Some Personal, Business, & Development Goals for 2010
The other day I was looking over my personal goals that I had set going into 2009. I feel really good about what I was able to accomplish in 2009 but unfortunately there are still a few things that I am going to carry over into 2010.
This is not to say that 2009 was a bad year, in fact I would say that 2009 was probably one of the best years I have had in a long time, especially in terms of business and personal development.
Personal Goals for 2010
I have set some pretty high goals for myself personally going into 2010 as compared to what I set for 2009. I have learned that I respond well when I put pressure on myself. Hopefully by setting the bar high I will be able to motivate myself to another level personally.
- Private Pilots License: One of the goals that I had for myself coming into 2009 was to get my pilots license. While I did manage to get a few lessons in I didn’t really devote a lot of time to accomplishing this goal. I am going to try to put forth a little more effort this year to get my license. I have checked into some classes offered by UCA for private pilot certification.
- Business Networking: One of the things I am most proud of in 2009 was helping to organize the Central Arkansas Refresh user group. I reflected on the #Refresh group a few weeks ago and gave some insight into how it all came together. Basically social media powered the group, but the group itself and our monthly meetings allowed me to make some awesome business contacts in the Central Arkansas area. I hope to continue growing my personal network in 2010 through outlets like the #RefreshCA group as well as attending various conferences.
- Speaking: I was fortunate enough to have been asked to speak at couple of events this past year on a variety of topics, primarily interactive marketing and social media. I really enjoyed being a part of these events and I hope to continue to take advantage of these opportunities when they present themselves.
- Diversify: While my passion is, and always will be, the internet, I plan on becoming involved in a few areas outside the web in 2010 as well. I have a lot of irons in the fire right now and I am not ready to make any announcements regarding any projects or anything just yet but I can assure you this, whatever business deals I get involved in 2010, they will strictly be sideline projects. I plan on staying actively involved doing what I am doing until I retire, these side projects will just hopefully help me retire a little bit sooner.
- Run in a 5k: Another one of my goals coming into 2009 was to become more healthy but I obviously didn’t do as well in that department as I would have liked. Hopefully I can do a lot better job in 2010. In order to push myself toward this goal I am going to try to run in at least one 5k this year. I haven’t decided on where or when yet, but after the first of the year I am going to start running and try to make this happen by at least the end of the summer.
- Build my Personal Brand: In a lot of ways I have already been building my personal brand by blogging here at The Cotton Club and by staying pretty active on social networks like Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn, but I am going to try to take things to another level in 2010 by adding some exciting new things. One of the things that I will be adding is a podcast. I haven’t worked on the specifics just yet as to how often it’s going to be released or even when the first episode will air but I can assure you that it will happen in the first quarter of 2010.
Business Goals for 2010
My partners and I had a great year in 2009 despite the economic downturn that plagued the nation. We managed to pick up some great new accounts as well as further refine the focus of our business. I would like to build upon some of the products and services that we had a lot of success with this past year. Here’s the list of business goals I have put together so far…
- Email Outsourcing / Archiving: I have blogged a lot the past few months about our premium email products and archival solutions because a lot of attention has been placed on regulatory compliance in a lot of industries. I think that we have a very competitive solution that will continue to do well for us in 2010.
- Shared & VPS Solutions: Over the years my partners and I have made a tremendous investment in our hosting infrastructure. Today, thanks to virtualization, we are able to provide VPS, or virtual private server, solutions to development firms for a very competitive rate, even on a national scale. I am going to try to make an effort to promote our hosting solutions a lot more in 2010 than I did in 2009.
- Ministry Web Solutions: This past year we launched Powersite ministry solutions to showcase our web design and development packages geared toward churches or non-profit organizations. We have had a great response so far from the Powersite launch and I hope to continue that momentum going into 2010.
- Social Media / Interactive Marketing: My partners and I had a lot of success this year steering a lot of our clients into the realm of social media. We also saw some tremendous results from our efforts. I hope to make social media an even-more integral part of what we provide for our clients in 2010.
Development Goals for 2010
I didn’t do a lot of custom application development this past year so I have come up with some goals for the upcoming year to get me back into the development mindset. Here’s what I have come up with so far…
- Develop 2 iPhone Apps: I have two ideas that I think could be profitable, I just have to finalize my project parameters and complete the markup models for each project, which I should be able to do by the first quarter of next year, then I have the rest of the year to familiarize myself with Objective C programming and knock these projects out.
- Develop 2 Wordpress Plugins: I also have two ideas for Wordpress plugins that I want to release in 2010. I already have started coding on both of these projects but haven’t had the spare time to devote to wrapping them up. I typically code on these types of projects after hours in between client projects. Hopefully I will find the time in 2010, stay tuned to this blog for info on both of these plugins.
- Develop 2 Web Applications: I also have two web applications, both geared toward the agriculture industry, that I should be able to launch in 2010. Both applications are 75% complete, I am just waiting on some regulatory guidelines to be handed down by a few more states and then I can wrap everything up. I won’t go into a lot of detail about these apps right now but will when we finally roll them out.
- Develop a MODx Project: My business partner Greg primarily works in MODx while I develop most of my projects in Wordpress. While both solutions are great for content management, they are both very different in terms of their core foundation. I would like to develop a project this next year in MODx so I can become more familiar with it’s operation and functionality.
What Can Eclipse Owners Do??
