Hi everyone,

This week I’m working on my 2016 planning using an old method I learned somewhere along the way. It’s called “More Of, Less Of, Different”. I thought I’d make you a little worksheet so you’ll have a good resource to use as well. I’ve added it as an 8X10 PDF file so you can print it out easily. Here is what it looks like. Let me describe each section briefly.

More Of: The more of category is the section where you list the things or activities you want more of in 2016. I generally look back at 2015 and ask the question, “what went well in 2015 that I want to make sure happens even more in 2016”

Less Of: The less of category is the section where you list the things or activities you want less of in 2016. I look back on 2015 and ask the question, “what happened in 2015 that I want to happen less (or not at all) in 2016?”

Different: The different category is the section where I list what things that worked okay, but should be done differently. I look back on 2015 and ask the question, “what worked okay in 2015 that could work better in 2016 if we did it differently?”

HH Goal: The High-Hard Goal section is where I list my big aspiration for 2016. The phrase “high hard goal” comes from the book Bold by Peter Diamandis the famous creator of the Ansari X Prize. It’s a book that really inspired my in 2015. The HH Goal is where I ask myself, “if there was one thing I could imagine that would really be a break-through, what would it be?”

What’s my outcome? Here’s how I used this tool to plan my 2016. I won’t bore you with the details related to each concept, but I have specific plans and details for each of these.

More Of: Partners and products. I’m excited about launching several private label brands in 2016 – and several new product lines. You’ll hear more about these over the next few months.

Less Of: Teaching and online classes. I’ve decided that I’m going to limit my online classes (just sticking to the few that I’ve already committed to). I’m also going to limit my public speaking to just truly exceptional (and fun) events that Cinnamon and I can enjoy together.

Different: I’m going to focus on team building, hiring, and partnership development.

High Hard Goal: I’m going to try to push for a 7 figure year (revenue exceeding 1 million) for our core business Liberty Jane/Pixie Faire and a 7 figure year for Sew Powerful as well.

I hope you have an amazing 2016!

I have a quick and simple question for you today…

Here’s the context: I have the joy of knowing a lot of successful online marketers and sellers. Hearing their stories is always a blast! This week we’re on vacation in Northern California and Cinnamon and I went to dinner with a husband and wife team that is very successful at selling on Amazon. We also brought someone who wants to learn that business and eventually make a career change. So toward the end of the dinner the successful online seller says,

“To succeed at this you need to think hard about why you are doing it. If you have a big enough ‘why’ then you’ll have the drive to stick with it and become successful. If you don’t have a big enough why, then you’ll try it and stop when it gets hard.”

Wow. That’s some powerful advice.

So my question for you is: Do you have a big enough why?

Your 2015 business goals will be achievable if you have a big enough why.

When we started our online business in 2008 we wanted to make extra money. That was an okay “why” at first. But after a few years of Cinnamon running the business while I was at work everyday, we realized our little business could eventually allow me to retire from my 9-5 job. So for the last several years that was our “why”. We dreamed, planned, and worked with that goal in mind. As I write this I’ve been officially “unemployable” for 11 months and 28 days. I retired from my 9-5 career on January 1, 2014 and our little business made that possible. This year has been amazing, fun, and like a year-long vacation. We traveled to Africa in support of our charity project, and took the kids on fun smaller vacations to places like Santa Cruz.

Now it’s time for us to think about our ‘why’ again and dream a bigger dream. We have several very big “whys” that we are starting to focus upon – and as they become seated more deeply in our hearts and minds, our motivation to press forward will take another big leap forward.

I’d love to hear about your “why” – feel free to leave a comment below and share about what motivates you to build and grow your online business.

Hi everyone,

In this week’s video I talk about overcoming your first year-worst year – and share strategies for making next year your best year. Tell me what you think – was your first year your worst year?

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