutions: Over the past few years we have really built our premium email solution into one of the top saas (software as a service) solutions on the market, but we aren’t going to rest on our laurels, staying on top of the industry isn’t easy, we are going to be adding lot’s of new features to our already successful product this next year, stay tuned.
- Online Properties: My business partner Greg Smart and I were discussing an online property that his mom manages that has sustained profitability this past year through a bad economy and has seen increased readership and ad sales. We (Pleth) own several online properties that to date haven’t really been a primary focus for us because we spend so much time developing projects for our clients, but this next year I want to expand this into a profitable business model for us. I get a lot of inspiration for doing this by watching how our friends at Demand Media have been able to be successful w/ their online brands. Just to give you a preview as to what my first online project will be, think NASCAR…
- Increase My Blog Traffic and Readership: I have seen a lot of traffic to my blog this past year and I hope to see that continue over the next couple of months. I am hoping to leverage some of the social networks (facebook, LinkedIn, etc.) to do just that. Stay tuned, and if you are a reader of The Cotton Club, please be sure to share my blog w/ your friends.
- Learning to Fly: This was one of my 2009 resolutions and I only managed to sneak in 2 classes, I hope to devote some time toward ground school this year and hopefully get up in the air on my own in the next 2 years. With some of our friends moving out of state, multiple offices, and a long list of clients who are pretty spread out, this is something I really, really, want to make happen.
- Health & Wellness: I want to continue on my trek toward getting back into size 32 jeans. This past year I went from a size 38 to 33, so I only have a little bit further to go toward this goal. I am going to implement a wide ranged workout routine that help me to continue burning fat and building lean muscle, this routine consists of everything from walking, cycling, running, boxing, and possibly some weight training. I know it’s a stretch too, but I would love to be able to get myself into shape to compete in the Little Rock Marathon, or comparable 5k this next year. I have historically gotten into great shape quick but fell back out just as quick. I know it’s going to take an increased level of determination on my part but hopefully I can make this happen. Out of all of my goals set above, this is the one that I probably wouldn’t wager on.
Best of luck in 2009, and I hope that all of you have a prosperous, healthy 2009 and achieve everything you set your sights on. If there is anything that my business partners and I can assist you or your business in this next year, please don’t hesitate to drop us a line, we would love the opportunity to work with you!
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