My New Year List* (Yes I know its August)

This is my New Year’s resolution list, which is really my “god look at all the stuff I’m doing list” which I write occasionally. (Because if I do, then I do less and focus more). Now you may ask why am I doing my New Year’s list in the middle of the summer? Well, that leads to my only corollary: September is the real New Year.

It’s always struck me that we treat September the way we are supposed to treat January. Everyone comes back to business from August with renewed intent, a fresh focus, a list of resolutions and we think of the year as beginning in September and running through July. Our school year habits never really leave us. So I think that, if the New Year starts in September I might as well go all the way and publish my list. It is something like this.

1. Expand School for Startups. We are growing in 3 dimensions (that sounds rather unhealthy on some level): geographically we are trying to roll-out across the UK this year and begin to make enquiries into other countries of interest, like Argentina; second, we are expanding our area of subject coverage, we are not only about startups but small growing businesses as well (we always have been in truth) and we are making it explicit by running two series of classes. You will see the “Start Here” series, kicking off on September 19th at the British Library which is for everyone and the “Fast Growth” series which debuts at the British Library on September 25th which assumes you are in business already.

The primary difference between the Start Here series and the Fast Growth series is the latter will be more narrow and deep on specific subjects. Also I will take shameless advantage of experts I know and drag them in front of you so you can meet them, suck the expertise out of them like marrow from a bone and be in a position to do something about the subject when you leave the intensive workshop. Sept 25th will be about marketing which is my favorite subject anyways. More on that later.

Our final dimension of growth is from live events to web-centric stuff. School for Startups will be delivering live streaming events online as well as podcasts and web TV seminars later this autumn. Like I said….more on that later.

2. Focus on “my” startups. There are a few companies that I have an interest in (that usually means financial or I own a bit as an investor or advisor). They are www.urbanitesandscooters.com, Victoria Atherstone will be delivering the first petrol competitive electric scooter into the UK this autumn and Andrew Mulvenna’s www.thisispearl.com which brings software-as-a-service to small business.

On a more informal basis I am interested in www.shootgardening.co.uk, Nicola Gammon’s startups which lets you design, manage and care for your garden online and Lizzie Fane’s not yet launched startup www.thirdyearabroad.com which will be for uni students before, during and after their 3rd year abroad (duh: like it says on the tin). And lastly I watching with growing interest Vivianne Jaeger and Emma Jayne Parkes at www.squidlondon.com who are currently a design team but will be a hot product company soon.

3. Being a guest lecturer on entrepreneurship at Cambridge this autumn. Hmmm…

4. Helping grow my favorite small business website (www.venturenavigator.co.uk) which is growing well and adding cool new features as we speak…

5. Get started on my book (which I haven’t written a word for yet ironically given that it’s about getting started on things).

6. Helping out the political party that isn’t running things yet but is likely to be next May and needs to get just about everything right given the current economic climate.

7. And my new startup (my own) which I shall acknowledge but not yet talk about.

See. This is the problem, I haven’t even listed some other stuff that wouldn’t be terribly appropriate to talk about but which shall take up time. Nor have I touched on the sailboat I want to buy (a classic wooden one) or the motor boat I want to buy (something like a classic Chris Craft) to make into my new “office” etc.

In short, it’s a long list and I have somehow overcommitted again. Make your own list. Be honest. Writing down EVERYTHING you have committed to do is the best way to empty your mind, clear your anxieties, sleep better, improve your digestion and stay young forever.

Doug