Well, looks like I’m a bit late on getting the new year started, but I thought now would be a good time to talk about the goals I have for this site in the coming year. A lot of what we talk about on this site has to do with having goals and working to achieve them. It only makes sense that I lead by example and use this site as the topic. Since the site is fairly new there is a long way to go, so it’s important to make sure the goals I set are reasonable. Anyway, without further ado, here are my goals for Know The Ledge for 2008.
1. Be able to write roughly a post a day
This is the most important goal and no doubt the one I will struggle most to achieve. Being that I have a day job and a family, it’s hard to find time to dedicate to the site as it is. I plan to really push this year to get the site off the ground though. All of the other goals are really dependent on this one, so if I falter here I might as well say goodbye to the other four goals.
2. Build steady traffic and have over 100 subscribers
A steady traffic flow to the site will really help to solidify it and help it get off the ground. It’s like they say, the first dollar is always the hardest to earn. If I can manage to provide quality content on a consistent basis, the readers will come. Being able to have that stable group of people who participate in the site would allow me to garner feedback on what is working well and what isn’t, which is invaluable to the ultimate success of Know The Ledge.
3. Have the site earn over $500 a month
Ultimately, I would love for this site to be able to support me and my family completely. That way I could spend much more time doing something I love, and hopefully helping people along the way. For this first year, I’d like to at least set a number aside as a monthly income goal, and $500 seems as good a place to start as any. Again, the quality of content is king, and will determine how many people decide to read, and what type of income opportunities will become available to the site.
4. Successfully administer 2 great contests
I love blog contests. I think they’re a fun way to get your readers excited and hopefully boost your traffic a little. Hopefully I’ll be able to do a lot more than two this year, but I’m hoping to be able to have two really special contests that people will be excited about. In order to get there, I need to build up a steady flow of traffic first. There’s no point in having a contest if no one is going to enter, is there?
5. Create a mobile version of the site
This one is strictly a personal goal, and doesn’t have much value in terms of business and income. It’s debatable whether a site like this really has the format and topic that works for mobile. But with the explosion of the internet on mobile devices, it’s probably a smart step in the long run. At the very least, it will be kind of cool and something that can prepare me for future challenges.
Well, there they are. Five little sentences that are easy to say, but only time will tell how hard they are to actually accomplish. We’ll revisit this list again at the end of the year to see how close I came to achieving (or exceeding) these goals. One thing to keep in mind is that I created Know The Ledge with the intent of helping people first, and making a living second. So, in the end if I don’t accomplish the monetary goals but I’m able to help some people out, then it’s obviously worth it. The trick is to find a way to do both. Throughout the next 12 months I hope to figure out some nice ways to do that.
