As you may or may not have noticed, I didn’t post much new content on this website in the past year. So I’d like to take the opportunity to let you know what I’ve been up to in the last year, and what my plans are for this site.
Currently there are over 84,000 Eric’s Tips subscribers, including more than one hundred who have been subscribed for over eleven years! That’s a big chunk of my life, and a lot has changed during that time.
Of course a lot has changed for me personally, such as: getting older, adding more children to our family, and going through the ups and downs of life. But it boggles my mind to think of the amount of cumulative change that has occurred in your lives–the lives of tens of thousands of subscribers–during that same period of time. No doubt we’ve even lost some subscribers, perhaps hundreds, to death over those eleven years. That’s a humbling thought, isn’t it?
Speaking of humbling, I read a book in late 2015 that changed my way of thinking and caused me to go through a period of introspection. It’s called Embracing Obscurity, and its author is anonymous. If you’re not into Christianity kind of stuff, you probably wouldn’t like it, but if you are… I encourage you to order a copy and read it.
In a culture where fame rules, and “influence” is considered a chief indicator of success, this book presents some compelling Bible-based arguments for a different approach to life. I’ve hardly posted anything on Twitter, Facebook, or my own blog in the past year largely because I decided it doesn’t matter if I’m known on the Internet. That’s not to say that there aren’t great reasons for being known–it’s a fundamental part of marketing that I will keep teaching–but my outlook has changed. In a nutshell, it’s not about me.
With that in mind, I’d like to make up for some lost time today by sharing some of my personal highlights of 2016. Not because I’m so important but because I value our relationship and I’ve decided I’d like to keep Eric’s Tips going!
I spent much of the first couple months of the year completing a mural which was commissioned (on a volunteer basis) by a local non-profit organization.
You can click the image for a larger view…
It is 24 feet by 8 feet, acrylic on board, and is titled “His Story is Your Story”. I enjoyed designing and painting it, and hope to create more murals.
One of the main events for my wife and I in 2016 was opening a new offline business: a dance studio in our local town. Wow – what a lot of work it’s been! To be honest, I underestimated the amount of energy it would take to launch and run this business. That time commitment is a big part of why you haven’t heard as much from me in the last year.
Here’s a picture of our family in the front lobby area before and after we did some renovations…
I did the logo design, branding, a bit of interior design, and all the interior decorating which was a lot of fun. We wanted to create a beautiful space with a peaceful atmosphere that would be experienced when customers enter the door.
This is one of our three studio spaces…
And here’s a video of our first performance–a Christmas event on an outdoor stage…
It’s been a great learning experience, but has also really made me appreciate the simplicity of running an online business. As you know if you’ve run an offline business, it’s a huge pain to do the payroll (we launched with over 25 employees), paperwork for various governing agencies, legal compliance, and other responsibilities that are much more minimal in an online business. I should also note that it’s only because of my successful online business that we were able to start the offline business without taking on any debt.
Needless to say, I’m still a huge believer in the online business models that I teach, especially info-product marketing. In fact, I’m currently in the process of creating my biggest info-product ever, and it is completely outside of the “IM” niche.
To help deal with the stress and stay healthy while running multiple business (we also have a real estate business that I manage), I’ve continued to be active in training and participating in triathlons. Colorado is such a beautiful place for outdoor recreation like cycling and running.
Some of you may recall the health issues I shared several years ago. I am incredibly grateful that I’ve been able to regain my health, and it is not something I want to take for granted. You never know how long it will last, as I know thousands of Eric’s Tips subscribers would attest.
Some of my highlights for the year included competing in four triathlons, and my first marathon which was an off-road trail race with some gnarly climbing (I placed 9th in that one). Here is a picture of me on the bike in the “highest triathlon in the world” (10,291 ft elevation) where I placed 3rd in spite of crashing into a cone and losing a few minutes on the bike leg…
It does take commitment and sacrifice to do those kind of events, and I made it a priority which also contributed to me not being online as much last year. I hope to keep that particular trend going.
Due to the new dance studio being in start-up mode, we did not do as much traveling as we sometimes do, but we were blessed to be able to take a couple of great trips.
We took the family to Alaska (the 50th state that I’ve visited in my lifetime), and it exceeded our expectations with its otherworldly scenery. Even coming from Colorado which is incredibly scenic, we found Alaska to be stunning.
I could fill 100 blog posts with pictures from that trip, but I won’t because… well, all you need to do is google “Alaska” and you’ll see an unlimited amount of postcard-worthy scenes. Here’s one cool picture that I took in Talkeetna:
And here’s our fam on a glacier in Denali National Park, just before having an epic snowball fight…
We had some great moments on that plane ride, as our two and a half-year old–wearing a two-way headset–was chatting away with her siblings and saying some hilarious things. Of course I’m biased but this is pretty cute…
One of the high points of the trip was seeing a pod of Beluga whales breaching near the shore as we took a sunset walk on the beach. However, the biggest highlight was meeting up with my 95 year old grandma, who traveled to Alaska from Connecticut to participate in the grand opening of a building at Alaska Christian College that was being dedicated in honor of my late grandfather.
