Even though I call this the Brag Basket, it’s not really about bragging. It’s about sharing. I started this so you can introduce yourself, share some good news, or congratulate a friend.
The basket is open all weekend, from December 10-12, 2010. Since we’re wrapping up 2010, let’s start sharing year-long accomplishments. What are you most proud of this year? How different are things than where you began?
Speak up and add yourself or another deserving soul in the comments. We all cheer, and everyone feels great. It lets you meet each other a bit. Reading each others’ stories brings us a bit closer to being a community.
How does it work? You write a comment on this post, email me, tweet me, or comment on Facebook. You tell something great about your week, or you give applause to someone who did good stuff this week. Or you celebrate something wonderful that you tried that failed.
This is not an ad. (I delete the ads.) It’s a conversation with friends. So jump in. And remember to cheer for each other.
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The rural small business blog. We talk about small town business, with how-to articles, especially on social media marketing and making your community a better place. We use this “author” for announcements and other things you’ll want to know.
I’ll start this week’s Basket with a plug for the ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers) initiative called “ASME Innovates”. I am proud that I was one of six “thought leaders” on aspects of “Creating Innovation” selected to be interviewed by Richard Bendis of Innovation America for a video on the ASME website. The videos went up just a short time ago.
The subject areas included University Tech Transfer, Business Incubation, Angel & VC Investment, State Economic Development, and Federal Grant Support. I, of course, did the Federal Grants section, talking about (what else?) SBIR.
You can find all six interviews on the ASME website (www.ASME.org). A a direct link to my interview is on my website’s home page (www.SBIRcoach.com).
OMG Becky I got so much to brag about in regards to my year I don’t even know where to start. Things didn’t really start for me until the summer when I was approached by a local gallery here in Topeka to put my video footage of our city accepting the Chinese Friendship Lantern Light Sculpture.
I showed up to the event, took my video, went home, put it up on my blog and not too soon after Gary Blitsch from Southwind Gallery messaged me on Facebook and asked about the coverage. I spent a better part of the summer working on getting everything together to compile on a disk that would be given to all those present who got gift packages.
I had a chance to meet Chris Brogan at the Free State Social Tweet Up and made some great connections.
I worked the Designer Developer Workflow Conference in Kansas City over the summer.
I got to meet Patrick O Keefe of iFroggy and Eric Melin aka Scene Stealer Eric who also was in the band The Dead Girls a band that opened up for KISS last year. This was at Podcamp Topeka.
I got to meet an incredible adventurer Couch Surfing Ori at the #140conf TweetUp. I got to finally meet you and worked the conference too and also want to thank you for the shout out at the end of the day.
I did get approached to do a radio gig but after careful consideration I turned it down. It was too much too soon and too much taking away from my son.
And my year still isn’t over with. I am in a JV deal with folks out of the UK and another JV deal with folks here in the mid west. I got my first paying client just last month.
I got voted in on the board of directors at the Tinkham Veale Art Gallery and am on the advertising and promotions committee.
As I head into the new year there are already two things on my plate with regards to a fourth possible conference and helping with the art gallery Kansas 150th Book Project. Not to mention the other three conferences that I attended this year and will be attending next year as well.
Ok now I am done lol.
Thanks for letting us brag on your blog.
Great idea, Becky!
I’m super proud, and happy to brag, about our small business. We launched a free online accounting application that helps other small businesses succeed.
The team has busted their chops getting this out the door, and we continue to work crazy hours on the next rounds of innovations and improvements. So, if I may, I’d like to brag about the great team: Dimitri, Nathan, Sam, Ivan, Dave, Erick, Ehab, Kirk and James: a stellar group, and a pleasure to work with.
We’ve had a heck of a 2010, I’m very happy with what waveaccounting.com has accomplished so far. We’ve launched what we believe to be the best small business accounting tool, we’ve been picked up in media from the New York Times to accounting blogs from the other side of the world, and we’ve begun building the momentum we were hoping for. I look forward to a butt-kicking 2011.
Thanks again for the opportunity to pat the team on the back, Becky.
