2011 was quite a year for me professionally. Though it was not the best of years, I did take a couple of big decisions (which includes launching a communication agency with a focus on social media) in run up to 2012 goals. Here are some highlights of the year, including my New Year resolution:

* My social media resolution for 2012 is to blog more on kishorcariappa.com. Yes, over the years I have realised the potential and reach of blogging vis-à-vis Twitter, Facebook and the likes. I am not underestimating the power of other social media networks, but I believe blogging would be the right space to spend quality time at this juncture. I have made friends, got projects, got referrals by way of blogging and often when I introduce myself to strangers, I get a reply, “Oh, you are that blogging guy or we like your blog.” It is a different story that over the last two years, I have neglected my blog for a variety of reasons. Like they say water will find its own level, I have come to the conclusion that blogging is here to stay, and nothing can match the quality of interaction (comments) happening on blogs, even now. Not that I will stop interacting on Twitter, Facebook or Google+, I will make an honest effort to post more and regularly. Yeah, yeah, another brilliant thing about blogs I like is that it is super search-engine friendly.

* 2011 was a crucial year for me personally it terms of saying goodbye to mundane things and working on some exciting projects. I learnt a lot about different domains, and connected with a lot of like-minded people, including intelligent clients. The year taught me to handle invoices, quotations, business communications and all sorts of paper-work which I had not bothered to learn in my earlier roles. Taking a calculated risk, I did venture into unknown territories, and felt I should have done it 2-3 years earlier. But, then everything happens at the right time.

* I believe success is all about 50 percent hard work and 50 percent luck. I have tried to add more focus on the ‘hard work’ bit, but somehow to make it work, luck factor is crucial. There are times when you do all the work, take it to the last level with effort, but it doesn’t work out for you in the end. And, there are times success is achieved with little or no effort. 50:50 works for me the best at this point of time.

* Since my role includes marketing, I did learn the hard way to pitch and quote the right price for the services we offer. The trick in Oman is to not to quote too high, not undercut – but strike a healthy balance for the services offered. The whole idea is to provide quality service, get the work done; build confidence and look for long-term alliances rather than focus on short-term benefits.

* Who said clients can be friends? Some of my clients are my good friends, and they appreciate the kind of work we do for them. They also refer new clients for me. Nothing like referrals you see. Some clients are miserable. They take you for a ride by not paying for the services or bargain hard to save some bucks here and there. I learnt this year to let go clients who are tough to manage and work with. There is a revenue loss obviously, but there are times when you say enough is enough and can’t take the crap anymore. It is tough to work with people who don’t stick to their words and change tunes each day.

…and finally thank you for your comments, encouragement and feedback. Best wishes for a happy, safe and peaceful New Year.