If you follow my blog, you know that Internet Marketing is a hobby for me. Admittedly, it has evolved into a very serious hobby, but it is still a hobby. I do most of my Internet Marketing work under cover of darkness — late at night after my family is asleep (like they are right now).
During the day, I work on the very integrated circuits (computer chips) that make this blog (the internet and other communication platforms) function. In fact, if you talked on a cell phone today or are reading this blog post on a portable device like a laptop, there is a pretty good chance that something that I had a small part in building in my day job touched your life. Pretty cool (I work for a cool company).
Time To Set Goals For 2009
I've been going through 2009 goal setting at my day job for the last several weeks. In fact, big companies all over the world are making plans for 2009 right now. Some companies are probably already done. The point is that serious people are making serious plans for next year right now.
This stuff going on at work has made me consider what my Internet Marketing goals are for 2009. In the past, I have published my goals in the MasonWorld Roadmap page — and I will do so again in January. Basically, I will have some goals in four major areas:
- Growing this blog and my list by helping people with Internet Marketing
- Hitting some AdSense site targets using FirePow and other automation
- Creating some new Internet Marketing products
- Create some successful PPC campaigns
Now those aren't my goals really. Those are just the focus areas for my goals. A good business goal needs to be measurable and specific. It should also have a due date. Sure, goals like “Be a better husband” are nice, but they are hard to measure, and are almost never good as business goals. It's hard to make progress on a goal like that, because “better” is not well defined.
A better business goal would be something like one of these:
- Reach 5000 subscribers to my email list by 12/31/09
- Get 50 AdSense sites up with some content by 04/30/09
- Launch 3 new Internet Marketing products by 12/31/09
You get the idea.
What Are Your Goals?
When I meet with my employees at my day job about annual goals, I always as “When we are sitting right here having this conversation next year, what do you want to be able to say you accomplished in 2009?”
Let me ask you the same question. What do you want to be able to claim in 2009? What would get your really excited? What motivates you?
Sometimes, being held accountable for your goals helps a lot. I'll make you a deal. Document your goals here in the comments of this thread and I will check in with you in July and December 2009 and ask you about your progress. Don't publish your secrets here — just tell the world what you are planning for 2009. You will be amazed how public accountability will help you reach your goals.
Need some help setting goals? Here are two cool resources:
myGoals.com — Goal Setting For Everyone
GoalsGuy.com — Helping You Hit Your Goals Is Their Goal
Regards,
Mark
Hey Mark – thanks for this area of motivation! And, a big thanks to you since you helped get me off the sidelines and into the game. Garry Conn is setting up my first authority site – buyhomeblog.com. Another buddy has helped set up affilateincomeonline.com – I’ve written about 4 unique articles, set up 6 blogger websites, and I plan to get 3 adsense niche sites set up in the first qtr. of 2009 with your themes.
Now – I’ve got to set some monetization goals. My goal for the first qtr. of 2009 is to have 5 web sits that bring in a little profit every day and find 5 good products I can monetize with articles and start getting some daily sales. Thanks again.
Kent — that is excellent. It is amazing to me how when people know where they are going they can take steps every day and eventually get there.
Keep it up!
@Kent,
lol… Internet is such a small world. I just sent you a response email regarding buyhomeblog.com. Thanks so much for the business, it is very appreciated.
@Mark,
Awesome post man… Oh the memories of working in the corporate world and having our good old annual goal setting meetings… lol
It’s all fun though… maybe. 😉
You know, one that thing you pointed out in the article is the fact that when you are working in the corporate environment, you have a boss, supervisor, or a territory manager, etc.. to report to. While you are working in that environment, you may think… man, that guy is a butt, or whatever. But still, you do what is required of you and maintain to the standards of performance and work towards advancing in the company etc…
Structure… that is one element that is hard to maintain or achieve when you have your own business. For me, I don’t have that “Jerk of a Boss” breathing down my neck and following up with making sure my goals are coming along through the year.
As much as I hated that aspect of working in the corporate world, ironically after two years of being self-employed, that has become one of the elements I miss the most.
It is very challenging for me as a self-employed business owner to maintain and keep structure. Setting goals easily lose their authenticity because at the time the goals set may have sounded good, but later in time, I may lose interest. And times like that is when typically you’d have something or someone holding you accountable, regardless of how you personally felt about it.
My goals for 2009 are to obviously continue what I have been doing in 2008; however, my aim is to develop a system which allows me to scale my model. By July of 2009 I would like to be in a position to where I am more of a moderator of my operations rather than a worker in my operations.
Creating niche blogs is a very profitable business, but also too it is very time consuming. In 2009 I aim to hire and train a small team who can take over much of the manual work that I do currently day to day.
Doing that will not only allow my business to grow, but it will also free a lot of my time towards building more community driven sites such as my latest, BloggingQuestions.com. I am amazed at how quickly this site is growing and it really motivates me to develop more.
Having more free time away from building niche blogs will allow me more time to do something that I am also very equally skilled in, and that is marketing and promoting. I am the strong ability to drive traffic, but doing so takes time and energy, both of which are constantly consumed by my other obligations.
Needless to say, 2009 indeed will be the most amazing year for me yet with my ventures of making money on the Internet.
Wow Garry — thanks for the great comment.
Scaling is a great idea. Maybe we can work on some automation projects together in 2009 that will help both of us reach our goals.
Regards,
Mark
I hope you reach your goals in 2009. There are some really good comments on this post. Thanks Greg Ellison
Very interesting post, as are some of your other posts. I have bookmarked your great site for future visits.