2016 Recap & 2017 Plans

January 2, 2017 / By Rachel Ritlop

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Welcome to 2017 friends!

If you've been reading for a little while, you might remember that I started doing monthly goal posts back in November… Everything start out fine and dandy the first month – but then something happened while I was writing December's goal post that I carried with me into most of the month of December… I became obsessed with the numbers.

Not proud to say it. I have really prided myself on not really having a game plan with TCM. I have prided myself on hustlin' hard and connecting with each and every one of you via the weekly newsletter, in the comments, or on social. I really looked at 2016 as the year to let my Type A self take a breather, and forget about planning… something you may already know if you caught this post on what I do instead of New Year's resolutions.

I have a daily to-do list and a big picture game plan for TCM and work, but I found myself looking at all the ways I was falling short in those monthly goal posts. I found the negative Nancy voice inside my head getting crazy loud and super betchy… I set goals that are just out of reach normally. I am okay with falling short, but something about looking at it in black and white for all of the interwebs to see just shook a few too many cobwebs off my ol' insecurities.

Plus, I also didn't really see a ton of value in the goal posts. I know some of you guys shared really liking seeing the numbers and stuff because it was inspiring, which is awesome! But I never really shared with you guys HOW I achieved those goals… and the truth is, as much as I share in terms of the blog and business tips on TCM, being a coach/consultant for bloggers and coaches is how I make a living! SO I can really only share so much fo' free, ya feel?

So as quickly as those monthly goal posts started, they are coming to an end even more quickly! Instead, I am listening to y'alls awesome feedback from the reader survey and getting more personal. I am also still keeping those of you in mind who like seeing the numbers. At the start of each month, I am going to do a recap/update on happenings in the blog/biz world; the post will still include some goals – but won't be fully dedicated to them.

Here is the first little 2016 recap for you guys:

TCM 2016 recap:

When I started TCM in March this year, I had a few goals in mind for where I wanted to see myself by the end of 2017…

– I wanted to break 500 on my mailing list… Check! I actually almost doubled this number!

– I wanted to break 15k on Instagram… Check! I actually wanted to share this with you guys on #progress. This in my best nine from 2015 and 2016. In 2015 I averaged 14 likes per photo; in 2016 I averaged 288 likes per photo!

best nine instagram the confused millennial — 2015 I had less than 700 likes

– I wanted to create a media kit… Check!

– I wanted to host my first summit and launch my first course… Check!

– I wanted to earn at least $500 from the blog… Check! I actually did more than quadruple this!

– I wanted to build a community. 30% of you people stopping by TCM are sticking around. I have no idea what return visitor rates are “supposed” to be for blogs, but I have to say I am really proud of this. I know my content is diverse. I look at my blog as well rounded. I try to keep it that way because we're all diverse people. We have different areas of our soul that need to be fired up at different points in time. I knew when I started TCM I was going against every blog/business coaches advice about “niching down”. I've totally felt overwhelmed and like I wanted to bang my head against the wall at times… but I can honestly say that it's been 100000% worth sticking to my guns and keeping the diversity. TCM is about figuring out this whole #adult things, which means our careers and our relationships and just general living stuff every day.

Just look at the 10 posts on TCM for 2016:

Throw in the fact that every single person (minus one actually) who responded to the reader survey said the blog/biz tips are their favorite posts! So even though none of those made it into top 10, I know you guys are even more diverse than the top 10 would lead me to believe!

Between the top posts and feedback I got in my reader survey… I decided to ditch the “Life Lessons” Fridays though. Instead, Fridays are going to be all about “Loving Lately” — this is going to be a personal post each week. I am going to be sharing the weekly .99 Itunes movie, favorite foods, shows, movies, clothes, whatever I am *you guessed it* loving lately! Basically, if you follow me on Snapchat, it's going to be a little weekly recap of all that you may have missed!

2016 Personal Recap:

If you guys caught this post last week, on what we do instead of New Year's resolutions, you saw that each year Eric and I write a letter to ourselves which basically recaps lessons learned from the previous year and predictions for the coming year. I got about half of my predictions right… but the ones I got right were scarily right (down to how it would rain on my wedding day)!

The blessings I didn't see coming, though…

That I would launch TCM…

That I would become a Forbes contributing writer (or really that I would write anything at all haha)!

That I would make any new friends (let alone the amazing ones that I did) as an adult at this point in my life.

I bought these cute poppers – but apparently, they don't pop?!? They just give you a bag of confetti and a crown…

My hopes for TCM in 2017…

I hope that TCM continues to grow. I hope that you guys keep coming back, keep commenting & e-mailing, and introducing yourselves. I hope that I get to meet more readers in person.I hope that my mailing list jumps up to 4k. I hope that I earn at least 5 figures from the blog alone so that by 2018 I can hire someone. I hope I find another awesome intern (RIP my two summer interns who literally helped me SO much in those early days and TCM wouldn't be where it's at without them!)

rachel ritlop the confused millennial — I was super disappointed by the lack of “pop”

the confused millennial — But hey at least I got this paper crown…

My word for 2017… organized.

Big things are happening in E and I's life in 2017 and while 2016 was the year of winging it…, 2017 needs to be the year of organization.

I am starting off strong by already planning out the first 3 months of content in my editorial calendar with about 70% of the rest of the year planned out.

I am also going back to planning my Instagram feed out about 30 days in advance *so many of you have asked about my growth on Instagram and pre-planning content was huge for me! The months I had pre-planned content were the months my account grew by at least 2500. Also would you guys be interested if I relaunched my Instagram course this year?*

I am also going to be getting organized around the house and in my office. I have some #adulting posts planned to help you guys get organized too that I hope you will loveeee!

Alright, what is your guiding word for 2017? What are you excited for in 2017? What lessons did you learn in 2016?

Grab TCM's Goal Setting Guide to stay on track this year!