Here’s my question, if you forked out a million bucks for an airplane and the company goes out of business a year or so later and the FAA decides to ground the aircraft because there is no company out there to support the type certificate, what recourse do you have as an owner?? This Eclipse thing is going to end up being a huge mess!
Eclipse Aviation officials have given up on attempting to resurrect the bankrupt firm by means of Chapter 11 reorganization and instead filed a motion to proceed directly to Chapter 7 liquidation of all assets. The actions follows Eclipse Aviation’s failure to obtain additional bridge financing to continue operations until Luxembourg-based ETIRC’s EclipseJet Aviation International could buy the assets and resume operations.ETIRC was unable to complete the asset buy out by the end of January due to lack of funds, prompting its three largest secured creditors, Kings Road Investments, HBK Services and Citadel Investment Group, to press the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware to liquidate its assets.
As a result, 800 or so Eclipse Aviation employees on temporary furlough were informed on Tuesday they were being permanently laid off, effective Feb. 19. There will be no paychecks issued on March 5 and no vacation pay accruals will be honored. Coverage of all benefits will end on Feb. 28, 2009, however COBRA medical/dental/vision benefits may be available until March 31.
Eclipse officials anticipate that the U.S. Bankruptcy Court will appoint a trustee to oversee the Chapter 7 liquidation proceedings within 30 days. The trustee then will sell or auction off all the assets and intellectual property, delivering the proceeds to the secured creditors. But, company insiders believe the sale will recover only a fraction of their estimated fair market value of $75 million to $125 million.
Company insiders also believe the FAA will move quickly to ground the entire Eclipse 500 fleet because no entity will exist to support the Type Certificate.
Eclipse Aviation Files For Liquidation | AVIATION WEEK
Eclipse Aviation
I was surprised to learn tonight that Eclipse Aviation had filed for bankruptcy protection. I have been following this company since my partner Stephen, who is also a pilot, turned me onto it.
There was a lot of buzz about this plane for a while leading up to it’s release, not to mention a long waiting list of people looking to purchase one, hopefully they can get back on their feet one day soon!
NEW YORK (Associated Press) – Eclipse Aviation filed for bankruptcy protection Tuesday after failing to produce its very light jet as fast as its business plan required, forcing the manufacturer to take a loss on each aircraft it built.
The struggling Albuquerque manufacturer of the six-seat Eclipse 500 filed for Chapter 11 protection in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Delaware.
The filing comes after a troubled year that saw layoffs of more than a third of its work force, the exit of its founder and former chief executive and mounting lawsuits from nearly a dozen disgruntled customers. Earlier this month the company sent employees home for two days after it was late making payroll.
“In the face of unprecedented economic challenges, it is clear that the sale of the Eclipse business through the Chapter 11 process was the right course of action to maximize the value of the business, secure its future and protect the best interests of Eclipse’s stake holders, including customers, suppliers, employees and creditors,” acting chief executive Roel Pieper said in a statement.
Pieper was not immediately available for comment Tuesday.
Under Chapter 11, a company seeks an order from a bankruptcy judge that prevents creditors from immediately seizing company assets. Most companies continue to operate in some form while seeking to reorganize and reduce their debt.
Eclipse Aviation plans to sell nearly all its assets _ valued at between $100 million and $500 million _ at a public auction that would be held in January, court records show. The company has more than $1 billion in liabilities.
Barring an offer from a higher bidder, the company would be sold to an affiliate of its largest shareholder, ETIRC Aviation, called EclipseJet Aviation International Inc., said Brad Robins, managing director of Greenhill & Co. Inc., a New York-based investment bank Eclipse hired as its financial adviser.
The company was able to add 300 European aircraft orders to its books after the Eclipse 500 received certification from the European Aviation Safety Agency on Friday, which is similar to getting Federal Aviation Administration certification in the U.S.
European certification allows Eclipse to sell its aircraft in 37 European countries.
Robins said Eclipse’s plant in Albuquerque, N.M., which employs 945 people, should see no major changes as a result of the bankruptcy proceedings.
“The goal is the company continues to operate; employees are keeping their jobs,” Robins said.
Part of the restructuring will allow Eclipse to obtain $20 million in loans from Eclipse board member Alfred E. Mann and ETIRC, which will be used to pay employees, court records showed.
Eclipse chief financial officer J. Mark Borseth said in an affidavit that keeping employees working is important for the future of the company.
“I believe that if (Eclipse is) unable to honor all such obligations immediately, employee morale and loyalty will be jeopardized at a time when such support is critical,” Borseth said in the affidavit.
He said the company had early production delays caused by introducing several new technologies to build the aircraft.
And Eclipse’s business plan required aircraft to be produced at “unprecedented volumes” to enable the company to price the jet lower than its competitors, Borseth said.
After Eclipse failed to meet production targets, the cost per aircraft increased.
“As a result, Eclipse continued to lose larger than expected sums of money on each aircraft manufactured,” Borseth said.
Eclipse announced earlier this year that it needed $200 million to $300 million in financing to stay afloat, but analysts agreed that in the midst of a global economic crisis, a “white knight” investor was unlikely to appear, making restructuring necessary.
Eclipse’s “experience in the past several years is that they were able to secure financing. I think with the world we’re in today, this (Chapter 11) is the basis in which they could get it,” Robins said.
Eclipse Aviation files for bankruptcy protection
