When one of my favourite bloggers, Carrie Dils, invited readers to review 2015 and post their goals for 2016, I couldn’t resist taking up the challenge.
What I’ve achieved in 2015
- Launched (or re-launched) five websites, including two e-commerce sites.
- Developed two bespoke WordPress themes (with another few currently in development…)
- Created several custom plugins, ranging from small customisations like adding shortcodes to creating a searchable members’ directory.
- Developed a membership section for an existing website.
- Moved my hosted clients to a better website hosting provider.
- Developed a more efficient way to create estimates, and moved my invoicing to an online system. This has helped to reduce time on admin and also lets me provide a more professional service to my clients.
- Learnt lots! In particular, I’ve learned a lot about WordPress plugin development and customisation. I’ve also started to get my head around MailChimp (an email marketing service).
What’s been frustrating
- I wasted too much time trying to help a company who only cared about price. They couldn’t (or wouldn’t) believe that helping their users was an investment not a cost. I should have spotted it sooner and stepped away (nicely, obviously!)
- On one project, I did much more work than I’d quoted for because I accepted a verbal brief, instead of getting it all nailed down in writing first. I know better and shouldn’t have let it happen.
Aims for 2016
I want to:
- Carry on learning and stretching myself.
- Continue revising my business processes, to make myself more efficient.