2024 Vision: My Goals, Dreams, And Aspirations For The New Year
I have big goals this year. I think this year will bring more change than any other previous year of my life.
This week, I will write out my goals, my insights, and my plan of action for 2024.
Let's do this.
The Big Dream And The Problem With The Big Dream
Let me tell you something I've never said out loud before.
My goal was to always become an investor.
By now, you know that Warren Buffet is a hero of mine. His life's work showed me that you could use money to make money and then use the money you make to make more money. It's a simple concept, but the general practice of letting money do the hard work for you really fractured the beliefs about money I was taught as a kid.
Even as a young entrepreneur, I still had the mental framework that making more money meant working harder.
It wasn't until watching "Becoming Warren Buffet" and making my first deposit into the S&P500 that I started looking at work and money differently.
But, there's a problem, I feel a great distaste for the investing industry and the people in it.
Why? Well because most of it is bullshit masquerading as genius.
most investors are just influencers, using marketing to make themselves look smart. (and sell courses)
most investors lose money.
hardly any investors have their own money put into the deals they invest into, so they have no skin in the game.
most investors have never built a business
the incentives between company growth and investment returns are rarely aligned.
The Battle In My Head
So how do I navigate this duality?
On one side, I respect and appreciate investors for understanding the game of business. They are brave (or lucky) enough to step out of the grind and step into the club box. They are playing a different game and it's a better game.
On the other hand, I see most of investors as frauds.
They can't build. They act like they know what they're talking about (and we've already established that no one knows anything), they peddle influence and grandeur and get to share in the up side while avoiding risk of loss for the downside.
It's a sham.
The Solution
Last year, right after we moved to Denver, I saw this tweet by Alex Leiberman.
https://twitter.com/businessbarista/status/1610341174782435335?lang=en
Suddenly, it clicked.
BOOM!
Who says that I need to be the kind of investor that I despise? Who says I need to follow a blueprint of what it means to be an investor? Why can't I do my own thing?
It was at this time I realized that I was already creating a personal holdings company, I simply didn't know it had a name.
So I asked myself ...
What if instead of raising money, begging for access to deals, and praying that I make a return, I simply use my own capital and my own marketing infrastructure to personally earn, buy, or create equity in cash flowing companies?
That's when I started putting my plan into action.
I'm thrilled to say it was a great 2023.
Last year, I established foundation of my personal holdings company. I proved to myself that it works, that I know what I'm doing, and that I have capability to build a portfolio that compounds value and money across time.
Which brings me to the big dream.
If I've already been doing it, then how will 2024 be any different?
In 2024, My Goal Is To Remove Myself As CEO of Stodzy Inc, And Focus 100% On My Portfolio
It's hard to imagine my life without the CEO title.
I've built my personality and my identity of being the CEO of Stodzy. It gave me something to believe in and it gave me a way to be proud of myself. I've loved every second of it, but I know the time is coming for me to pass the torch.
I excel in sales and marketing. I am not a good operator. I never have been. The best way for me to contribute to Stodzy is by focusing on growth. I can see that and I am ready to begin.
So here it is. Deep breathes. In and out.
In 2024, my goal is to remove myself as CEO of Stodzy Internet Marketing. After I build this sales team and process, I will work to establish a full time CEO.
After this point, I'll obviously remain a huge part of the team. I have so much work to do with sales and marketing and I imagine I'll always be involved to some extent.
It's been 15 years. There is someone out there who will make a better CEO than me. I'm ready ... I think.
Specific Business Goals
I believe that specific goals are important. You can't know if you're successful unless you know what your desired outcome is.
Here are my desired outcomes for 2024.
Stodzy Internet Marketing: We want to be at $333,333,333 MRR by the end of 2024. That's a $4m annual run rate. We also want to ruthlessly maintain our profit margin.
Copyblogger: I want to do $700,000 in total revenue.
Recovery Local: I want to hit $2,000,000 in revenue. We are adding new products that I can't wait to show you. This is probably the most audacious goal because of all the algorithm updates we've had to deal with, but we are pivoting and I think we can make it happen.
All things considered, I would like to see a 20% increase in growth.
Health And Fitness
2024 is the year that I truly level up my health and fitness.
Let me take a minute to articulate that I am not a "new year new me" fitness guru. I will work out in 2024 the same way I have worked out my entire life. Fitness has always been a huge part of my life and that will continue.
What's changing is my approach to my fitness. Here's the truth.
I'm getting older. I'm 37. For the first time ever, I feel pain in my joints and the traditional recovery methods I've used aren't helping much as they usually do.
Note* - For the record, when I say "traditional recovery methods" what I mean is hardly stretching or doing any sort of recovery at all.
So I am finally going to look into some newer age methods.
This includes ...
peptides
IV vitamins and minerals
possibly testosterone therapy (although I mentioned this last year and still haven't done any research)
Also, I am going to be very intentional about stretching and mobility. I might even join a mobility gym or hire a mobility trainer.
Family Goals
2024 will be all about experiences.
Soon, Jules and I are going to Thailand for 7 days. We leave on Jan 17. It's going to be great. We are leaving the kiddos with a nanny which means it's the first time Jules and I can relax with no kiddos since little man was born.
We are also heading to France and Barcelona in June.
In July, I am finally taking the family to Sea Isle and Jules can get a taste of what the real Jersey Shore is all about. I'm really looking forward to that.
Other Goals
I want to get another promotion in Muay Thai. (Traditional Muay Thai doesn't have promotions or belts, but most gyms have a promotion system to know what skill levels can train with each other. I want to get my green shirt, which is intermediate to advanced level)
I want to go Hiking more with the fam.
I want to build more relationships with other men and other dads in my community.
One Last Thing
I am going to start adding a YouTube video into my weekly articles / newsletter.
Here is the first week's issue. Check it out.