Year in Review - 2009 into 2010

At the end of last year, I listed the following ten things:

1. Schedule more time for my own stuff.
2. Keep the flow of projects steady, so one ends as another begins (reduce overlap).
3. Participate in more online discussions of interest.
4. Attend more conferences (try to hit 2 per year).
5. It's all about backlinks (today, anyway).
6. Bartering rocks.
7. Smaller businesses are typically more of a hassle, but can be extremely rewarding.
8. Communicating SEO in numbers is the best possible way to get more work.
9. Old clients can surprise you with new requests any time.
10. It's all about the relationships you make, maintain, and build upon.

I wanted to take a post to reflect, and see where it went.

1. Schedule more time for my own stuff. OK, I did start my new site. Am working new stuff - nothing scheduled yet, thank the Lord.
2. Keep the flow of projects steady, so one ends as another begins (reduce overlap). I actually did pretty well with this one...I hand-picked my clients well this past year. My projects were challenging and rewarding, and only rarely over whelming. There was a near melt-down in the early Fall, and the usual holiday hi jinks, but the year finished strong, and the projects speak for themselves.
3. Participate in more online discussions of interest. Yep, I am a forum nerd now. But only one, really...I have about a half dozen community voices I check on regularly, and learned to speak-up a little more in one.
4. Attend more conferences (try to hit 2 per year). Zero success here, beyond online training. Nothing beyond the cube.
5. It's all about backlinks (today, anyway). Duh.
6. Bartering rocks. Yep - did some great swaps again this year. Looking for more, always.
7. Smaller businesses are typically more of a hassle, but can be extremely rewarding. Duh again. Not sure what this frustration was all about, but OK.
8. Communicating SEO in numbers is the best possible way to get more work. Yeah, still believe this to be essentially true for cold calls, but I did more thru referrals in the last 12 months than otherwise.
9. Old clients can surprise you with new requests any time. Um, yeah. This year, I had almost an entirely new roster of clients. A couple long-termers, but most of my focus was on new people asking me new questions.
10. It's all about the relationships you make, maintain, and build upon. Duh.

So here, I will lob out more of the same to see what difference another year makes.

In 2009, the 10 things that made a difference in my business as an SEO freelance copywriter and will guide me into 2010:

1. Relationships uber alles.
2. Better clients, better company.
3. Fun is subjective.
4. Less coding - more writing.
5. Family time first.
6. Charge handsomely for every minute spent supporting someone else's dream.
7. Trust my own skills, and take the leap...again.
8. Borrowing brilliance is only a mistake when it lacks honesty. Building on it well is flattery.
9. Money is spoiling everything...collapse is certain.
10. High maintenance people are low paying investments. Mental health is non-negotiable.

That comes off more acidic than it feels. 2009 rocked. 2010 will be even better, I can feel it.