Sarah Lacy launches new site

Sarah Lacy (one of my favourite web writers) has just launched Pando Daily. The goal of the site is ‘to be the site-of-record for that startup root-system and everything that springs up from it, cycle-after-cycle.’

I think that this site is brilliant for the startup industry. It’s something I’d like to see replicated in my local digital community, and within my blogging community. I don’t think it is feasible without funding, though.

• Recommended reading: Confessions of a Publisher: “We’re in Amazon’s Sights and They’re Going to Kill Us”

Social Triggers Insider is AMAZING

Derek Halpern is really bringing it with his free masterclass. The content is amazing – it’s the type of stuff you’d pay good money for in a membership site. I’m also digging the transcripts. And, it’s working. He’s on track to get 100’000 page views this month.

On a related note, Glen Allsopp did a case study on how he reached #1 on iTunes with the first episode of his podcast.

Corbett Barr launches ‘How To Start A Blog That Matters‘

Corbett Barr has launched his new course and, trust me, the content is AMAZING. It’s the strategy he’s used to launch his successful blogs, and it’s the same strategies that made me put him on the Problogger list.

The content is mostly focused on launching, or relaunching. It’s awesome if you are focused on either of those things. I was also impressed with how he set up the course and think you guys can learn a lot from it.

There is a great bonus by Scott Dinsmore, if that’s your thing.

Check it out

Ruzuku – the new ‘IT’ platform

Stacy, at Ethical Launch, recently did a review of Ruzuku. It’s really interesting for those that are on the fence about it. I think it’s something to keep an eye on, especially as they incorporate new features

Ali Luke has launched Writers Huddle

Ali has launched a new online community specifically for writers. The price is very reasonable considering her experience. Excited to see where she takes this concept!

Cool articles:

• The Tim Ferriss Effect: Lessons From My Successful Book Launch
• The Art of Non-Conformity » Behind the Scenes of the “Unconventional Guide to Publishing” Launch

This year, it’s different.

As with every year, a lot of crap happened. There was a period of time when I’d laugh whenever I got bad news, because I thought that things couldn’t get anymore stressful.

Early in 2011, I realized that this was a year for personal growth and was content to put work stuff on the backburner. I dealt with situations as they arose. I cried when things fell apart and made huge changes in how I approached my life.

In this post, I’m going to talk about some of the major stuff that’s happened this year. I’m hoping to return to regular blogging now that things have settled down.

The boyfriend

My boyfriend and I are nearing our first year anniversary. My boyfriend. Huh. I never thought I’d be capable of having a relationship.

See, I struggle a lot when it comes to people. I didn’t think I could ever handle a relationship. Being someones partner means letting them see you at your most vulnerable. My partner has:

• Watched me cry a lot when work stuff got on top of me. He knew far more about some work stuff then he should have.
• Endured conversations where I’m somewhat incoherent
• Shared my bed. I have a thing about beds. When you’re asleep, you have no control over how people perceive you. I’ve gotten so good at handling anxiety because I control how I react to stuff. With Glenn, I don’t care.

It took a while to get used to being in a relationship, especially as I felt guilty about him getting caught up in my crazy. There were a lot of conversations because I didn’t know what I was doing. Glenn was fantastic throughout the whole process and helped me realize that each relationship is different and requires venturing into the unknown. There are no rules on how people interact and relate to each other.Learning that allowed me to chill out. I treat the relationship similar to how I treated the friendship. We hang out and talk geek, and help each other track down the best comic-related items.

The only difference is now, we are casually planning a future together. We’ll probably be buying a house over the next year using the money he inherited. It will be *his* house, but I’ll be part of the life he creates there. We’re talking about what we’ll do if we’re still together in a couple of years, but aren’t making any commitments.

I never thought that being in a relationship could be this simple or so… enriching. I really believe he is one of the reasons I’ve been able to cope so well this year.

I will be writing more about this relationship in the future. I find it so fascinating.

The business

Business. What business?

I stopped blogging early on in the year. I stopped the Blog Networking Tips newsletter because I felt it wasn’t good enough. I’ve chopped and changed everything so much.

Business wise, this year was hell. Most of you guys are aware that I was caught up in the Salty Droid drama. Everything surrounding my ex-boss and his business partner has caused a great deal of stress. It felt like I was put in an awkward situation and didn’t know what to do. This isn’t anyones fault. There is no guidebook for how to handle a lot of stuff and people were just reacting to situations. I believe that stepping back was the best thing I could have done, considering how things played out.

