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In the Chinese calendar, each year is marked as a year of a particular animal. Frequently, social leaders and governments will mark a year according to something important. "The Year of the Senior" was a recent one I recall, which highlighted the importance and issues of the aged. 

I never thought of it for myself until just a couple of years ago. I decided to make each year "The Year of [something]". It became my focus and passion for the year. Of course, it was always tied in to my business and my area of focus, but it served to remind me of the thing that was important for me that year.

So, what will 2010 be YOUR year for? Will it be your Year for Success? Will it be your Year of Finally Starting That Business? Will it be your Year for Cataclysmic Business Growth? Maybe it will be your Year for Getting Out of Debt, or perhaps it will be your Year of Paying Off Your Business Credit Card, or The Year of Recession Recovery.

Whatever you decide it to be, make it a big deal for you and revisit it regularly as your overarching vision for the year. You will find that it will guide you as you make business decisions and, when the going starts to get a little rough, it will re-inspire you to press on.

Hey, why not add a comment in this blog and tell us what this year will be for you!

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This is the season in which we tend to throw our diets aside and gorge ourselves on whatever happens to be served up at the table or stuffed into our Christmas stocking. So, this article by Seth Godin may be seven months old but it is timely in its topic and in its relation to food. You should read the full article here but I'll summarize it for you below:

In his blog, Godin talks about the choices that a business has: It can remain the same, offering the same kinds of products to its current customer base (which, he says, is akin to a buffet adding two more bacon dishes to its offerings). Or, it can get deeper or wider. 

Godin says that a business that goes deeper is like a buffet that becomes a bacon-only buffet. In other words, the business becomes insanely focused on just one thing.

And, Godin says that a business that goes wider is like a buffet that offers additional foods (like tofu and vegan offerings) for people who might not be attracted to the regular buffet fare.

So, what are you doing to do this year to grow your business? According to Godin, you need to go deeper or wider. Think about how you can deepen your offering so that you are so focused, you'll become thought of as THE go-to person. Or, think about how you can widen your offering so that you become relevant to a far wider audience than you were before.