2020 was such a great year overall. I experienced so many ups and gathered some memorable downs. In the time of the Corona-Virus, I learned a lot about various businesses and myself. At the end of the year, I know myself better. In a way that I can draw the line between things I like and I do not like much clearer. As some of you guys know, in June and the end of the year, I automatically self-reflect on my life and how to go on. So, here is a summary of the thought process. My New Year’s Resolution for 2021.
My new year’s resolution for 2021 starts with reviewing 2020
Online shop
The year began with launching my first online shop in February 2020. And this was the best thing to start the year. I was excited to see how this business model worked. The Online-Shop was a dropshipping shop. It means that customers ordered the products on my website and I passed this order to the manufacturer in China. The manufacturer would send it directly to my customers and I earn a margin from it.
It was really fun because I started to work in fields I have never worked in before. For example, marketing was a big challenge for me. Without any experience, I paid Facebook to show some of my products in their feed. It went quite nice and I had a small fan base. Furthermore, it was fun to learn about SEO, marketing, and how social media works. Besides, I earned some money.
After running it for 10 months, I decided to close the shop. Because the model did not fit me. First of all, I was impatient and frustrated with customers. Even when I clearly said that the delivery would take up to 4 weeks, they still asked me about their order 3 days later. Another reason to quit was creating a marketing campaign. Summarized, for every 1 € I put in marketing I got 1€ back in revenue. It was not profitable.
Summary:
Working on this Online shop taught me many basic things that I might need in the future. And that is social media marketing and the basic in sales. Even though I closed for good, the experience I got is priceless. Why we should start right away
Freelancer Webdeveloper
I was surprised about becoming a freelance website developer because I did not calculate to go this way. It was a casual chance. With some good Smalltalk here and there I got 3 projects to work on. And I must say this is fun, much more fun than the online shop. First, I could work with the thing I love, programming. And second, unlike the online shop, I worked directly with people. And this is one of my strengths. With my charm, I could convince my client to increase my payment. In addition, I was quite shocked by how much I could earn as a freelancer. On average, a freelancer in IT earns at least 50€/60$ per hour.
After realizing the opportunity, I invested more time into that. I built a homepage to display my skills and projects, I pitched my services and started hustling. In just 2 months, I finished 3 projects, earned a good amount of money, and, more importantly, established myself as a Web Developer in my community.
Summary:
Quite frankly, I was surprised about going this way. In the beginning, I felt like a thief taking so much money from clients when building a website. But with time, I understood why I should demand such a high hourly payment. They do not pay for the actual time I spent on their websites, rather they pay me for the years I learned to become a web developer. After realizing this fact, my payment is around 50€-60€ per hour. For friends, I make a 50% discount. So, I will continue working on that because it is fun working with people and I just love programming.
Opportunities can be everywhere. To be prepared when the opportunity comes is key to success. That is the reason I preach to everyone to start developing their hard skills and train their soft skills. Here are two to start right away: How to discover business opportunities, The Circle of Competence
Elodirect on a good way
Do you guys remember my web app project with a friend that I worked on for 2 years? I can proudly say that this project is almost finished. In lockdown from November until December, I worked every day on this project. The social media app is almost finished. I wish I could tell you more about it.
This project is on my list for so many years. The longer this project remains undone, the more impatient and frustrated I become. Due to the reason, that this idea can be the next Snapchat/TikTok sensation. But my partner is always changing things. And now I am unsatisfied with the work morale of my partner. He did nothing for the last 2 weeks. Rather than creating our front-end or writing a business plan, he occupies himself with a girl. I hate his priority. But anyhow, in the worst case, I will finish this myself.
Summary:
Working on this project showed me that I am truly a developer. I love to handle problems and looking for solutions. Most of the time I program for 6 hours without noticing how tired I am. This is what I can do for the rest of my life.
Personal change
Not only does my career change drastically, but my personality also changes a bit. When you read my blog post I am done with dating, you have a rough idea of it. I am intentionally single for 2 years now. Because I set my priority “right”. Nothing is more important than family and me trying to fulfill my dreams. Romance and these kinds of stuff have no place in my schedule right now. When I just think for a second about girls and the things coming with them, I must vomit. No joke, I feel allergic to this stuff.
However, from time to time I still dreaming about my ex. Asking myself if she is alright and how is she doing. I have this warm feeling thinking about her. The same feeling when I was with her. And sometimes I ask myself how things would work out if I did things differently. But after this nostalgic moment, a bitter after taste comes with it. I am not ready and not prepared to even dare to date someone. Because in my heart and my mind I know I cannot provide something into someone’s life. Who am I? I am just a small fry who tries to live his life to its fullest.
Summary:
I became a hard-working person with the year. Work and success are the things I desire. Luckily or unluckily depending on how you see it, love has no room in my life.
My New Year’s Resolution for 2021
Here is my new year’s resolution for 2021:
- Earn 10.000 € as a Freelance Web Developer by the end of the year
It seems to be a huge goal. But I know this goal is possible and in good reach. Just now I receive 2 more projects. Things are already in motion. - Find work to pay fixed costs
I need to find a part-time job to pay my bills. Because I cannot live on with the aid of the government. I was thinking to start working as a waiter again. With this job, it guarantees me to have time for the important things in my life. And in addition, I could live freely with the tips I make. - Launch EloDirect and get 1000 registered user
This is almost ready to launch. By the end of January, we can start our Beta-Phase and invite streamers to try our product. With at least 250 registered users, we can ask for investment and financial aid for start-ups. I will let you know how EloDirect develops. - Hit 5.000 views at least once with this blog
At the end of 2020, I started to promote this blog over Instagram. And it went quite well. On one day I had almost 1000 views! I felt so happy that this blog reaches out to people. So, I keep working on this.
- Gain 1.000 Follower on Instagram
This is for myself and for my blog. When you see my Instagram Profile you can see that I mix personal and blog posts together. I gained 100 followers in one month. And it still growing in followers.
- Get ripped
In December 2020, I started to work-out every day and I cut carbs from my diet. I seeing small progress. But a long way to go.
Summary – My New Year’s Resolution for 2021
Defining a new year’s resolution has two purposes. First, I rewind what happened in the previous year. Am I satisfied with the things I achieved? Could I have done things differently? Which people became important and which ones not? Rewinding the year is always a good start to understand how your life is going. And I am glad that the past 2 years are good for me. Because I worked so hard, every day, without break or vacation. And believe me, I cried just because I was exhausted. In these moments, I doubt myself. Moreover, I could not understand why I put myself in such a hard lifestyle. Working hard without huge payback. But every time, I catch my back and I still go the way that I desire. I hope the day will come someday.
Second, defining the next goals based on their importance. People change with time. Therefore it is more important to set your goals at the beginning of the year. Because only then you understand what you need and want. I used this guide Self-reflection to create my new year’s resolution for 2021.
I wish you and your family a happy new year. Be blessed with health, love, and success. I want to say thank you that you follow my blog for the last year. It means a lot to me.
Love Thien
What about you? Do you have any new year’s resolutions for 2021?