The year wasn’t wasted, though. I launched a couple of projects, and did a lot of consulting behind the scenes. I learned a lot and will go into 2012 with a solid business plan, one that would be a lot more enriching then what I had planned to do this year. I’ll be creating a paid newsletter about that particular transition. Yes, I know that they are everywhere. I’m creating this moreso for myself.

Currently, I’m on income support payments from Centrelink. I’m getting support from a Job Network. When I talked them through my condition, they recommended that I get put in the some classification I was in when I had just had a nervous breakdown. This is kinda demeaning, as I am so much better now. It made me feel defeated, but I realized that these classifications are only there so that people can get the support that they need. I may rock at this social media and community management stuff, but I will need support to enter the traditional workforce.

Ironically, I start getting a lot of interest in my work in the same week that I apply to centrelink. I have a job interview tomorrow and am talking with a few people about helping them. I got a random freelance gig.

I’m not sure where things will go from here. I’m going to see how the next month pans out. I know I’m going to actively seek work, as I believe that I need more industry experience. I’m also interested in returning to study. I feel like my career, and life, has so much potential now and that there are so many opportunities. I just have to choose what I want.

The house

I moved this year. Erg, what a stressbomb.

It took 3 months get me into the new house. Everything kept going wrong. People got extremely ill, and cars broke down. I spent a good 8 weeks without most of my clothes and books. I’d put a lot of work projects on hold during this time so it was rather frustrating.

I love my new house. It was totally worth the effort to get here.

It’s in an upmarket suburb. I never thought of myself as a suburb snob, but now I see why people pay extra to live in a nice area. I come from a poorer suburb and used to defend it vigerously. I originally wanted to buy there.Most of the people are okay. The main issue was with the buses. You would get some scummy people on the buses. They would have public fights and talk about drugs. I’m pretty relaxed when it comes to stuff, but I often felt uncomfortable. My new suburb doesn’t have that.

It’s an older suburb. It’s very green and relaxed. It has the feel of a small township. I feel a lot calmer since living here.

It is a huge block. There are possums here, and cockatoos flying overhead. I can see the community garden next door from my window.

When my nephew visits, I show him the apples and pears that are forming. We look at the bugs and dig for worms in the veggie patch.

Kyo is now an outside cat. I used to keep her inside because I was afraid that she would die if let outside. BJ was an outside cat before I got him, so I didn’t try to control that. I tried to control her. She loves it outside.

I’m really happy here and am finally able to settle into work. Well… when I’m not outside gardening or playing with the cats. I’m really, really happy.

—

There are two months until the end of 2011. It has been a tumultuous year – one that has brought challenges that I didn’t think I’d face. I know there are going to be more challenges over the coming months and into early next year. It will be a while before I get back on my feet.

But guess what?

I’ve had shit blow up. I’ve been placed under a lot of pressure and have had my finances fall apart. Anxiety is fear of the unknown. This year so many things happened that I couldn’t have predicted, and I responded the best way I could.

I’m happy with how I handled this year. I’ve grown up a lot and am quite proud of the person I’m becoming. I’m starting to stop defining myself by my mental illness and defining myself by what I do.

Whats up for you guys?

Many people assume that when their online brand takes off, they’re set. That instant popularity will bring instant riches and everything will fall into place.

The reality is more like the flywheel, which is described below.

“Picture a huge, heavy flywheel. It’s a massive, metal disk mounted horizontally on an axle. It’s about 100 feet in diameter, 10 feet thick, and it weighs about 25 tons. That flywheel is your company. Your job is to get that flywheel to move as fast as possible, because momentum — mass times velocity — is what will generate superior economic results over time.

Right now, the flywheel is at a standstill. To get it moving, you make a tremendous effort. You push with all of your might, and finally, you get the flywheel to inch forward. After two or three days of sustained effort, you get the flywheel to complete one entire turn. You keep pushing, and the flywheel begins to move a bit faster. It takes a lot of work, but at last the flywheel makes a second rotation. You keep pushing steadily. It makes three turns, four turns, five, six. With each turn, it moves faster, and then — at some point, you can’t say exactly when — you break through. The momentum of the heavy wheel kicks in your favor. It spins faster and faster, with its own weight propelling it. You aren’t pushing any harder, but the flywheel is accelerating, its momentum building, its speed increasing.”

Jim Collins, Author, Good to Great

Reaching that crucial tipping point is just the start of your transition to successful business owner. You’ve overcome the main hurdle, but you have to keep pushing that flywheel to reach that certain level of momentum.

During the early stages, you’ll have to work hard to match your previous successes. They start to get easier. Eventually, you’ll reach a point where the momentum is continuing with very little effort on your behalf.

This is what businesses owners should be striving for. It’s not as sexy as internet fame, but internet fame doesn’t pay the bills.