2018 Results 2019 Goals
In December 2017 I wrote a post summarising my year and documenting my goals for 2018. I’ve done this in one way or another since 2012. In the December 2017 post I wrote:
As usual, I’ve failed virtually every goal I set, but the most interesting thing is as I read my ‘career vision’, I give zero fucks about any part of it.
2018 was no different, except perhaps the magnitude of few fucks to be given about year-old goals and the drastic underachievement of said goals. But I still feel compelled to write these posts, even just so I can look back in 12 months and see how far off I was. Here are some older ones:
Let’s start with 2018 goals and how well things went
Dan Norris Author
- Release my 5th book — FAIL
Between 2013 and 2017 writing books was a pretty big part of what I did. I wrote 4 books and through my personal brand I built off the back of the books, enabled me to earn over $100,000 a year. By 2017 I had more or less given up on the personal brand but I did still recognise the possibility of writing another book. I had a goal to release my 5th book. I haven’t done that :( however in 2018 I did quietly work away at a 5th book.
I really lost a lot of motivation with writing in 2017 and 2018 I found it very hard to write. I tried often but just didn’t get into the flow. I did eventually though, through a string of many efforts get the beginnings of a book going. And by the end of the year the word count was almost complete. The book is now with my editor. I’ve lost a lot of interest and motivation in writing and in particular promoting books, but this book is the book I’ve wanted to write since the beginning so I somehow finished it and I’m happy it’s done.
This book will be different. It won’t be heavily marketed and won’t be written because people want it. This book has been written because I wanted to write it. I don’t imagine it will break any records and I don’t have any goals set around it, but I’m looking forward to putting it out.
NOTE: I wrote most of this a few months ago but I’m reviewing it and publishing it in June 2019, and the book This Is The Answer has been published. It was well received, although not a huge seller.
Pass 100,000 in all time book orders — FAIL
I had a goal to pass 100,000 in all time book orders. I also failed this one. By the end of the year I was at just over 70,000. Long way to go.
So that’s 2 fails so far.
Black Hops
3. Build a new brewery by the end of 2018 — FAIL
This was an exceptionally ambitious goal after deciding at the midway point of the year that were were going to build another brewery. We had no money (literally) and the scale of the brewery we wanted to build was going to be in the $2m to $4m range. We like to set ambitious goals but I think we all knew it wouldn’t be possible to have that done by the end of 2018. Having said that, we did build a brewery. At the time of me originally writing this, our plan is to get Council approval tomorrow (Monday), Liquor License and first big system brew Tuesday, Food license (required for a brewery) Wednesday, soft launch with friends Thursday and full launch to the public Saturday. It’s late February so I’m tempted to give myself a pass on this one but I must be honest and say I failed this one as well.
Note, again I’m reviewing this in June and I’m happy to say that we did indeed launch Black Hops II that weekend
4. Make Black Hops one of the most recognisable craft beer breweries in Australia — FAIL
Again I’d have to give myself a fail on this one. It was an epic year for Black Hops there were so many amazing moments and achievements but we still aren’t quite there at the top of the recognisable craft beer brands. I’ve always thought the hottest 100 beer list is a good indicator of your relevance in craft beer. In our first year we entered in 2015 we came 118th, in 2016 we came 113th which was very disappointing to me personally given we had our own brewery by then and had done a lot of marketing for the brand. In 2017 we made the list for the first time at #55 and #20 which we were absolutely stoked with. In 2018 we came in at #77, #43 and our highest position of #14. Again this was an amazing achievement but I still have to give myself a fail for this goal. We are still mainly sold in our home state and we haven’t cracked the top 10 of the industrial recognised count down. Again I think the goal was a little bit ambitious here and again I’ve come up short.
Other
Don’t launch another business — PASS
This goal I am happy to say I successfully achieved. My career as an entrepreneur is littered with so many failed ideas, I just wanted to go a year where I didn’t launch anything new, and I just focused on something that’s already good. This one I achieved. I have still been tempted quite a few times to start new projects and I still find it very hard to resist. But I’ve been able to do so and I believe it’s important to have focus once something is working.
2019 Goals
This year again for me is all about Black Hops. I haven’t discussed these goals with my founding mates or anyone else in the business, so keep in mind they are just my personal goals for the year. They aren’t an exhaustive list of outcomes, if things are going well in an area I haven’t included them here. They are more like challenges and indicators that things have gone well.
Release my 5th book
This one is back in the list. It isn’t the most ambitious goal since the book is already written but I want it in here because personally writing a book has always been an achievement for me and writing a 5th book is pretty cool. I haven’t got the time or focus to market the book so I suspect it’s not going to go very well but let’s start the year with a win. Launch the book, get the tick.
Top 10 Hottest 100 Craft Beers
With the new brewery up and running (fingers crossed), we should be able to send our beers interstate and with extra distribution I’m hopeful we can crack the top 10 in the hottest 100 beer comp. All of the beers in the top 10 are very good, very well known, widely-distributed craft beers in Australia. For a business started by 3 mates over a beer, that would be a very significant result.
Win AIBA Champion Small / Medium Brewery
In 2018, our second year at Australia’s most prestigious beer awards the AIBAs we took out 5 gold medals and the trophy for best Belgian Style Ale and the Champion Small Brewery. Winning the champion trophy was an amazing experience and one I will remember forever. This year I think we might be in the Medium brewery category although I’m not 100% sure. Either way it would be a huge effort to win the champion trophy again given the other pressures we have as a business.
Distribution in NSW, VIC and SA
At the time of writing we have a small amount of distribution in NSW but nothing in VIC and SA. In 2019 I would love to have a decent distribution in the southern states and even be seen as a relevant brand in those regions. That is an enormous challenge moving out of a place where people know you to a place where they don’t and trying to become relevant. Lots of work to do there.
Hitting production targets at BHII
Our second brewery cost a lot of money to build, and all of the money put into the project is done so on the idea that we can hit targets around production. We need to make a shitload more beer, of a very high quality level and sell it to a lot more people. We haven’t published our targets so I won’t put them here but they are a very big jump from where we are now.
Beer Cartel Survey
Last year we were listed as 10th in Australia’s favourite craft beer breweries. This year I would like to be in the top 5. It would also be awesome to have both venues in the top 5 Queensland’s favourite brewery venue.
Beeries
The Beeries is one of only a few ways for our non brewing-related team to be recognised. I’d love for at least one staff member to win one.
