Recession? What Recession?
By any measures, 2008 was a very good year for John Chow dot Com and myself. I accomplished many of the goals I set for myself and saw some amazing growth from the blog. At the start of the year, the blog had just broken 14,000 RSS readers. It will finish 2008 with nearly 45,000 RSS readers and over $400,000 in income. That’s more than double the income from 2007 and more than triple the RSS readership. It’s really hard to believe that all this happened in just three years.
It’s also hard to believe that in the middle of the biggest economic crises since the great depression, I would have my best year ever. The question is, will it continue in 2009 or will I come face to the face with the economic slow down? Here are some of my goals for 2009.
Continue Delivering Value
The best way to make yourself recession proof is to deliver value to your customers (or readers in this case). Many businesses pull back on service during a slowdown. I think this is a mistake. The cream will always rise to the top and customers will always go to the business that offer them the best value.
Many would say that trying to sell a $5,000 seminar during a recession is crazy. However, Shoemoney has sold out Elite Retreat in record time and John Reese is about to pull down another $1 million day with his Business Accelerator web class. John and Shoe can do this during bad times because they deliver value.
Buy! Buy! Buy!
I plan on buying a lot of assets in 2009. The best time to buy is when everyone else is selling. Luckily, Canada’s banks haven’t been hit as hard as the US banks so I have no problem getting credit. The proper use of debt is the number one tool to make you rich and 2009 will present a ton of opportunities to apply a lot of leverage.
Many will say that buying in a market gripped by fear is stupid but it’s really just common sense. I think the words of Warren Buffett best explains it.
Travel Less
Last year, I made a goal to travel more and I certainly did that. All together, Sarah and I spent nearly 100 days away from home in 2008. Now that I’ve gotten the travel bug out of my system, I plan to stay home more and relax.
Focus On The Family
Family is the foundation of growth. No man can grow if their foundation is not solid. It really is amazing to watch Sally grow everyday and I’m very fortunate that I don’t have to spend 8 hours a day away from her. Working from home really is the ultimate way to make money online.
Serve More People
The true measure of success is not how much you make, it’s how much you give. I truly believe that the more you give, the more you will get. I gave more in 2008 than in any other year and I made more in 2008 than in any other year. There is a connection between the two.
Thank You for an Awesome 2008
I want to thank everyone who help make this blog what it is. Without you, John Chow dot Com would just be like any other of the 120+ million blogs in the sphere. Thanks to you, this blog has become something special.
Happy New Year and let’s make 2009 the best ever!