Rob
Congratulations, Fred! Glad to see you sharing your knowledge all over.
Joe, what an amazing half-year you’ve had! Here’s the a great start in 2011.
Rob, congratulations to you, and the whole Wave Accounting team. Hope to hear many more great things from you next year.
Becky,
I made the brave decision to niche down in 2010 to just blog coaching and, boy did things start to take off! Scary, but the best decision I ever made.
Oh, and while I was out of town last week, I learned that I’m a finalist for a 2010 Top 10 Blogs for Writers award. Amazed, honored and humbled by that.
Congrats to Fred, Joe and Rob on your accomplishments!
Our “about us” page on our website starts with “Probably the most successful social enterprise in Yorkshire”. It’s half a mile long and reads like a list of good things to do for other people. It really amazes me the different things we do. From the “Wall of Fame” in our shop filled with photos of just some of the “Good Causes” we have helped, to the number of people at our Christmas party this year who didn’t even have a job before we started. I for one will be ending 2010 with a real feelgood factor.
Judy, that is a such a concrete demonstration of “the narrower the niche, the wider the opportunity!” Congratulations on a great year, and a big honor.
Keith, congratulations on making an outstanding year in difficult times.
I think I see evidence in the past year that I have become a little kinder, have learned to listen more deeply, and to take others into more account in a way hitherto not really known to me.
I am better than I was a year ago about 1. Counting my blessings. 2. Feeling grateful, with no hint of a manufacturing process in sight. 3. Enjoying the contents of each moment. 4. Knowing that this is it, and that that’s just fine.
Thanks.
Wayne
Hi Becky:
We managed to spend less on marketing yet have huge year over year growth in sales. We really did work harder with less though we never lost focused of what is really important.
As it was during my first week as a Meal on Wheels volunteer driver when the idea to open this business came, it still remains the number one entry on my business plan year after year. We were able to not only volunteer 2 hours a week, we also were able to increase our monetary donation to the program.
From a marketing standpoint, we learned you cannot do events on a Wednesday night in the South (church night) and have a large attendance.
I also learned about you from reading Entrepreneur Magazine and I would have never had you on my radar without the article opening my eyes.
Wayne, that is beautiful. Thank you.
Chuck, congratulations on that excellent year over year growth! Love your dedication to giving back and learning from experience. Thanks for noticing that article, and joining us here!
The whole year? Wow, that’s tough.
I learned this year that I am not the person I used to be – the person I want to be and thought I was. The person others think I am. I learned that I was still letting the evil acts of a stranger two years ago make me fearful. And I learned that it’s time to change that. And that I can.
I started the year in the first 90 days of a new business which had just become my family’s sole income. I found out I can stand among business leaders and contribute with value. All the things I learned – and taught – over the years came into play, and we are ending the year better off than we started it. We have some of the most awesome people as clients, who are fast becoming friends, and have met many amazing people in our (relatively) new town.
I took a Certification Course with the American Society for Quality, and actually understood the curriculum! And I sold a painting for the first time. Well, I donated it to an auction, but someone bought it. =) And I am writing again.
I’ve been a writer all my life, so not being able to write has been excruciating. Other than a few comment posts and private emails, I’ve written maybe 3 times in 5 years. So, probably my biggest victory of 2010 is that last week, I wrote a short article and posted it on a blog. And this, right here, continues the triumph. So thank you for the opportunity.
I’ll never be the person I used to be, and probably not the person I want to be, but I’m starting 2011 stronger for the hurdles, more confident for the accomplishments, more optimistic for the future, and more blessed than I deserve.
Amy
@ArtseyC
Amy, that is a lot of change in 12 months. Welcome back to writing, and here’s to an even better 2011.
As a web designer, and soical media marketing manager at Danielchege.com, I am really appreciative of all the business expos, summits and networking conference I have gone to this year and made alot of friends and business connections. I continue to learn more on how to better my SEO se4rvices so as to give the best ROI Results to my clients. I am really thankful to God for everythng.
All brags go to him.
– Daniel Chege
@daniel_chege