Annual Review For 2021: Fostering, SEO, And Favorite Books
Each year, I flaunt my successes and attempt to make my failures more attractive. Then I set intentions for the coming year.
It's a weird thing I do to feel significant instead of feeling like a tiny peanut floating in space.
And you know what? It actually helps.
I think my hairline stopped receding in 2021. That was big. Also, we got a three-legged dog.
Here’s how I structure my Annual Reviews:
For each question I take some time to look through my calendar, brainstorm, and then narrow it down to a few highlights in each category.
Let’s dive in.
What Went Well Last Year? 💪
Fostered a 6 Year Old Girl
One afternoon in February, Emma and I were notified about an emergency foster placement. She arrived several hours later after being removed from her home. I’m amazed that she was brave enough to fall asleep that night.
It’s difficult to describe foster parenting to someone who hasn’t gone through the experience. There are the classic moments of connection (reading bedtime stories) and frustration (trying to introduce vegetables). Then there’s the trauma that informs all of it, the trauma that you soak up like a sponge because you love this kiddo. Finally, and this is in some ways the hardest part, there’s navigating the foster care system and birth parent relationship.
After 4 months in our care, she transitioned to living with family. We fully supported this transition and see it as the best possible outcome. We’ve visited her once since then, for her birthday, and hope to stay involved in her life to the extent that it’s helpful.
Got a New Dog Named Cricket
Our last dog, Scout, passed away at the end of 2020.
Several months later, Emma saw a listing for this three-legged Pitbull:
Cricket had been hit by a car down south. Apparently the vet was going to put her down, but Cricket was so sweet and loving that they decided against it.
They amputated Cricket’s back leg, and brought her to a shelter in New York where we ultimately adopted her.
Cricket’s been a great adventure buddy. She paddles with us, hikes with us, and keeps up with other dogs at the dog park. Even though she still has lots of puppy energy (she’s only about two years old), she’s done a great job training-wise.
Doubled Down on SEO + Created a Course
This year, I went off of social media completely and focused on driving traffic to my website through SEO.
I spent one hour each weekday blogging. Over the course of 2021, I produced 7 new articles and updated 4 existing ones. Each of these posts is optimized for a specific search term that my ideal clients are typing into Google.
Out of the 11 articles that I worked on this year, 5 of them are already ranking on the first page of Google for their target keyword.
This article started ranking for the term “coaching websites” just a few months after publishing.
By going off of social media, I was able to focus all of my time and energy on SEO. Here’s what happened to my audience…
Website traffic:
2020: 66k website visits
2021: 79k website visits (19% increase yr/yr)
Email list:
2020: 2,788 new subscribers
2021: 4,053 new subscribers (45% increase yr/yr)
At the end of 2021, I launched a new course about how I approach SEO called Keyword To Client. The course sold out in just a few days. I’m looking forward to seeing the case studies that come out of this first round.
Top 3 Purchases of 2021:
A full suspension mountain bike - I used to rent each year for an annual mountain biking trip in Vermont. Now that I live in Vermont, I figured I should buy a bike. I found an old Niner on Craigslist and use it all the time now.
Bonobos Premium Stretch Jeans - I’ve been looking for a good pair of jeans that fit my giant thighs (because squatting) and come in a short inseam length (because genetics). These jeans accomplish both, plus they’re incredibly comfortable. I got the Light Storm Wash, Athletic Fit.
Alter Eco Brown Butter - This dark chocolate bar was recommended to us by a another couple when they stayed over at our place. Once you try it, you’ll never be able to buy anything else.
Top 3 Books Of 2021:
The Way To Love - When it comes to non-fiction, I’ve been reading more spiritual books and less business/nonfiction. Reading this book by Anthony De Mello felt like being slapped across the face, but with wisdom. I recommend it.
The Empire’s Ruin - Written by my former high school English teacher, Brain Staveley, who has since become a top fantasy writer. Absolute page turner.
The Midnight Library - A woman finds herself in a library where each book represents a life that she could have lived. This book is profound. It explores the nature of regret, meaning, and life purpose through a fictional lens.
