[2009 trends] New Year's resolutions of a marketing entrepreneur

Three years ago I shed my suit, resigned from an ad agency and started my own 'marketing matchmaker' business, www.freelancentral.co.za. It's been scary, exhilarating, fun, challenging, exhausting, thrilling, frustrating, rewarding - but never boring. It's also completely unpredictable.

But then, so is the world these days. Who would have thought a year ago that we'd be in a global recession (most of us were more preoccupied with load-shedding schedules); that America would be ushering in a president who epitomises hope and change for so many; and that the Proteas would thump the Aussies down under in such convincing style?

So here are my resolutions for the New Year:

1. I will not wake up and find it's already October. I will set goals and work towards them. Someone gave me a bookmark when I was about 12 years old on which was written: "Only as high as you reach can you grow". More recently, one of my mentors drummed into me that 'what gets measured gets done'. Enough procrastinating: time to make lists, crunch numbers and make things happen.

2. I will do a regular client audit. I will continue to assess whether my clients are worth keeping. Those who are high maintenance, low value or whose work isn't aligned with my vision and strategy will be reviewed and, if necessary, dismissed gently.

3. I will be proactive about learning and growing my businesses. Growth is only possible through stretching, challenges and perhaps a bit of a push. There's a lot I still don't know about business and, being a bit of a nerd, I love learning. I will seek courses, programmes and mentors. And while selling a share of 'my baby' scares me, I've realised that a smaller share of a larger business can be better than stunting growth by holding on too tightly. So I will be looking for investment and/or funding as well as support and training.

4. I will only participate in projects that I am interested in. It's tempting to say 'yes' to everything but spreading myself too thin is a risk. I will make strategic decisions about what to get involved with this year based on my passions and the people I'll be working with. Ten percent of my time will be allocated to pro bono work and I'll try to stick to that. Last year I spent more time on unpaid work than on generating revenue. Not a luxury I can afford - yet.

5. I will collaborate (carefully). Two highlights of 2008 for me were forming a loose collective with three other freelance writers/editors; and collaborating to run the first two Flying Solo 'unconferences'. These, and other collaborations, taught me a great deal and I hugely enjoyed the senses of camaraderie and fun that came with it. I also learnt to choose my collab-colleagues carefully and ensure that our values and expectations are properly aligned and agreed up front.

6. I will automate or outsource as much as I can. My time is limited and as I become more involved in a range of projects, I need to spend my time on the things I do best and in the areas that I can make the most useful contribution. These don't include a lot of my day-to-day admin, filing and my taxes. I'm very particular so this is going to be a tough one, but it needs to happen.

7. I will limit negative news. Without burying my head in the sand, I will control what news I receive, through reputable local and international online resources. Jim Carrey was recently quoted as saying, "...if you watch the news, that's not the world; that's a condensed version of everything negative that's happening." I will not believe everything I hear either, particularly stories of doom and gloom. I will stay positive and firm in my belief that tough times can be the most exciting - and that necessity fosters creativity and ideas.

8. I will stop propagating information overload. I will only issue press releases, articles and post or comment on blogs if I have something of value to say; if I've given them proper thought. Before every tweet, I will ask myself: "Will anyone really care about this? Really?" I will not create content because I feel I have to; instead I'd rather wait until I have a useful contribution to make. I will use social media sites for their intended purposes. For me that means Facebook = social; LinkedIn = business.

9. I will stop being overwhelmed by information overload. I will be ruthless in pruning my RSS feeds and the list of those I follow on Twitter. I will no longer feel guilty that I have not read TechCrunch's 30+ daily posts or feel obliged to subscribe to people's streams just because they follow me. I unplugged for a week over New Year and d'you know what? The world didn't stop. Anything that is really important will reach me; the rest is just noise.

10. I will not limit myself - or let others limit me. Just because I'm based in South Africa doesn't mean I can't have international clients, colleagues or influence. The Internet brings the world to us, regardless of where we are. Great things are only achieved by thinking big. 2009 is going to be 'two thousand and MINE'.
    

Happy New Year!