I said we were going to keep each other accountable. Not particularly effective week for me, have this linger flu that won't go away, and it's slowing me down, but a few things did get done ( and a big one didn't. ). First what I failed on: 1. Record my first video of the year, detailing out my new business idea ( the why and how it begins ) - this did not get done, I just didn't have the energy for it, and I am quite disappointed in that. 2. Actually finish the development work on the new business idea. It's close, but not done, so again, fail. What did get done: 1. Started a Substack: The Business of You and migrated my old Ghost subscribers there. 2. Created a new business page on LinkedIn: The Business of You. 3. Created a new Twitter account ( I don't have high hopes for this ): @abusinessofyou 4. Wrote 3 posts for LinkedIn/Substack and posted them: 3,741 impressions on LinkedIn, 124 on Substack. 5. Wrote a long post for Reddit in r/Entrepreneur - Everyone Has a Business They Can Start…Everyone ( caught some flack ): 284,000 views, 149 comments, 2400 shares ( i'd count this as a win ). 6. Posted 7 notes and four comments on Substack (this is really how you grow) - nowhere near enough. 7. I did write a script (more of an outline) for my video (just didn't film it) 8. Had two glorious video calls with you folks (coffee chat & Q/A) What I wasted time on: 1. Writing and rewriting things like my Substack description, and About Page 2. Writing two posts that were just not valuable to anyone and throwing them out 3. Watching too many videos on writing code in cursor and lovable.dev (instead of just writing code I'm doing this from memory, which I will rectify with better tracking next week, and trying to keep track of the amount of time everything takes so y'all can see the effort going in, not just the results. No one else needs to go into this kind of detail, but let's hear it. Did we have productive weeks? Are we moving towards those Q1 goals?

This hasn't really come up yet, but a good note for everyone as they start going more "public" with things. Not everyone is going to like what you do. In fact some folks are going to be real dipshits about it. Case in point. Made a long reddit post yesterday, got real nice traction, I had 4 quality DM conversations, and dozens and dozens of interesting threads comments and replies. But. This is the first, and now top comment. Can't win em all. 😄

Ok folks, it's time to get to work. ( not that I've seen goals for Q1 from everyone ). Instead of launching a whole series of videos at once, I'm going to create the new course day-by-day. I'll open it with the activities I'm taking each day to launch and grow ( and figure out ) my new businesses, essentially as a blueprint for everyone to follow. I'll add in any of the things I use to do that, as I go along, and you guys can use ( or not use ) whatever fits best for you. And then at the end of each week, I'll post the results of those efforts, and anything that feels like it needs changing. We're going to need two things. 1. A product ( or service, or offering of any kind ) that is in market, and that people can buy. 2. A growing audience of people following what we're doing ( that we can sell to ). That's it. That is all we need to worry about. No crazy systems. No massive infrastructure. Just. An offer. A story to tell. Now let's go. Oh, quick sidenote: I changed the coffee hour to an earlier time on Tuesdays, for our European friends, so if anyone wants to join, it's at 1pm CST ( Mexico City )...and should be in your calendar.

Hello fellow writers! Thanks to @Kerry Morrison for the OK to post this (and the much-needed nudge ;) out of my comfort zone)... I wrote a poem just for fun on Christmas. Not to be confused with a Christmas poem, it's about a zipper. After sitting with it, I think it might be a good example of benefits vs. features BUT I want to hear what you all have to say about a direction I could take to use this in my own marketing materials. Another potential direction is to help them consider the "Underestimated" thing in their own life/business... more ideas abundantly welcome, please! Never Underestimate a Zipper - Emily Aborn 12.25.24 Never underestimate a zipper. Its ability to keep “this” from seeping into “that” The ire it causes when things get off track The warmth it ensures, the cool it affords Never underestimate a zipper. It makes an eternity out of that final second before restroom relief Ready to slip and fail you at the most inopportune moments A knack for turning a situation from status quo, professional, everything’s good here -to awkward, uncomfortable, and I want to go home… all without uttering a single word Never underestimate a zipper. A shiny object, yet rarely distracting or chased All teeth, no bite Used daily without a second thought Reliable. Strong. Secure. Dress it up. Dress it down. Don one. Two. Three. More. Named for the sound it makes, it’s used to indicate you won’t say a peep. At the ready to protect what’s inside your pouch, purse, and pants Fiercely guarding your most valuable possessions, never asking for the spotlight. Never estimate a zipper. Form. Fashion. Function. Ubiquitous. Mysterious. At times dubious. Ingenious.

I want 2025 to be the year when it all comes together for you. No matter your vision, we will make this year one of action, forward momentum, and investment of time, energy, sweat, and tears into the business of you. As the words pour out, I realize this is the theme of 2025: The Business of You. Whatever form. Whatever shape. The loftiest goals or the most practical ideas. We—you and me—will build it and put it into the world. It won't be easy, and I can't guarantee it will work, though we can do much to ensure it does. But I promise you, if you take this leap, you will enjoy the ride and learn the skills that will make you successful in whatever comes next. We will start small with some easy wins, because who doesn't like stacking wins? In the classroom section, you will see a new class called Build Better. I will post most of the new material I'm working on while sharing my own process there. I will explain more details there, but here's the short answer: I will launch several new products and offerings on new accounts—starting from zero followers—and we will watch in real-time how things progress. I am "building in public"—or as public as this space allows. I will post every dollar I spend and every dollar I make (🤞🏻), and all the actions I take. This is money where my mouth is. Plus, you will hold me accountable, as I will hold you. For anyone who wants to participate—and I know not everyone will—share your Q1 2025 goals in the replies. Forget the yearly stuff. That's too much. Focus on first quarter 2025. That's it. 90 days. 3 months. What will you accomplish by then? For me, I will launch three new micro-SaaS companies (my big focus for 2025 is product revenue, not service revenue) AND I want to get this Skool community to 100 people ( might need your help with that 😄 ). That's it. Nice and simple. I want to wake up every day and ask myself: Is what I'm doing helping me reach that goal? Your turn.