I could not be more happy to see 2012 pass in the rear view mirror. But I also could not be more thrilled about 2013. What do you think?
2012 was a year of trying to keep our heads above water. We had marketing consulting clients like the data security and Marketo customer Protegrity, but their CEO's unwillingness to invest in marketing made it a short-lived project. I also wrote the white paper, CMOs Speak: Navigating the Crazy New World of Marketing, as well as many guest posts for Silverpop. And we were honored when BuyerZone named this blog the number one B2B marketing blog for 2012.
In May of the year we launched the new show Marketing Made Simple TV (with our first guest, Mitch Joel of TwistImage - thanks Mitch!)
There were a lot of start-up costs involved in launching the new show and it took time to build an audience - a lot of time. As Chris Brogan says about patience "It's first and foremost a bravery problem." It's hard to be brave, Chris, when you have a wife and three kids and bills to pay. But it slowly grew and grew. More and more sites picked up syndication. we had show sponsors like InsideView and Eloqua in 2012. And with great guests like Mitch, Don Peppers, Beth Comstock, Ted Rubin, Sandra Zoratti and Chris Brogan, you're doing something right.
I also attended a holiday party with my good friend Margaret Molloy, CMO of Velocidi. Turns out she had events in her personal life which she wishes to leave 2012 behind too. She said "Good riddance" to 2012 too.
Interestingly, it was a pretty bad year in sports too, with these top stories:
- Concussions (Dave Duerson, a defensive back for the Chicago Bears and a man I knew at Notre Dame ,killed himself with a shot in the chest, so that his brain could be examined.)
- Bounty-Gate (New Orleans Saints)
- Jerry Sandusky (Penn State)
To a much better 2013
But as we end 2012 and approach 2013, I could not be more excited about potential this year. On the 2nd - two days hence, I join the largest revenue marketing firm, The Pedowitz Group, and handle their largest and most important global client worldwide - a great new job. And my beloved alma mater, the University of Notre Dame, plays in the BCS Championship game on January 7th vs. Alabama.
In addition, Marketing Made Simple TV has reached critical mass and we're in final negotiations with a couple of new show sponsors. And my side business of umpiring is fun and growing too - and will take off in the early Spring. For more, check out this post from Selling Fearlessly:
The Surprising Story of Marketing Made Simple TV - by Jeff Ogden
Put those together and we have a wonderful opportunity to provide for my family in 2013. In fact, 2013 could be far and away the most lucrative year in my long career.
2013 is going to be a great year!
What do you think? What does 2013 hold for you? I love comments and those who share on social media.
There will be no post [today] - New Year's Day. We return on January 2nd, 2013.