My 2020 Action List

Last year, I took a simpler approach to managing my business goals.  I set out a simple action list with my top three priorities for the year. It worked so well that I’m doing it again this year.

Before I get into this year’s business goals, here’s how I did last year. My goals were to:

• Launch my book Exploring Shadeism
• Run my Biz of Writing program for the second time
• Update Getting Started in Blogging

So, how did I do?

Launch of  Exploring Shadeism

The Exploring Shadeism launch went very well, with everything from the venue to the emcee to the program falling into place, once I’d decided on the launch date of 29 June, 2019.  You can check out the book trailer, launch teaser, and launch video on YouTube.

At the launch itself, I sold books to almost everyone who attended, and some who didn’t. To date, I’ve sold about 80 actual books myself, plus another 44 ebook and print sales on Kindle. And I’ve racked up some reads via Kindle Unlimited. Considering that I’ve done little promotion since the launch, I’m pretty happy with that.

Run the Biz of Writing

The second run of my writer mentoring program was successful.  This time round I mentored the 10 most active group members (though there were more in the group).

I helped them build the confidence to put their business offerings out there, and write more content. Some of the participants published blog content for the first time, and one has gone on to co-create her own course. With a second run behind me, I’m ready to do more with the program this year – more on that shortly.

Update Getting Started in Blogging

This was a fail. I made several attempts to start this, and have rewritten parts of it. I even sourced a new cover for the second edition. But I wasn’t able to complete it in time, partly due to other achievements that weren’t even on my list.

2019 Achievements Beyond the Action List

Instead of updating Getting Started in Blogging, I updated Writing for the Web. It turned out to be a simpler project, and when the year-end was approaching, I chose to do this update and actually achieve something rather than fail to update anything.

The revised version is now available on Amazon, and I have a secret plan for it, once I’ve finished with the much delayed blogging ebook update.

In 2019, I also did a LOT of writing. As I mentioned on LinkedIn, I wrote 100+ articles in 2019, which included around 30 ghostwritten pieces.

Some of these pieces were very well received, including guides to marketing automation, lead generation,  digital customer experience, and conversational commerce. And I’ve got a couple more interesting projects I did last year that will feature in my 2020 writing portfolio.

Turning to a different type of writing, I finally decided to do something with the poetry I’ve been writing on and off since I was 15. I worked with Sandra Sealy of Seawoman Creative Media, who’s a fabulous poetry mentor, to get a few poems ready for a local literary competition. I was delighted to get three bronze awards on my first try.

On a personal level, I became an empty-nester,  as my daughter went off to Simon’s Rock, the early college. Thanks to everyone who supported the effort with practical tips, kind words, contributions to her GoFundMe, and everything else. She’s happy and doing well, and has recently published a children’s book – check it out if you have readers 8-12 years old in your circle.

My 2020 Action List

I could call this my 2020 vision, but that would be cheesy, right.? So here’s what I have planned for the coming year. My top 3 priorities build on what I achieved last year:

1. Exploring Shadeism Book Site and New Survey

This is kind of cheating because I did the new site right at the end of 2019, but it was definitely to support the 2020 goal. I want to run a new survey so I can update the book with the latest information. The idea is to run the survey for a few months, then crunch the numbers for a 2021 second edition release. The survey’s not live yet, but you can check out the rest of the Shadeism book site.

2. Revamp the Biz of Writing

I learned a lot from the Biz of Writing run last year, both about what I could manage and what students needed. As a result, I’ve decided to break the program back into separate courses, while updating the resources and guidance for 2020. I’ve also raised the price, as there is a LOT of value in the course. In 2020, I’ll be completing the process of moving all of this to BizofWriting.com and revamping the associated membership program, creating workbooks, and more.

3. Publish at Least One New Ebook

Truth to tell, I’ve got a list of 10 titles, plus 2 partially completed ebooks lying around. I’d like to finish more than one, but I’ve learned to keep goals manageable. There’s one on launching a book, and another on social media promotion that both have a shot – we’ll see which one makes it. And of course, I’ve still got the Getting Started in Blogging ebook to update.

Other Priorities for 2020

There are a few other projects that I’m going to be working on in 2020:

• The most important one is a podcast/site with my sister – watch this space.
• I’ll also be sorting out my and my family’s websites to bring the hosting all to Siteground, and the domains all to Namecheap. And there are a couple of websites to create or update using my new favorite theme, GeneratePress. (Yes, those are affiliate links.)
• I plan to update my list of favorite web and desktop tools, and support it with some new tool reviews.
• I’ll be polishing my poetry and entering some competitions, as I’d like to publish a poetry book eventually.

Finally, I aim to do more great work for more great people. I’ve worked with some excellent clients in the past couple of years, and hope to continue this in 2020 with some interesting bylined or ghostwritten projects.

As you can see, I like to keep busy. What are your business goals for 2020?