The year is almost over and I have been thinking about my goals and business plans for 2012 for several weeks now. I have been on this kick for the past month or so of reading all kinds of books that can potentially help me with my business.
The last book I read before I finalized my 2012 goals and plans for my business was The 10X Rule: The Only Difference Between Success and Failure and this book totally changed my idea of how to set goals. If you haven’t read this book, I definitely recommend you check it out as it changed my way of thinking not just about my business but about other aspects of my life as well.
In the book The 10X Rule the author tells you to set your goals 10X higher than what you normally would but also tells you that it is going to massive action from you to stop thinking “average” or ordinary and starting accomplishing real success. This got me really thinking about how short I was selling myself and just how undedicated and unmotivated I had become about making a passive income with my websites.
My Goals and Plans
I have some big goals and I will be taking MASSIVE ACTION like I have never before.
In case you don’t know, I have been doing internet marketing for 2 years and before that I had been dabbling in it for about a year while freelance writing.
So, here are my specific goals for 2012 as well as some inside information on why I am setting them and my business plans to get there.
*Publish 1.25 millions words of content for my websites.
This not only includes on site content but backlink content as well. You can’t make money unless you put the content out there. In 2011 I published right around 500,000 words and I know that I could have worked much harder. Plus this year I won’t have a newborn or be pregnant (I still can’t believe he is going to be 1 in 2 months!) Plus in the fall my oldest will be going to kindergarten which means one less child to distract me during the day.
*Concentrate on creating quality sites and stay away from any “tricks” or must-see loopholes.
Basically this means I’m not buying any new internet marketing products that teach tricks or loopholes or the latest trend for making money. I’m staying away from shiny new object syndrome as I know how to make money and right now I need to just scale it up and put in the work.
*By June be able to hire at least one outsourcer to start writing articles for me.
I know that to really grow my business to the type of income I want to be making I need to start outsourcing. By June I would like to be able to hire at least one writer part time for some articles, even if it is only 10 BMR articles a week. The outsourced articles will not count towards my 1.25 millions words that I want to publish.
*Develop my own product for at least one of my sites.
I can tell you now that the product I develop will not be in the IM niche. I just don’t want to go there. I’m not sure what site I am going to develop the product for as I may want until halfway through the year to see which site has the most potential and is making the most money. I may even develop more than one product and have 2 or 3 of them in different niches. The product will most likely be an eBook but may be a video course depending on the site.
*Become obsessed with internet marketing and my websites again.
This goes back to The 10X Rule and taking massive action and becoming obsessed with your goals. I know that I have lost motivation and I think it has a lot to do with not reaching my income goals as well as productivity goals. I want to be once again obsessed and want to work every free minute that I can and make my business grow and get that motivation back.
My 2012 Income Goals
If you are like me you have probably been skimming through the lists of goals above looking for one that lists how much money I want to make.
Last year I set an income goal of $3000 and although December has been a good month I don’t think I am going to quite reach that goal. I was on track to reach it back in October before the whole Panda update in the middle of the month, so I know it is possible to get to that level of income.
For 2012 I am setting the bar a little higher (although for some people it may be low). After reading The 10X Rule I decided to set my income goal higher than I originally planned.
My 2012 income goal is $6,000 a month.
For some people $6000 a month may not be that much, but for me and my family that type of money would be life changing. No, we wouldn’t be millionaires or be able to buy a mansion, but we could afford a lot more things without having to worry about money and we could save a lot of money for the future when our kids got older and more expensive.
If I can put in the work needed and be constantly working on my business in 2012 I know that I can succeed. I’m going to work like I never worked before. No more checking Facebook all the time or wasting time reading things that don’t pertain to my business. I can make the sacrifice to work “like no one else does” in order to accomplish my goals for the next year. (You really should read The 10X Rule if you haven’t already and you would probably understand more of what I am writing about).
The “Whys” of My Goals
In the book The Barefoot Executive, Carrie talked about having a “why” to your goals. You see, wanting to make money isn’t going to motivate you as much as having a “why” you need or want to make the money.
I want to make $6000 a month and I have several “whys” for that reason and here they are:
*Pay off auto loan, which is the only debt we have besides our mortgage.
*Save money to be able to put our house up for sale and move into a bigger house.
