At the start of 2012, I did something I had never done before: I published my internet marketing goals publicly. The idea came from watching Pat Flynn share his goals at Smart Passive Income, and from Pat literally calling me out on Twitter to do the same. So I did.<\/p>\n
Looking back from 2026, some of those goals were met, many were not, and the exercise itself taught me more about goal setting than any book or course ever has.<\/p>\n
Two reasons. First, I was deeply unhappy with my 2011 results. I had published sporadically, barely promoted the blog, and produced only three podcast episodes all year. My online business existed, but it was not growing. I needed accountability, and public goals create accountability.<\/p>\n
Second, Pat Flynn's example showed me that publishing goals builds trust with your audience. When you share what you are working toward, people can follow along, offer encouragement, and hold you to your commitments. That transparency is a form of content in itself.<\/p>\n
I organized my 2012 goals around a simple framework that still guides my business today.<\/p>\n
The “talk” goals were about consistent content creation: weekly podcast episodes, regular blog posts, an improved email autoresponder sequence, and active social media engagement. The common thread was showing up regularly with content that helps people.<\/p>\n
I wanted to create a beginner's guide to part-time affiliate marketing. This was the teaching component, turning my experience into a structured product that others could follow.<\/p>\n
I planned to actively manage 10+ affiliate sites, track their performance publicly, and demonstrate that the strategies I talked about actually worked. This is the credibility component. If you teach internet marketing, you need to be doing internet marketing.<\/p>\n
The weekly podcast commitment stuck. Going from three episodes in 2011 to a consistent weekly format was transformative. The content quality improved because I was practicing regularly. The audience grew because listeners could count on new episodes.<\/p>\n
The “Talk, Teach, Do” framework proved durable. It forced me to balance content creation with actual business building, preventing the trap of becoming someone who only talks about internet marketing without doing it.<\/p>\n
Many of the specific numeric targets were unrealistic. 125 blog posts in a year while maintaining a full-time job, a weekly podcast, and a family is not attainable without a content team, which I did not have. Setting unattainable goals does not motivate you. It demoralizes you when you inevitably fall short.<\/p>\n
The outcome-based goals were also problematic. “Get all 10 sites to number 1 in Google” is not something you can directly control. You can control the inputs: content creation, link building, site improvements. But Google rankings depend on factors outside your influence, including what your competitors do.<\/p>\n
Based on 14 years of setting, missing, and occasionally meeting goals, here is what I have learned.<\/p>\n
“Publish two blog posts per week” is an input goal. You control it. “Reach 1,000 daily visitors” is an output goal. You influence it but do not control it. Input goals build habits. Output goals create anxiety.<\/p>\n
My 2012 list had over 15 specific targets across three categories. That is too many. Three to five goals with clear metrics and deadlines is enough. Everything else is a to-do list, not a goal.<\/p>\n
Quarterly reviews are essential. Goals set in January may need adjustment by April based on what you have learned. A rigid goal that no longer makes sense is worse than no goal at all.<\/p>\n
Publishing goals publicly worked for me. A mastermind group, an accountability partner, or even a simple monthly check-in with a friend serves the same purpose. The external pressure to follow through consistently outperforms willpower alone.<\/p>\n
The mission I articulated in that 2012 goals post still drives everything I do: help people profitably.<\/strong> Focus on creating genuine value for your audience, and the business results follow. That has never changed, and in a world increasingly flooded with AI-generated noise and low-effort content, the commitment to genuinely helping people matters more than ever.<\/p>\n