What a year it's been. Most people's travel plans were thrown out the window as we all had to readjust to the reality of the Coronavirus pandemic. But for every door that shuts, another one opens. And if nothing else, 2020 has been a year to be grateful for the things we have.

The number one thing I'm grateful for is maintaining good health and the health of my family. I am also grateful to have remained employed while working in the travel industry and to make things better, I have been working from home since March, which is perfect for me.

Anyways, my wife and I had big plans for 2020. Haejin was set to complete her first solo art exhibition in Bergamo, Italy, which would have led to further art opportunities for her, but we were also planning a road trip from Cologne, Germany where we live to Bergamo through Switzerland to get the are there and take whatever was left, back.

I guess that wasn't meant to be.

The things I achieved and am grateful for:

I met my drumming hero, Aric Improta from Night Verses [February]

I met my drumming hero, Aric Improta from Night Verses [February]

In an 8-hour cram session, I taught myself how to use Final Cut Pro and created a brand video for Homelike. [February]

I became certified in Conversational Marketing and Sales with Drift. [February & November]

Haejin and I spent 5 weeks in Seoul and Jeju Island, South Korea [July/August] 

I spent 2 weeks in mandatory quarantine, but I was still able to work during that time. I had my 36th birthday in Lotte World. Haejin and I now plan to move to Jeju Island in 2022.

I wrote a 30-page eBook about 'How To Build Your First Money Making Email List' [November]

While I'm still on my journey to find out what type of business I want to pursue, one of the steps I took was to create my own content. I wanted to create value to my potential customers, knowing that there are many people out there who are looking for guidance on how to start a business and how to generate leads for their business.

Building an email list is one of the first steps towards growing a business, so the eBook I wrote aims to walk you through the steps on how to build your first email list and what you need to do it. 

If you would find this eBook useful for you, reach out to me and I'll send it to you for free.

I started a YouTube Channel and Podcast called 'Marketing Talks' [November]

Video marketing is a must in today's world and now more than ever it's easier to produce. After learning so many new skills this year via YouTube, such as Final Cut Pro, Photoshop, video marketing, SQL, Python (kinda), and more, I decided that I needed to get more familiar with creating my own video content.

My biggest challenge with this is being in front of a camera. It's a really scary thing to do - especially when I always stutter and use filler words like um and aah. But, like with everything, the only way to get over the challenge of it is to just do it and break through the fears and nervousness through experience.

To make the challenge a little more manageable, I decided to start interviewing people I could learn from. That way I could have fun connecting with people, get more comfortable being on camera, and learn some new skills at the same time.

That's why I started Marketing Talks. It's a YouTube channel and Podcast that explores marketing insights from business owners & marketing professionals.

I started this venture in November 2020, and have so far published two episodes. My goal is to publish once a month.

Subscribe to my YouTube channel.

Subscribe to my Podcast.

Creating more content & being more active on social media [October]

This year I moved my website to Weebly because I was done dealing with the bugs and poor user experience of WordPress. I also got back into blogging and creating content on a regular basis. Getting used to creating video content, blog posts, engaging social media posts and generally being more active online.

I've also created a personal brand and logo for "beazley" - which I think will become my agency name.

I started growing my online network of like-minded individuals [September]

With the coronavirus pandemic and lockdowns in place throughout the year, my almost non-existent social life made me move towards creating an online social network instead. I joined several marketing-related groups on Facebook, reached out to a few random individuals, and had really great conversations with them. So far, I've met an Amazon FDA professional living in Slovenia, a GrooveFunnels course professional and road tripper from the USA, and joined a weekly marketing catchup group with an SEO Agency professional from Texas. I've also reconnected with a number of old colleagues, which has been a really nice experience.   

I reconnected with my Opa from Holland [October]

Possibly the most heartwarming thing I've done in 2020 is to reconnect with my 93-year-old Opa who lives in Holland. I've had a few Skype calls with him and my mother, who's in South Australia. It's been so nice. I've had the chance to ask Opa interesting questions about his life, like whether he has any regrets in life, what his favourite holiday was, and where he was, and what it was like when the war began.

Welcoming 2021

While 2020 was turbulent for many, it was a year that offered a silver lining. I'm grateful to have achieved so much, while also staying healthy and happy throughout.

Moving on to 2021 and I welcome what is to come. I have big plans to continue my business discovery journey, grow my network, and start traveling again for my wife's art exhibitions.