Two Years On
Happy birthday to us!
On 5 March 2009, we did our first two Small Business Owner blog posts.
That means we’ve been at this caper for two whole years!
Yay!
Reflections
In that time, our 200-odd posts have garnered 4650 comments.
Of all these responses, we’ve only had to modify two to keep things cordial.
Given the rabid tone of much online discussion (check YouTube if don’t believe me) I think this is an extraordinary achievement.
Also remarkable is the generosity of you, the reader.
The ideas and experiences you’ve brought to this forum have left me open mouthed with wonder and gratitude on countless occasions.
Off & On Topic
We’ve covered a broad spectrum of topics.
Some have sunk like stones.
Others have generated surprisingly intense debate.
One clear trend is that any post about small pieces of paper is bound to go off.
That, and anything to do with telcos.
Checking over our first two posts, I see that many of the people who commented then are still with us today.
It seems good friends last.
Our subscription base, strangely, looks to have peaked at around 130. I imagine this is because people are already drowning in emails.
If, however, you know of a more sinister reason, I’d love you to share it.
Naomi and I are jolly keen to make this blog as interesting, useful and relevant as possible.
Going Forward
No retrospective would be complete without a genuflection of gratitude to our guest posters.
These kind, clever cats injected fresh blood just when we needed it most.
Naomi mentioned the other day that MYOB plans to keep this blog going for the foreseeable future.
In the blindingly motile world of social media, this is a rare commitment.
So, as Young Mister Grace would say, ‘You’ve all done very well!’
Thank you so much for your energy and support.
Out Takes?
Now that I’ve done my warm fuzzies, I’d like to ask what you get from this blog.
It must be something, or you wouldn’t keep coming back.
I’ve gained contacts, clients, gigs, ideas, insights and learnings.
How about you?
What have you gained?
And what can I do to see you get more?
In other words:
Hip hip?
Hooray!
Paul Hassing, Founder & Senior Writer, The Feisty Empire
Did you enjoy this post? Why not leave a comment below and continue the conversation, or subscribe to my feed and get articles like this delivered automatically to your feed reader.
Happy Birthday to you!!!
I love this blog cos it works both as a first read, and I also get heaps of interesting content via the comment threads. A win-win!
And I am noticing more people are reading my own blog, though not signing up for the email version – I think it’s as you say, over-clogged inboxes.
Hope you have a cake baked and a party clown booked to celebrate the big day!
Thank you kindly, Joanna. It’s so nice to hear you’re getting value.
I’ve often said our reader comments wipe the floor with my original posts. It’s wonderful to spark such latent expertise.
Clowns scare the crap out of me, but I did savour a sunset shandy in the park with the wife and the dogs yesterday.
Thank you for being one of our loyal supporters!
Happy Birthday!!!
Thank you Paul for sharing your honest and refreshing small business experiences, insights, tips, ideas and anecdotes.
Thank you to our guest bloggers and all of you who have shared ideas and insights in the comments – we love your work!
Thank you, Naomi. When I got this gig, I was certain MYOB would call the shots pretty closely. But the freedom you’ve given me to fulfil our stated theme of ‘warts and all’ has been phenomenal.
I firmly believe this lack of editorial dictatorial has been a big part of our success.
Happy Birthday Paul and Naomi.
Well done on the 2 years and I enjoy the honesty of the posts as well as well as the healthy and sometimes passionate discussions.
As long as subscriber numbers go up I would not worry. Sample of one I prefer reading blog posts in a reader where they are all together.
Have a virtual glass of Bollinger on me to celebrate your success.
Many thanks, Susan. You’ve been another tireless supporter and I always appreciate your insights. Bugger the stats; let’s concentrate on beaut content!
Thank you Susan!
We appreciate your support and the gems that you share!
Hi Paul – Congratulations on your two succesful years – I don’t often comment and don’t always read your posts, but when I do, I appreciate their relevance, the interesting variety of topics and your refreshing views. I enjoy the comments that come back from other readers and thank you for replying to each one.
I think the numbers aren’t too relevant, you provide excellent content which many appreciate so I hope you will continue. I think the exercise of blogging itself is fun and it is quality that counts -so thank you for what you are doing
It is also great to know that you are a member of the Greens and support the environment
Dear Margaret, I love discovering who’s reading us. One never knows where or when one’s words will surface.
I’m coming around fast to the idea that numbers ain’t everything. Comments like yours are infinitely more satisfying.
When deciding to plant my flag in Greener pastures, I feared losing half the poplulation at a single stroke.
Then I figured that stating my allegiance put greater pressure on me to be rigorously objective and even handed with all I discussed. I do hope I’ve kept a balance without alienating people or selling my soul.
Thanks very much for taking the time to comment.
We are only new to the blog but I have been following it in various capacities for most of the two years.
Conversation on how people run their small businesses is invaluable and this is one of the most honest places to find it (very little self promotion).
I hope you do keep it going.
The stat is something I have also noticed. You might want to try removing the counter and make the subscription box larger and more obvious. The number of comments on each post is enough to encourage poeple to sign up.
Thank you for your very encouraging words, MCB. You’ve certainly been pulling more than your weight with recent comments.
