2016 has been a productive, busy year. Last year, was my first full year working for myself, and although there were some very stressful moments, overall it has been a great year for business. In this 2016 review, I’d like to go over some of the highlights.
WordCamps
2016 has been another great year for WordCamping. Here is a full list of WordCamps I attended, along with links to my write-ups:
I really enjoy attending WordCamps, as I get to meet lots of interesting people, and I always end up learning something new. I’ve been to a total of 7 WordCamps now, and looking forward to much more.
Public Speaking
In 2016, I tried my hand at public speaking. Whilst at WordCamp, I did a talk on How To Automate Your Business. This was my first time doing any public speaking, and I received some great feedback. The talk focused on how to use services such as Zapier, in order to set up different ways to automate your business, by integrating multiple applications together. My talk was a short 10-minute talk, and I’m happy with how it went.
New Clients
One of the best things about 2016 has been my new clients 🙂 Not only does taking on a new client ensure more finances for the business, but it also gives me a great sense of achievement. If I’m taking on more clients, it means I’m doing things right, things are going well and my services are desirable. Becoming good at a job is great, but building a reputable business and brand that only goes from strength to strength, has given me a satisfaction I’ve not got from anywhere else before.
New Office
All set up in the new office 🙂 #newoffice pic.twitter.com/z0ndBbe8eN
— James @ LlamaPress (@LlamaPress) November 10, 2016
I’m happy to announce in my 2016 review, I no longer work from my bedroom 🙂 Yes, that’s right, 2016 was the year of my first office. Why did I get an office? Well, working from home is great, every now and then. If you work from home full-time, however, I found myself becoming frustrated with my workspace. I would spend days at a time without leaving my house, and I was also struggling to establish a good work/life balance. My new office fixes this problem. I’m now working in some shared office space, at Preston University – The Media Factory.
Expanding My Skills
Expanding my skill set is a continuous effort, that will never come to an end. During 2016, I made sure to keep up to date with all the latest developments and standards within the web industry. I have also learned a lot about how APIs work, and how to interact with them though WordPress plugins. I have also spent some time expanding on my skills, by learning how to use alternative technologies to build websites.
Trying My Hand At Video
So, I’ve started a YouTube channel. At the time of writing this, I have 3 videos and no subscribers 🙂 I’ve never had any training on video production, nor have I ever really tried to learn up until now, so I’m a bit out of my comfort zone. This is good, though because forcing myself out of my comfort zone makes me better, stronger, faster!
My YouTube channel is, quite clearly, a work in progress. I plan on spending time this year uploading new content, ranging from technical tutorials, through to WordCamp vlogs and general business discussions. Please feel free to subscribe 🙂
2016 Review Wrap Up and Plans For 2017
After a successful 2016, I’m looking forward to a productive 2017. Below, I have noted some goals I would like to achieve this year:
- I plan on attending at least 3 WordCamps, including WordCamp London and WordCamp Europe.
- I’m going to be releasing a plugin on the WordPress repository (further details to follow).
- As previously mentioned, I am going to be paying attention to my YouTube channel and attempting to build up a small following.
- I am going to step up my social media game, becoming more active.
- I will be blogging more.
I hope you have found my 2016 review interesting, and here’s to a prosperous 2017. How has 2016 treated you? Has anything exciting happened to you or your business? I’d love to hear about it in the comments section.
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