Networking Now

Hi all

All I have heard is that 2010 is going to be the year for making things happen! So I want to know what people have planned, work and home life.

It seems that most are glad to see the back of 2009 :lol:

Well I could tell you when you get home :) but for the benefit of everyone else:

After actually having some time off and enjoying it, I want to spend no more than 3 months getting the company into a stronger position, we have a few irons in the fire at the moment and have kicked of the year with a few repeat clients, 2 new ones and 2 recos from existing clients (one coming from our very own Sean Stevens, Thank you!)

But this year I need to ensure that my plans are more tangible and realistic, that I set aside time for each job, instead of juggling 5 at a time, all this without losing what I like to think is a great service for our clients, personal, fast and honest.

Personally, I want to lose some weight, and spend more time going out with the Mrs, cinema, meals, days out etc, if I am still busy, she makes her self busy doing random things, so I need to make sure I spend more time with the one thing that is more important than the business, my wife!

I am sure Colin (& Kerri) will be glad to hear this, for a few months now, he has been setting posts and comments to us all, saying that you do not need to work 80 hours a week because you run your own business, at first I pooh poohed some of this as I need to put more in than the next company to ensure longevity and success to our company, but yet he juggles 4 boys and his 'Julie' whilst running more than just his coaching company, and after spending a Xmas I actually enjoyed (for a change) and an awesome New Year with Kerri, I know I need to enjoy a bit more.

So the pace does not slow down, I will be more effecient during normal working hours, and of course there will be some nights that I need to keep the coffee machine on, but nowhere near as much as in 2009 and more than I will in 2011!

This is going to be an awesome year, keep your heads up, and work smart!

hooray for time off, my plans include continuing to grow business coaching side of life, learn how to spell properly, i will be selling one of my companies closer to the end of the year and will be investing in my new boat ( boat show next week ) and if weather allows and investing in another smaller company to provide spending money. Doing ironman uk 2010 for scope, sponsorship info coming soon. Running my household, only 15 years till kids leave home and i can sail round the world and chase the sunshine

Where do I start?

After having some health scares in 2009, caused by stress in the day job, I will be moving back to the UK. My last day in the office in Germany will be July 30th and I can't wait to get back. I am currently negotiating a reduced contract (will take a 20% pay cut) so that I can work from home in the UK and scale back my work for the company a bit. This will allow me to be the one that takes the kids to school and picks them up in the afternoon so I get to see their little ugly mugs more often :D

I will also be putting more effort into my own company. When I officially set up in July the aim was to have 12 months of building (working on a website and just generally getting the company name known), the first 5 months have gone well from that point of view and I have even picked up a few debts to work on which have paid for a few of the marketing ideas I have had. I have some further ideas to work on over the next 6 months so that when I come back I can hit the ground running.

Until I move back I'll be a little busy:

Off to San Francisco on the 23rd January to attend a company sales event, so will use the time to have a little rest and a walk around the bay, I love the view from the piers to Alcatraz and from the ferry looking up at the Golden Gate Bridge. They have also got a great cinema in one of the shopping malls that have the best leather recliners to sit in and watch a movie :shock:

Over to London for a week in February for some networking events and then Amsterdam for a few days in May for another one. In between I need to fit in a visit to Israel and Italy for my day job to meet the local sales teams and present our yearly cash results.

Back to the UK for two weeks over Easter to hopefully sort out a house, school and all the other bits and pieces needed to actually live and whilst I'm there I'll be giving a lecture at the UWE in Bristol of Global Credit Management. I always get nervous giving lectures and speeches but the students are always first class and interested in what is being said so the 45 minutes usually goes too quickly.

Oh, and the company I work for in the day job will be upgrading its computer system and planning to acquire a couple of other companies, so life will move along quite quickly until the end of July.

Excellent stuff Sean, see the Seanettes more often will be a huge plus!

Some Jet setting for the first 6 months, hope you will be getting some pics for us Twits, as the plans are already taking affect, you do not need me wishing you luck, your making your own! And 2010 is going to be a stormer!

Yep..earning some air miles for the first part of the year: just added another date to my world tour, will be in Belfast for a few days in March to attend and promote the launch the Association of Credit Professionals Northern Ireland branch.... will take and post some pics as I go along my merry way, the view out of my office in SF (well, based in Alameda, which is a little Island - anyone seen Mythbusters? they do all their shooting and blowing things up there as there is an old naval yard) looks over the docks and in the morning you see everyone out on their boats :) & London should be cool as I will be in the Willis building which has the views across London (Just hope I'm on a high enough floor).

Nice to hear the positive response to this thread - too much negativity floating around in some spheres.

My plans for 2010 are much the same as last year, as they seemed to work pretty well. My emphasis was - and still will be - getting face to face with as many people as possible at Business networking events. It's a long slow process at times, but it sure beats the hell out of spending chunks on Yellow Pages and waiting for the phone to leap into life.

I'm lucky that I'm selling what most people require at some time in the business year - business cards, flyers, calendars etc. Not only that, I get so much help and advice, free of charge, simply by tapping into my network of acquaintances.

More marketing this year but less working at weekends! Time to strike a balance. :)

Eagle wrote:More marketing this year but less working at weekends! Time to strike a balance. :)

Those sound like admirable aim to me. Might have to nick 'em ;)