I feel that directly flogging my wares would mean instant death to this forum. I get ample opportunities to detail my services and link to my sites without ramming my stuff down everyone’s throats.
Thanks also for your subscription idea. Naomi?
We have received lots from this blog, not to mention the post on Paul testing us out (and liking us).
I recommend it to everyone I meet who has an interest in small business. I also do my bit to promote it via twitter.
The comments and topics are “real” and that is what I like about it. I also like Paul’s easy to read writing style.
Stats are important because management looks at them. But so are page impressions and the number of comments. You might want to try making the sign-up more obvious on the page and maybe make the form actually sit on the page rather than take you away.
Keep up the good work.
Good on you, Arthur. Carbonite sure was a success story in my book. I still enjoy the piece of mind it gives me daily.
I’m grateful for your constant comments and promos, as you move in very different circles to me.
I’m glad you like our approach and style. It’ll be my pleasure to deliver more of the same.
Another vote for a bigger sign-up box, Naomi.
Joanna – thank you! Love an excuse to eat cake!
Thanks for the feedback Margaret, MCB and Arthur. We really do appreciate the contribution you make and your support.
And great ideas on the subscription area – I’ll get our Word Press guru to take a look!
Hi Paul,
Congratulations on a big milestone. I’m still in awe of your ability to come up with fresh topics and keep the conversation going week after week. I love stopping in.
I must say, I’m shocked you’ve only got 130 subscribers. I would have thought it was at least 50 times more than that. I think it’s great proof that big numbers aren’t necessary to make a big impact.
From a personal perspective, I’ve closed business on the back of this blog. That’s right! One of your readers contacted me on the back of a comment I left and hired me to write her webcopy for her. Now how good is that?
Keep up the great work. Both you and Naomi deserve a big pat on the back.
Hi, Sarah; and big congrats to you on your recent appointment!
I’m lucky to be able to look at business from the varied perspectives of supplier, customer, colleague, technician, industry observer, business owner, member of the public, fool, victim, etc. I don’t know how many topics I’ve got left in me, but my grab bag is still bursting.
It’s fabulous to be able to say, ‘One of our readers got a gig from our blog’. I think there’s going to be a lot more of this about as directories bite the dust and content and personal recommendations take over.
Best regards, as always.
G’Day Paul,
Congratulations to you and Naomi. I’ve been blogging for less than 12 months. I know how hard it can be sometimes to persist with good content.
I enjoy reading what small businesspeople say and think. And the people who leave comments seem positive and encouraging.
Your blog really does deserves at least ten times the number of subscribers. But they’ll never come until you make the “Signup” bit about ten times bigger with some sort of freebie as a reward. And enable people to “signup” on the front page. Don’t make them click again. Strike while the iron’s hot and all that.
And I’ve had another idea for your business card. Print it in Red and Black; the colours of the Mighty Bombers. Maybe red and black on a green background to keep Margaret happy.
Well done and thanks.
Regards
Leon
Thanks very much, Leon. You’re always so generous with your thoughts.
The ayes sure seem to have it for a bigger signup box.
My business card saga continues. Stay tuned for the next gripping installment.
Congratulations Paul!
You’re a gifted writer and I always enjoy reading your work.
Cheers to you. x
That means a very great deal to me, Suey. Thank you.
There’s generally not enough humour in the oft drab world of business, yet why do we all go our own way to set up our individual businesses?
For fun of course -
Your blog is therefore wonderfully refreshing as you successfully combine these two key elements – Business problems and fun –
And with these key ingredients we all learn from each other’s colourful experiences – not from black and white text books
Roll on the next two years
Linda
*highlights your holiday adventures*
Man, am I being spoilt today or what?! Thanks heaps, Linda; I really appreciate your encouragement.
Hi Paul,
Congratulations on the brilliant blog and I’m really pleased that you are sticking around! I have read every post and enjoy them all. When I’m travelling (like now) I look forward to getting my slice of home.
I love the diversity of topics and the interesting discussion that results. I didn’t understand what the term ‘on line community’ meant until your blog came along. The diversity, humour and not knowing what you are going to get to when you open the link are all fundamentals of what makes this blog my favourite.
Naomi is brilliant and that fact that you spend so much time and effort responding to the comments is why this works so well.
Pip pip and carry on my good man!
Thank you very much, Malcolm. As a founding and ongoing pillar of our community, your contributions have been integral to our success.
Sometimes I don’t know what I’m going to write about until ten minutes before I start. It’ll be fascinating to see what ground we cover in the coming year.
I look foward to sharing it with you. Best regards, P.
Paul, well done on maintaining the freshness of this content and your enthusiasm for sharing your small business trials and wins with us. Many thanks also for listing my profile on the guest contributors page – it’s an absolute pleasure to help out when I can.
Many thanks, Sonia. As another of our true believers, you deserve a share of the bouquet. (Just not the amazing edible one Naomi sent me this morning!)
Congratulations Paul. You’ve shared so much with so many and all of which makes great sense. You are a inspirational oasis in what is often a desert of despair!
Thank you very much, Winston. As my long-suffering business coach (and the man who wrote the book on this stuff) I owe a debt to you I’ll never forget.