Pulse Check – Monthly Report for November 2012

by | Dec 6, 2012

Pulse Check

Every month I recap the past, present, and future of my personal journey and the voyage of Value of Simple.

This “Pulse Check” is intended to be an honest, transparent, and (hopefully) inspiring assessment of where I've been and where I'm going.

This is the Pulse Check for November 2012.

This…Just…Got…Real

I don't know how else to put it.

I'm a businessman now! Like, the kind that has his own stuff (that he's really freakin' proud of) to sell.

Before Start Investing with $100 launched, I was just a former corporate employee trying to become an entrepreneur. Sure, I was creating some cool stuff which I mentioned in my second year blogging lessons. But now that I've created this awesome thing that has amazing value and is going to help a ton of people…I mean, it's a whole new mental ball game baby!

I always thought I could pull off something big and complicated. Now I know I can do it and I can do it bigger, better, and faster next year. I've been telling friends that it feels like Act 1 of my entrepreneurial journey is over and now I'm writing the script for Act 2.

And Act 2 could be anything (or a bunch of anythings. Yeah, I just made a plural out of anything. I'm out of control).

Do I want to:

  • Double down and make the Continuous Creation Challenge a seriously badass event?
  • Get my public speaking activity ramped up to the point that people will pay me to talk at their conference/event?
  • Create this firework grand finale kind of product that I'm drooling to start but that will take an insane amount of work and marketing?
  • Formalize my peer development plan to achieve success by enabling other's success?

I'm giddy with excitement so I say let do 'em all (and then some)!

Side note: is it a problem to be this pumped up about planning, strategizing, and organizing my next 12-24 months? This enthusiasm probably won't shock you if you got my latest note in the newsletter on Monday.

All I gotta say before we get into the numbers is catch the fever! If it's not the Value of Simple fever, that's cool. But use this time of year and this stage in your life to catch the fever of something.

A cause. A mission. A set of values or beliefs. Hop on a bullet train and hold on tight. Or better yet, make your own bullet train and rocket down the tracks!

The Numbers

A lot of people are interested in the stats behind Value of Simple. I am too because it helps me understand what's working, what's failing, and what I need to emphasize in the future.

But more than that, being upfront with you and sharing these numbers lets me display some core values of candor, vulnerability, and accountability. The more you know about this refuge of simplicity, the more you know whether this community is a place you want to be long-term.

Now, on to some numbers.

Visitors to Value of Simple

Value of Simple Stats

Value of Simple Stats

There weren't any surprising numbers as I dug through Google Analytics. I was happy though that for the first time, more visitors landed on the Start Here page than the Home page. I've been using a number of strategies to make that happen and they're now paying off.

Also, minimalism/simplicity websites like Be More with Less and Becoming Minimalist continue to send the majority of new people my way. Thanks Courtney, Joshua, and gang!

Here are some other stats for the month that give an objective view of engagement in and by this community. If a number is in parenthesis, it's the net increase or decrease of the same stat from the previous month. This also includes the income I made so you can see how this site supports my family, charities like Second Harvest Heartland, and the greater community.

  • Value of Simple Products/Services Income:
    • Start Investing with $100: $80.00 (Woot! I finally have a product to sell!)
  • Affiliate Income (Affiliate Links Below):
    • A-List Blogging Bootcamps: $0.00 (my personal review)
    • Amazon: $4.75
    • Aweber: $0.00
    • Bluehost: $0.00
    • Clicky: $0.00
    • Dragon NaturallySpeaking: $0.00
    • Elance: $0.00
    • Headway WordPress Theme: $0.00
    • iTunes: $0.05
    • Legalzoom: $0.00
    • Manilla.com: $0.00 (my personal review)
    • ODesk: $0.00
    • Optin Skin: $0.00
    • Premise: $0.00
    • The Bootstrapper Guild: $0.00 (my personal review)
  • Total Income: $84.80

Check out my Resources page if you want to know why I stand by these products and services.

Article Round Up

Here is all the content I was responsible for in November. This includes content not published on Value of Simple like guest posts, YouTube videos, other people interviewing me, and more:

What I Learned in November

I already covered some major lessons learned on Monday.

But that is not all. Oh, no. That is not all. (Dr. Seuss's The Cat in the Hat reference anyone?)

Here's a few more lessons I learned last month:

  • It feels really good to send emails or make phone calls to people with genuine gratitude for helping you pull off a major goal. Try it yourself if you like love fests.
  • Convincing yourself you are something or will be something can lead to positive self-fulfilling prophecies
  • Looking through your list of future blog posts can be invigorating. Do you have any idea how many articles I'm stoked to create?
  • Sometimes there aren't enough bold, italics, ALL CAPS, underlined words and (!!!) to communicate how you feel. That's why my preferred medium is an audible one.
  • The generosity of people wanting to see you succeed can range from “Seriously? You're going to do that for me?” to “Holy crap. No…you…didn't!”

What's Around the Corner

(I just took a few deep breaths to regain some composure, but it might not last long)

I'm spending a good part of December planning where I'm we're headed and I'll be breaking out Your Next 6 Months (Forever) and the Live Your Legend Goal Setting and Action Workbook to bring us clarity.

It will be so much easier planning 2013 than it was guessing planning about 2012. With my corporate gig behind me and a series of goals and experiments ahead of me, big things are going to happen. Big. Things.

I'll be at New Media Expo in Las Vegas from January 6th – 8th and celebrating my grandpa's 100th birthday in Hazlet, NJ from February 2nd – 5th. If you're in those areas and want to potentially meet up for a beverage and a hug (fair warning: I'm a hugger like The Minimalists), get in touch.

In the meantime, I'll be celebrating December birthdays for my mom, brother, dad, Melinda, some of my best friends, and showing people that I haven't gotten any balder at my fifteen year high school reunion. The only time I might cry this month is if the Vikings lose a second game to the Packers.

This November 2012 Pulse Check might be over, but somebody better still find the tranquillizers. It's going to take a brick wall to slow down this momentum my friends!

***

Make sure to let me know in the comments if you don't see something around the corner you were hoping to see.

Thanks for being interested enough in me and Value of Simple to read this report!

Your partner in simplifying,

Joel

—

Photo Credit: fmgbain