Am I allowed to do a review post halfway into January?? Let’s just say YES. Taking a page from Gala Darling on this one and doing a LiveJournal-style survey to share what worked last year, what kinda sucked, and what I’m planning for the next few months.
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Awesome things that happened in 2018
Launched The Confident Creator Pep Talks which I’d been planning and half working on for years.
Published How to Grow Your Email List with a Challenge
Switched Dare to Grow from a course to a membership and started loading it with lots more tutorials + lessons.
Took C to Michigan to visit my family: Road tripped (and boat tripped) to Mackinac and biked around the island, ate coney dogs, toured downtown Detroit, made pierogi.
C moved in and we somehow happily fit into a one bedroom apartment.
Adopted Hudson and got back into my AM dog walks (which I’ll enjoy slightly more in a few months when it’s 70 degrees instead of 50).
Got my ears pierced for the first time EVER (I’m 35, it’s ridiculous).
Visited C’s family in Kansas for Christmas: Ate all the pie, roadtripped to Wichita for a wedding, learned the genius that is Exploding Kittens, spent New Year’s Eve in Kansas City.
Things that worked
Keeping a gratitude list
I got myself a planner, but instead of making plans I made a habit of recording a few things that were floating my boat every day. I’ve tried other morning journaling habits (5 Minute Journal, Morning Pages), but this was the only one that stuck all year long.
Selling product bundles + sending quickie discounts
Every couple of months I gave specific groups of subscribers a leg up on what they were working on by creating a limited-time product bundle or sending a discount. I sent bundles for Instagram, Pinterest, and list building and I’m going to continue doing this a little more often in 2019.
Closing two of my Facebook groups
After sending out a survey I realized my students were spending more time on course lessons than needing to ask questions in a group. While I was a little bummed to not have that 1:1 contact, it was a good decision to use that time to create something else that benefits members more.
Things that didn’t work
Masterclasses kind of worked
But they’re going on the didn’t work list because I decided to discontinue them. They were fun to create and the Dare to Grow students got a lot out of them, but I was hoping they’d work better to attract new members than they did.
Not blogging consistently…duh
It wasn’t really intentional, but my personal life got all crazy and I ended up with 3 posts one month and then none the next. Lots of people responded to my reader survey saying consistency was a big issue as well, so I’m right there with ya! And they also said they love learning from blog posts, so I’m going to get back in the weekly habit this year.
Teaching an entire course live
This also kind of worked – a bunch of people signed up, I really enjoyed teaching, and I updated the entire course and added 24 new training videos in under a month. But I’m finding that most people in my audience prefer on-demand access instead of showing up at a scheduled time, so probably won’t do this again.
Best things I bought
I didn’t buy much new business-related stuff, but this phone tripod + ring light has been super useful for shooting video, going live, and taking some dorky family photos. (Get the version with the remote!)
Annual passes to the zoo
Perfect for those days when we wanted to get out and do something but were in I dunno I’m down for whatever-mode. We’d wander around for a couple of hours, get a churro ice cream, and after 3 visits it more than paid for itself.
Tickets to see The Get Up Kids
Which ended up being at a TINY bar with about 200 people who also knew every word to every song. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a band I’ve loved for years in a venue like that and it was amazing.
Best books I read
Profit First by Michael Michalowicz
I probably should have picked this up the second I started earning income online, but better late than never! Using the Profit First system my bank accounts are now MUCH more organized and I have a better idea of where me + my business stand financially.
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
The best book I read this year, hands down. I took a mid-day break to read a chapter or two and couldn’t stop. I ended up skipping work the next day to blast through the entire thing.
Becoming by Michelle Obama
So damn brilliant and inspiring! Learning about how everything works behind the scenes at the White House was really interesting. I didn’t think I could love her any more but I do.
What I wish I’d done more of
Go live on social media!
I hosted a bunch of scheduled masterclasses, but I always love hanging out in a more more spontaneous + casual fashion than webinars or coaching. Just couldn’t get it together enough to go live very often.
Create more stuff
In 2015 + 2016 I wrote a bunch of ebooks and created a bunch of courses, so in 2017 + 2018 I slowed down a lot to focus more on selling than creating. Then toward the end of the year I wrote How to Grow Your Email List with a Challenge and I remembered how much I love parking it on the couch for a week and writing non-stop. So I have a whole list of trainings and ebooks coming out this year!
What I wish I’d done less of
Sleeping and crying (ugh haha)
The anxiety meds + cute puppy have helped a lot, so I think there will be less of that in 2019.
Clothes shopping
Apparently when I’m sad and tired online shopping helps?? But I really don’t need the number sweaters and dresses I now own. (I do need the shoes though, for sure need the shoes)
2019 Goals
Get a dog was on my 2018 list, but that already happened!
C and I have been wanting to go to Disney and Nashville, so both of those will happen this year.
Purge the shit out of my closets. Already watching the Marie Kondo Netflix series and one closet is done!
Get Hudson into agility training. He doesn’t look very agile with those Corgi legs, but the Jindo half of him is fast as hell!
Help 10,000 students. I’m currently at 7,100 students across all of my courses and I’d love to help out another 3,000 solopreneurs this year! Is one of them you??
