Sometimes taking a step back can make all the difference to your future.

Take a few moments to smell the Roses and you may find they’re actually Tulips…with Skittles instead of soil…and ears instead of petals.

Going to 2012 SXSW did that for me, and the ideas I had from the talks I went to, people I met, and general chit chat I was involved in has helped me get to where I’m currently at. I’ve always planned to grow and alter things as time went by, and I had certain ideas of where this Blog might be come the end of 2012.

However, I started this whole endeavour blind and learned so much since. What I thought was a good idea in December no longer feels that way…and things I felt would wait until 2013 will no longer sit idle and silent.

So I’m about to do a bit of a reshuffle, and hopefully in the process make my Blog experience a whole lot better – not only for now, but for years to come. Here are my thoughts:

 

Revisit my Foundation

Those of you who follow The Millionaire Plan will know how much emphasis I place on The Foundations and how changing them is suicide! In general it is, but I suppose in a way I’m about to contradict myself.

But first let me explain…

Changing your Vision, Mission, Core Values, and Brand Identity is a really bad idea. It’s so easy to chop and change, but these things should become your standard as the big bad world tries to confuse you.

Change is bad…evolution on the other hand –

The way I see it, evolution isn’t change exactly. If our ideas evolve, or our site, or our ambitions… then this isn’t bad so long as they’re natural and happen because of the things we learn and experience. I’m in the middle of revisiting my Aims & Objectives, my Vision, and Brand Identity; and although I have no plans to change most things, I do plan on adjusting and altering a few…in other words, allowing evolution to take place.

We have to be flexible and adaptable, otherwise time and society will destroy us. So these are the things I will be altering in the coming weeks:

–       An overall Logo (to represent both Turndog Millionaire & Matthew Turner)

–       Small changes to font and colours (very small changes, to the point you won’t even notice)

–       Alter some Aims & Objectives (Changing ideas mean certain things have become too ambitious, not ambitious enough etc)

Some maybe shouting ‘hypocrite’ right about now, but hopefully you’ll understand where I’m coming from. I see change as something you do because you feel you have to. Evolution on the other hand is something that comes to you as you learn and experience new things.

One is forced whereas the other is natural. Does that make sense?

 

This Very Site

My current wordpress.com site will soon be no more, instead changing over to a self hosted wordpress.org one.

This was always my intention, but a lack of knowledge and urgency made me choose .com. Yet the time has come to get started (largely because some things I have planned for the summer will require more options), but I want to learn how to do it rather than pay someone to fix things over a weekend. This, I hope, will set me up nicely for future years.

I won’t go into too many specifics of what the new site will be like, but it will largely be similar to this one. I do plan on altering some of the content I place on hear, with less emphasis on music, more on writing (and books in general), and a more specific boundary between Branding and Author Marketing.

I’m really excited about it to be honest, and hopefully I’ll have something to show everyone in the coming weeks (Oh, and all my old content will be brought over so don’t worry)

 

My Very First Book

I’m still writing my novel (although I’ve done very little in the last two weeks), but my first E-Book will be a cut down version of The Millionaire Plan. I’m aiming to have it ready this summer sometime, and I want to treat it in the same manner as my novel (a Blog Tour, real marketing plan etc). Overall I feel it will act as great practice for future projects, so hopefully I’ll learn a thing or two along the way.

This book will be Free though, as the whole aim is to grow my readership rather than generate cash. Money comes later down the line so keep your change in your pocket for the time being folks 🙂

 

Tumblr

I went to a talk on Tumblr at 2012 SXSW and it got me thinking about my own site. I like Tumblr, but I simply don’t use it enough. So I have two choices: either get rid or keep it.

I’ve always said EVERYTHING NEEDS A PURPOSE, and I’ve decided Tumblr does have one, but I need to go about things differently. My Tumblr site  -along with Google+, Facebook, and Youtube – will receive a makeover to align with my soon to be new Blog, but it’s what goes within the site that is the most interesting thing.

Tumblr will become my hub for all things music, picture, and video based as I feel the platform is perfect for that kind of content. I will still use other services to host things, but I feel Tumblr offers me a great place to showcase my more personal and creative selections.

 

I’m loving my new ideas and really excited for what the next few months hold. I started this Blog around three months ago now, and I suspect I will continue to learn and evolve – as a writer and this site in general. I don’t see this as change, merely adapting and trying to create the best thing I possibly can.

If you’re new to Blogging then I strongly suggest you set time to evaluate things every few months – especially in the first year or so.

I want to sit down again in three months time – and in a year too – hopefully finding less to change on each occasion and edging ever closer to the Blog and author platform I desire.

 

What do you guys think?

Do you agree with evolution over change?

 

That’s it for this Post, and indeed the mini series on my 2012 SXSW adventures. I now return to The Millionaire Plan and have some great interviews lined up in the next few weeks. I hope you’ll join me, and if you want to stay up to date then sign up to my email list Here.

Turndog Millionaire – @turndog_million