*Make enough to be able to have my husband quit his seasonal job (it is a second job in the winter).
*Have enough money coming in to be able to afford to have another child in the next two years.
So, there you have my 2012 goals and business plans as well as the reasons why I want to accomplish these goals.
I am looking forward to 2012 and once again being so motivated to be successful and taking the massive action that I need to be successful. I plan on keeping this blog updated about how my goals are coming along as well as writing some more posts about my experiences and tips I come across.
What are your goals for 2012? Are you willing to set your goals higher and take massive action to help your business succeed in 2012?
**This post contains affiliate links, but I really do recommend the book!
{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }
OK, OK, I think I have a book to read before I can write my equivalent post now! Seriously never seen a book with such consistently positive reviews, I usually refuse to pay over $10 – but this time…
Those seem like some great goals Tiffany, and achievable as well. I haven’t read the book, but I did set some pretty high goals for 2011 that I’m not going to come close to reaching. But I do believe in the value of pushing yourself and reaching high. However, for 2012, I’m also going to try to set more achievable goals. I still want to set the bar high, but not so high.
For me, it’s always difficult to choose between setting the bar really high and feeling reinforced by meeting the goals I’ve set. (I’ve already started writing down my goals of 2012, but I probably won’t have a blog post up until early January). I wish you the best in 2012!
You have set some ambitious goals – good luck! I still have to work on my 2012 goals, maybe after Christmas.
I usually don’t care for motivational/self-help type books but I did reserve a copy of your recommendation from the library.
Lissie – I think you will enjoy the book. Good luck with making your goals!
Michelle – My original income goal as well as publishing goal was much smaller to begin with before I read The 10X Rule. Even if I don’t reach that exact income goal I know with the work I plan on putting in my income will go up quite a bit.
Carrie – Thanks Carrie. I got started on my goals for the next year early because I am probably going to be taking off the next week for all the Christmas celebrations we have. I usually don’t like self help type books either but I had heard good things about the book and it was geared towards business not not personal growth as much. It’s not one of those books that tells you if you dream it then it will happen. It makes it known you will have to work and work a lot in order to be successful. Oh, and I got mine from the library as well. I don’t usually buy books because I read them once and then they sit on the shelf and take up too much space
Thanks for the book recommendation. I’d heard of it but that’s as far as it went. Now it’s on its way to my Kindle (and WTF is the Kindle version more expensive than the hardcover? I hate when that happens!)
I love your “Whys” but I think you can push them further. For each one, you could try adding “which means that ….” to the end, and see how deep you can go.
e.g. “I want to pay off the auto loan, which means that we will be debt-free, which means that we own everything free and clear, which means that we will never live beyond our means, which means that …” and keep going until you run out. You’ll uncover the real reason you want to pay off that debt.
Just ordered the book through your link. I’ll let you know what I think when I read it!
t xx
Isobel – Love that idea for my “whys.” I am definitely going to have to do that from now on!
Tracey – Thanks and looking forward to what you think
I’m gonna buy it too! And it will be the first motivational book I have ever bought.
I am exactly the same as you Tiffany, I want to get obsessed with this game again. I need to get focused and I need to push the boundaries to see where it can get me. I need to write up a plan before the new year, and 2012 is going to be the year that the Internet gets a new boss
Thanks for the motivation.
Yea, I got Dave to buy his first motivational book!! Dave- I’m sure your 2012 is going to be awesome and thank you for all the motivation that you give
Hi Tiffany,
Love the goals. I truly believe that one needs to set goals and you have given a great example of how to do that.
I’d wish you luck Tiffany but I know luck really has very little (if anything) to do with it. Instead I’ll wish you patience, motivation, and focus so that you can reach your goals.
I need to get my goals out there, too. I’ve been mulling them over and I’m trying to decide which ones are the most important!
That amount of money would change my family completely, too! As far as goal setting, I’m really focusing on action plans right now, and am excited about what that might bring.
Danielle – Thanks! Yep a lot of motivation and patience is what I will need.
Kristine – Good luck in 2012 and can’t wait to see where you are at the end of the year.
I enjoy reading motivational books, and after your enthusiastic endorsement, The 10X Rule is definitely on my list.
Thanks!