Last week I wrote a post listing some of the best year-end reviews from the WordPress community. I found them very inspirational and the perfect way to start the new year full of motivation to reach new heights in my own business.
However after we published that post we also had some people comment and say that these posts are basically an ego-booster for the people who wrote them, and can also promote envy.
I know most of the people who wrote those reviews and I am sure that they wrote them to contribute back to the community by inspiring others and showing what is possible to achieve. Sure, some people might be envious, but rather than envious I think the vast majority of people in the community will feel that they are in the right place. Yes, WordPress can be a viable component of your business, whether you develop plugins, themes, or offer consultancy services.
Following the controversy, my friend James Laws from WP Ninjas (one of the people who had written a year-end review) has followed up with another post about the dangers of success by numbers. In this article he explains what the numbers really mean for him and why he believes that people who share their business stats are helping the community by offering a glimpse into the inner workings of their business and life.
Pippin Williamson has also followed up his own year end review with an insightful article that explains what one of the biggest contributors to his success was. Getting to $780,000 in annual revenue was a long journey for Pippin, and in this post he talks about something we all have to deal with as we grow our businesses: relinquishing control.
So what do you think about year end reviews and sharing of revenue statistics? Do they help and inspire you?
5 Responses
If someone is making vastly more money than me because they did something that I could have done but didn’t do, then good for them.
Having the skill and drive to make a pile of money in the WordPress community without being a dick should always be seen as a good thing.
Is it bragging or ego building? Yes. Would I do the same thing? Yes.
My feelings are posted here:
I think income reviews do more good than bad. So I’d encourage whoever does them to keep them coming. Haters will always hate.
I’m in the “Numbers are inspirational” camp. I enjoy reading blog posts where the business owners are transparent about the successes and failures of the year.
Adding real revenue numbers adds a legitimacy and context. If someone says “It was the BEST Year yet! I’m a genius!” and they only made $50 then the context is set.
I think the people crying “ego and pride” probably haven’t tried to build a company to the places where the guys mentioned above have arrived. This is because getting to levels of success often require that you leave your ego and pride behind before you get there.
Hi Jean,
Anything you do there will always be someone who praises you and someone who tries to put you down, that is the world of business and the higher you fly the more lonely it will be.
I personally like to read the end of year reviews because they are indeed very inspiring. I moved into the “WordPress business” because you encouraged me to do so, if it wasn’t for you I would most probably be still just consulting.
Should WordPress businesses post end of year reviews? I think it is up to them. After all the internet is all about freedom of speech, isn’t it?