Ted Farr Media - The Year in Review

It's a tradition practiced by media, marketers, bloggers and more.  Top 10 lists are everywhere.  Most look back at the year that was.  Some look forward with predictions for the year that will be.

I choose to look back for now

2011 has been a year of recovery and reflection.  My health continues to improve faster than most who have battled throat cancer.  My weight is almost back to where it was two years ago.  I am eating everything with caution only for acidic food and drink.  My energy is so much better.  The chemo fog has mostly lifted and my doctors are pleased with the progress.

In business, I have learned not to refer to myself as unemployed.  After-all, I am my own company and to the best of my knowledge, the CEO and his partner have not dissolved Ted Farr Media nor have they fired its only employee.  Under-contracted or under-hired certainly, if those are words? A few small radio projects aside, I have spent most of the year learning about video production, content marketing and practicing both my writing and editing skills.  There have been a few small projects in that world too.


I built this blog back in the spring

It's still not a year old.  There are now 71 posts, including the compilation of every communique I wrote while undergoing cancer treatments and the handful of updates posted since treatments ended.  There are many more personal stories and the series called Build Your Business. 


10,000 page views sounds like a lot

I am proud to report that my story-telling has generated more than 10,000 page views in less than a year.  I have no way of knowing how that compares to other bloggers as so many are more prolific and with bigger brands than me.  Still with a career in its 43rd year and with friends all over North America and Britain, it is most satisfying to realize that you do have brand equity and there are people interested in what you've got to say.  I thank you for taking the time and I appreciate your many comments.  I present two Top Five lists rather than one Top 10 in order to separate personal from professional posts.  Here we go!

Personal

  1. "If You Couldn't Play Tomorrow, How Hard Would You Play Today" - This story came about as a result of a number of triggers and represents the first time I was able to publicly discuss the death of our son Jonathan.   
  2. It's a Story Too Painful to Tell, Until Recently - This is Part Two of the story about our son's passing.  The response to the original post was enormous.  Jonathan was a scholarship lacrosse player at Limestone College in Gaffney South Carolina.  They published a link to the story on their website, as did the on line lacrosse magazine ILindoor.com.  I was also invited to be a guest on a national talk show hosted by Roy Greene
  3. Winnipeg Jets Hockey Pants Return Home to Canada - The news was filled with stories about the imminent return of NHL Hockey to Winnipeg and my team issued Winnipeg Jets hockey pants did indeed get sent back to me after languishing in a couple of Baltimore MD basements for many years.  This story is still being found weekly by readers all over the world. 
  4. My Cancer Journey - The Next Chapter -  Over this past summer, I completed the training required by the Canadian Cancer Society, to become a mentor for others with throat cancer.  It's my way of giving back. 
  5. 1970 Houndstooth Cougar XR7 - My classic car.  Spring has sprung when I spring for the insurance and the gas to put my classic back on the road.  This one too gets found regularly by Cougar enthusiasts the world over.

Business

  1. Build Your Business by Caring More - Inspired by having experienced fabulous customer service over a period of 4-6 weeks.  At the same time, a couple of friends were going through a bad period and they were letting everyone know the details.  Not good for the businesses involved. 
  2. Build Your Business by Practicing the Golden Rule - The recent experiences of friends and family applying for jobs provided the inspiration.  An early boss and mentor of mine once said "I have to be nice to people like you because one day I might need a job".  I have never forgotten that advice and have put it to the test throughout my career.
  3. Build Your Business by Actually Talking to Your Customers - Really!  What a concept!
  4. Build Your Business with Curiosity, Creativity and Content -  Show prep and the art of finding the content that matters most to your customers.
  5. Build Your Business by First Assessing the Past - Do the Yellow Pages and other traditional marketing tools even matter any more?

To 2012....and beyond!

Okay, it's not quite quoting Buzz Lightyear but close enough.  Here's what matters.  If you think you've had to endure change through recent years, it's only just begun.  Ask yourself these questions.
  • agile or fragile
  • positive or negative
  • fluid or stuck
  • risk or routine
  • naughty or nice
So the last one doesn't really count but you can see where I'm going.  Whether personally or professionally, without the mindset that change must be embraced, the fear of change will only result in failure.  And today you can expect failure to be virtually instantaneous.