I wrote my resolutions earlier this year so I figured I would follow up with a year in review.
2020 was a rough year. Boy, was it a fucking tough year.
This entry is a reminder of what I’ve learned and overcame this year. A way to better myself for the future. For me, it was supposed to be redemption. I started several functions that are now in limbo or being reconsidered. The year began on a positive note but as the year progressed, it became harder for me to stay positive. I will say that I’ve come a long way though. “No Ragrets”
I learned how to dropship. Besides launching a Shopify website, I had to find products and communicate with Chinese suppliers.
I learned the business of print of demand; platforms like Printify and Printful. Along with these platforms, I had to integrate with an ecommerce engine such as eBay, Etsy, Shopify and WordPress/Woocommerce.
From dropshipping and print on demand, I learned SEO as well as running Facebook and Google ads to drive traffic to my site.
Although my stores/sites are now defunct I have walked away with proof of concept and experience.
This blog has finally generated some revenue from the affiliate links throughout my posts. I have not gotten consistent return readers, however, I have started to rank on search engines and my new visitor count continues to grow.
My YouTube channel also generates revenue from affiliate links as well but the growth isn’t there yet because I have been inconsistent with posting videos. Speaking of my channel, I’m very proud of the many projects that I’ve handcrafted this year.
I started a dropshipping brand that is now defunct. Dropshipping from China relies on passenger flights to operate for low-cost shipping. The pandemic was a major disruption in aviation travels and a bigger problem for dropshippers. Packages that took a few weeks to arrive to your customers now took months. Your customers aren’t willing to wait for months for a stupid impulse buys. Many will either ask for a refund or do a chargeback with their credit cards. This totally fucks you because you’ve already placed the order and it’s stuck somewhere waiting for the next flight out of China.
Then there was my print on demand business. Albeit was a controversial brand, it was thriving. The first 2 months generated around 2.5k revenue without any ad spending or social media. But with controversial things, people get offended and most of them can’t mind their own business. This resulted was a ban from Etsy and eBay with no recourse for salvation. To top it all off, the social media account for the brand also got shadowbanned. It was nearly impossible to succeed.
I never ended up doing Amazon FBA or Etsy digital downloads as I planned to. I think overwhelming myself with all these projects and businesses made me much less productive.
My exercise routine never came to fruition with the pandemic closing down gyms. That factored with the home gym equipment market to skyrocket to ridiculous pricing.
The pandemic has done nothing for my social life. I’ve disassociated from many friends who live in fear (at their own convenience). Meaning, they see who they feel like while condemning others. I don’t like that high horse bullshit.
Dating is a weird topic. How do you approach people in person with a mask on and social distancing? Bars and clubs are also closed. Weird times.
I’ve been terrible with managing my own time. Since coffee shops have been closed, it’s hard to find the motivation to work from home. I wrote a blog about how to work from home efficiently but like most others, I need to take my own advice. Little motivation caused lots of laziness.
I’m grateful that as of typing this on 12/31/20, I have not caught any type of sickness. *Knock on fucking wood*
I went through an entire year of not working in information technology for others. Didn’t have to deal with colleagues or clients in any technical aspects. It was great to take a break from it after 13 years.
Although I did not get to travel as much as I would like, I did visit a few awesome places in 2020. I began the year in Colombia, camped in Utah, and Calaveras Big Trees. Visited Big Sur, Lake Tahoe, Las Vegas, and the river in Blythe, I offroaded my truck on El Mirage dry bed lake, Joshua Tree and Rowher flats. I look forward to the adventures 2021 brings.
I’ve learned a lot in 2020. Picked up a lots of new skills and hobbies. I’m ready to start 2021 fresh.
It’s time to rebrand.