New Year’s Resolutions 2011

Happy new year everyone!  It’s January 1st, 2011 and, like many of you, I take some time around the new year to look back on my last year and look forward to the new.  It’s always fun to take a look at last year’s resolutions to see how you fared a year later.  I’m not sure if others do this too, but most of the time the resolutions I wrote the previous year, I don’t look at again during the year!  Ugh!  No wonder resolutions are not very successful for me!

The year 2010 in review

Looking back on last year, I was only four months into my own consulting practice and the year ahead was a bit unknown.  Last year at this time I was working on a contract and business development was not my immediate concern.  My business resolutions for 2010 were marketing related for the most part:

• Improve my website content and look at add a blog or other dynamic rather than static content
• Develop an online presence in the Microsoft Dynamics GP community

I’m pleased that I have succeeded in both resolutions, at least having a starting point.  I found a fantastic freelance web designer locally who has been a tremendous business partner this year, working with me to re-design my website which was phase 1 in the summer and in the fall add on the blog to the site.  Thank you Rolf, it’s been fantastic working with you and it was a fun project to see come to fruition!

On my second resolution, it’s been a goal of mine to establish a presence in the GP community online.  It’s such a large, strong community with so many others willing to share their knowledge, I really wanted to be a part of it.  I’ve followed many bloggers for years, and saw an opening for more Canadian content with few (any?) bloggers being really active in the community from Canada.  I am very thankful that the community - as strong and knowledgeable as they are - are also open to welcoming newbies to the blog world like myself with open arms and helping shed some light in my little corner of the web world.  I’ve been fortunate to have some of the biggest names in our community mention me, list my blog or otherwise bring some attention my way.  Developing an online presence is not a one-time thing that just happens; I will have to work on it, and continue to contribute meaningful, useful articles for my resolution to take shape and I look forward to continuing that in 2011 and beyond!

What’s in store for 2011

On to 2011 and here are some of the things I resolve to do this year, business or professionally related:

• Keep up the blogging - once a week is my minimum goal, more often as subjects, issues and time permits!
• Update my GP certifications.  A few of my certs go back to release 8.0 which are expiring so it’s time to re-certify in some areas!
• Read more books!  I am such a computer geek that when I say I’m reading, it usually is something online.  I find I don’t spend as much time anymore actually reading a book, sitting in a chair, not staring at a computer screen!  Even if I take the time to read fiction novels which I used to devour like crazy, it’s time engaging another part of my brain and giving my computer a rest.
• Learn 5 new things about Dynamics GP that I didn’t already know and blog about them.  As much as I think I know, there are tons of things that are still out there to learn.  Big or small, I resolve to find things I don’t know well or at all, learn them and blog about it!

What can you, the GP user, do in 2011?

Here is my suggestion for you whether you are a GP user or a consultant.

• If you are a GP user: identify one or two things that you don’t use in GP today - it could be a module, a report, a tool - and make a plan to learn it and utilize your investment more wisely this year.  It could be something small or something large.  As a consultant, I see TONS of things that customers own but don’t use - or don’t use effectively - and even finding small things that would minimize their work is a bonus.
• If you are a GP consultant: identify one or two features or modules you don’t know and learn them.  Dig in to something, learn something new, force yourself to struggle through it until you figure it out and could then leverage that knowledge with a client in the future.  The more skills you have, the more marketable you are!

Happy new year to everyone and cheers to resolutions!