What Didn’t Go As Well Last Year? 🤦🏼♂️
Failed To Increase Revenue Or Profit
Since starting my business 7+ years ago, I’ve grown it consistently each year.
I failed to do that in 2021. And strangely, it wasn’t due to lack of demand. I turned away more clients this year than I ever have. I’m saying that so that you continue to buy things from me.
In all seriousness, I just didn’t prioritize growth the way that I did in 2020.
Here’s what I prioritized instead:
Foster parenting
Increasing the percentage of my revenue from online courses (this was actually one of my goals but it resulted in less revenue overall)
The freedom of not having to work with more clients, hire, and manage people
Going on outdoor adventures instead of working
General ambivalence and wondering about my life purpose
The final thing that I’ll mention, because it’s extremely ironic, is that I started using Profit First accounting with YNAB this year. My profit margin stayed pretty much the same, around 48%, but my revenue decreased slightly. The focus on budgeting encouraged me not to make certain investments that I might have made in the past.
Learning: Trying to stay too lean in your business can prevent growth.
Optimized Screwed Up My Webinar Funnel
I decided to relaunch one of my old courses in Q2. When I re-did the webinar, I made some changes to get it to convert better. The webinar ended up converting better on the front end, but then we got almost twice as many refunds on the back end.
WTF?
Unfortunately, I didn’t realize this until I had updated the whole evergreen funnel with the new webinar. So basically, I took something that was working well, spent a few months trying to make it better, and ended up making it worse.
You gotta love online business.
Oh, and I also realized that I was accidentally deleting thousands of email subscribers each year. But that’s a story for another day.
Learning: If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Especially if it’s an evergreen webinar funnel.
Felt Bummed Out About My Business
I’m still learning to do what I want to do, instead of what I feel like I should do.
The webinar funnel thing above is a good example. It seemed like I should double down on the success of one of my existing courses. But what I was really excited about was creating something new.
Contrast that with the SEO course I launched. I was genuinely excited about doing the course, I enjoyed the process of launching it, and the course sold out. And even if it hadn’t sold, I still would have enjoyed the process.
Learning: Don’t ask, “What is most likely to succeed on paper?” Instead, ask, “What would I enjoy doing even if it failed?”
What Am I Focused On This Year? 🎯
Saying Yes to Things That Feel Light
This applies across the board, not just in my business. I’m really wanting to plan less and trust my intuition more. For someone who has been very goal oriented in the past, this is definitely a new way of operating.
I’m particularly interested to see how my business and my strength training routine evolves as a result of this strategy. Both of these areas are places where I’ve historically sought to optimize for the “best” way. I’m working to increase my awareness of what serves me instead of trying to figure out intellectually what I should do.
Along these lines, one of the things that feels heavy right now is the lack of collaboration in my business. I’ll be exploring a potential collaboration in Q1 of this year and am excited to see how that feels.
Upgrading My Wardrobe And Office
I helped Emma paint her office this year. Then I got jealous of how awesome it looked. Now I want a cool office, too. I’ve already reached out to a friend who does interior design to work on upgrading my home office.
Same thing with clothing. I’ve noticed there’s a real link between my physical environment, what I wear, and how I feel. In the last couple of years, I’ve gotten a little bit too minimalist when it comes to clothing. Actually, that’s not true. I have a million old t-shirts. I just don’t have anything else to wear.
Continuing to Grow Spiritually
I’ve become much less interested in achievement this year and much more interested in contentment. Books, relationships, and plant medicine have made it almost impossible for me to hold onto the old performance-based paradigm that I used to operate from.
In some ways, this has been wonderful. I feel much more at peace with myself. But it’s also uncomfortable. There’s a definite sense of being lost in the woods. If I no longer make decisions based on what will help me be and look successful, how do I make decisions?
I’m looking forward to deepening my spiritual practices, including meditation. I’ll likely hire a new coach or therapist in 2022. I’d also love to find a community, ideally a local one, made up of kindred spirits.
My main intention going into 2021 was to slow down and listen. I did my best to put this into practice. My wife may disagree. But you and I don’t need that negativity.
In case you're curious, here are my previous Annual Reviews (only a true sociopath would expect someone to read 7 years worth of his reviews):
