Upward and Onward! Goals for 2015

It’s always important to set goals in life and keep working towards the things that you want to achieve. Whether its personal goals, business goals, relationship goals, or just things you want to make happen, jotting them down in a list can make a difference. I’ve always thought about goals for the coming year around this time but never really write them down, so while some may get accomplished, many fall by the wayside. So, with 2014 quickly coming to an end and 2015 about to ramp up full speed, I’m setting these goals for 2015:

1. Be the best father I can be

On Thanksgiving Day 2014, our daughter Bailey was born. Now a month old, time already seems to be flying by and moving quickly; as someone at work said “before you know if she will be out going to college”. Whoa, slow your roll…let’s not get ahead of ourselves. 2015 will be a completely ‘family’ dynamic for us and I look forward to all the fun and new things it will bring. Being the best father I can be will probably continue to move to each year’s goals list since it will continue to be a top priority year after year!

2. Grow my Amazon business to $2,000 a month in sales

Over the past 4 months I have really dived into selling more and more on Amazon, both by selling directly on the website myself and shipping products but also by utilizing the Fulfillment by Amazon program where you send your inventory to Amazon warehouses and they take care of all the storage, picking, packing, shipping, and customer service. The fee’s and cost associated with it are a bit higher than if I sold the items myself and shipped them, but to be free of the daily shipping routine and having less to mess with has made a world of a difference already! From September to December I have sent in about 150 different products, most containing multiple quantities of each. For December, my sales exceeded $1,700 due to the holidays. The goal for 2015 will be to build my Amazon inventory up and reach at least $2,500 per month in sales. This should be a very attainable goal early on within 2015 and once reached, I’ll have to set a new sales goal!

3. Write at least one post per month on ChrisPund.com

For years (since 2005 actually), I’ve run Dorm Room Biz, a blog about student entrepreneurship and running a business in college. For a long time I consistently wrote posts for the site and posted constantly to build an audience but over the past couple years my individual posts have fallen by the side and guest content and sponsored posts have taken most of the spotlight. This is great because I get paid for each sponsored post that I publish, but it eliminates the fun that I had writing the posts for the site. So I’d like to write at least one post per month here on this site. That’s 12 posts over a year…shouldn’t be too difficult and more would be even better! Here’s the first!

4. Publish at least two posts per month on The Gear House Blog

The blog for The Gear House has not seen much activity since it stated and that’s pretty sad. There is such a great opportunity for blogging and social engagement in the outdoor industry that it really is something that I need to take more advantage of and utilize more not only to grow an audience there but also to convert into customers for The Gear House. Whether it be guest posts or posts that I write, I plan on publishing at least 2 posts per month to continue to build the content on the site.

5. Read more… Books that is, not just the internet and virtual content!

I always joke about how long it takes me to read an actual book…and it could easily be months! I’ll get started with one, continue reading for a short while, but then put it by the side and not get back to it for weeks or even months…if at all! Now that I had a couple new books under the Christmas tree this year, I want to develop the habit of reading more books. Starting with Jab Jab Jab Right Hook by Gary Vaynerchuk and then The New American Road Trip Mix Tape by Brendan Leonard. If I can make it through those two, both relatively short books, I want to reread The 4 Hour Work Week by Tim Ferris and maybe some other books I already have.

6. Camp and hike more!

This should really be #2 but even at the end of the list, it is highly important! Getting out and hiking more and camping more in 2015 is something that just simply has to happen. Colorado has so many amazing places to see and trails to hike, that it’s a shame to not get out to them! Steamboat Springs, Glenwood Springs, and Moab are on the top of the list for weekend adventures.

So there we go. Those are a few of my goals for 2015, there are always more, but these are the top ones for me. What are you looking to achieve in 2015?