Ryan Stephens Marketing

Before I do anything I just want to take a second and thank everyone that reads this blog. There are a ton of you that read here, or get these posts sent to your inbox, that never leave a comment. As a result, I’m probably guilty of taking you for granted. I’m constantly humbled and flattered anyone would care what I have to say. Seriously, thanks for reading. It means so much to me, and I hope I can make a difference in some small way.

2010 was a tough year for me, right up until the end of August when I was fortunate enough to land a killer job with an awesome organization.

Up until that point I was battling mistreatment and shortly thereafter I was trading my soul for a paycheck. But this isn’t a woe is me post. I hate those. It’s merely an explanation.

2010 was mostly about me. About getting out, and then about being super thankful, celebrating life, and proving myself doing something I truly loved for an organization I was finally proud to be a part of.

But 2010 is over, and I want 2011 to be about you.

Here’s what I’m committed to:

Shipping

Which is to say that I want to pump out a lot of content. I want to launch a project I’ve been thinking of for 8+ months, and I want to lead another project some friends brainstormed one afternoon after too many beers.

Too often I’ve succumbed to the fear of shipping because it’s easier to hide out, or I hadn’t done enough research, or some other excuse.

I don’t care if every post, product, and e-mail is an epic failure and I become the subject of constant ridicule. I’m launching some things that I think I’ll have fun with in 2011. And some things I think you’ll benefit from, and the local Houston community will benefit from as well.

Reading 52 Books

Just before the new year, I culled my Google Reader way down. I’ve always felt obligated to read every post that comes in, but the truth is I’ve out grown a lot of it. In addition, I see a lot of riffs on the same stuff.

I’ve found that the innovative, important stuff will bubble to the top and I’ll see it at some point anyway. Reading 50-60 posts a day was cutting into valuable time I could be creating, producing, shipping, and reading books.

Books, infinitely more than blog posts, give me an abundance of ideas to write about. And instead of reading the same ideas over and over, I feel I learn more from the deeper dive that a book provides. I aim to read one a week, and I’ll try to review many of the business/marketing ones here. Hopefully this will give you a good idea of whether or not you’ll discover value from the book.

Have More 1 on 1 Conversations w/ Smart People

I talked to, and learned so much from so many people in 2009, but I slacked off in 2010. Talking to Charlie, Jenny, Matt Cheney, Carlos, and others always leaves me smarter (and pumped to go to work on things I’m passionate about), but I didn’t do enough of it this past year.

I want to talk to more of you this year. Let’s get on Skype. Let’s get on the phone. Let me know how I can help you achieve your goals in 2011.

So that’s me. What are you up to in 2011? What kind of posts would you like to see from me here at RSM? Seriously, how can I help you? Let’s make this year memorable. Let’s do shit that matters.

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