My grandma is such an inspiration, as she took immediate interest in the local college kids we visited, learning as much as she could about them and tangibly displaying the legacy of love that she and my grandfather were leaving there.
I also gleaned a valuable lesson from my mom on that trip, as she engaged people (locals, tourists, anyone!) in conversation everywhere we went. It reminded me that people are what enrich our lives most, no matter how amazing the sight-seeing may be.
Later in the year, my wife and I managed to get away on our own to visit England and Ireland.
Here are a couple shots of my lovely wife on the emerald isle…
And here’s a shot of a beautiful Irish sunrise that we experienced one morning…
Yes Ireland really is that green! Like Alaska, the scenery was breathtaking at times, but again the most memorable part of the trip was the people.
We had the honor of meeting with six church pastors around the country, and the privilege of learning about the local culture from each of them. It was a fantastic education that left us wanting more. We’ll be back.
We are so blessed to have six awesome children who are doing great.
Our two youngest are best friends…
Here are the “middle two” at a hockey game where we got to ride the zamboni…
And here we are on our annual Christmas tree “hunt”…
In December we had a little scare, as our oldest son ended up in the hospital for a couple nights…
At the beginning of the month he fell off a ladder while hanging Christmas lights and broke his arm and banged up his leg. A couple weeks later he suddenly got very sick due to an infection that had apparently originated in a small cut on his leg from the accident.
The doctors said it was a potentially life-threatening situation and if we had brought him in later, it could have been exponentially worse. It was difficult to see our child in the hospital, and it gave us a greater level of compassion for all the parents who have children in hospitals and other difficult circumstances. It even gave me a new appreciation for the stress my own parents must have felt, as I was an accident-prone kid.
We are incredibly grateful for modern medicine, and all the prayers for our son, as he has made a great recovery over the past few weeks.
So those are a few highlights from 2016… now I’d like to talk about what’s in store for Eric’s Tips in 2017.
To put it simply, I’d like to start creating and posting new content again.
The info-product business model that I’ve focused on teaching over the past 10+ years is still as viable today as it was when I started. While some of the technology and nuances of the business have changed, the fundamentals really have NOT–which is a potent statement for a truly web-based business. Quite literally I have infoproducts from 10 years ago that are still making money today.
Furthermore, the opportunity is as strong as ever. In spite of the continued rapid growth of the web, the demand for content has not been satiated. The ability to sell “information” has not been diminished. As I mentioned earlier, I am currently in the process of creating my biggest info-product ever, and it is completely unrelated to the make-money-online niche.
One idea for this website is to create a completely new series of Eric’s Tips lessons, updated for today’s market. Perhaps I could use my new infoproduct as the example in the lessons. It’s a product that I’m hoping to turn into a 7-figure business, so it would be a real life case study rather than hypothetical examples like I’ve used in many past lessons.
However, the direction of Eric’s Tips really depends on what YOU want to learn… So the details are going to depend largely on the results of the following survey.
It is a quick one-page survey that will only take you a couple minutes, and I really value your input. Your vote truly counts… big time!
Essentially, I want to know what YOU want from Eric’s Tips.
As a special bonus for taking the survey, you will get to instantly download the Rapid Lead Magnets course containing 9 videos (a $47.00 value) on the thank-you page when you submit your survey!
Click Here to Take the 2017 Eric’s Tips Survey Now
Here’s to a profitable 2017. Thank you so much for taking the survey, and have a blessed day!
Happy New Year! God bless!
Wonderful blessed Familylife Eric!
And congrats to the dancestudio!
/Peter Sweden
I’m happy for you and your family. I’m also impressed that you can find the time to do all these things considering you have a large family. Happy New Years!
Eric, Thanks for everything you do for the industry. Thanks for the book recommendation. As you say, it not about us. God Bless you and your family.
You are such a blessing and a light for others. So glad to hear that you will continue keeping in touch with us. You’ve changed the lives of countless people through your work and dedication. Happy New Year! I’m excited to grow with you.
Hi Eric,
it was great to hear from you after the relative quiet of 2016 – I have been a subscriber for a few years now, i must admit when I first encountered your website, and the ‘Real Guys’ presentation, I was skeptical – I have always had a keen eye for potential hype. However as I became more familiar with your work I was impressed by the sincerity. It is hard to teach others about digital business, because people have such a wide range of preconceptions and unrealistic expectations!
It is great that you are going to be more active on Eric’s Tips, I am looking forward to some high quality material!
All the best to you & your family from me in Tasmania.
It is always good to see a young family enjoying the outside while taking on help to society. Well done to you all !!
The area I fee it would be worth your assistance is in setting up the Co-operative aspects of advertising and marketing. Following us through until we picked up the traces and got us into a position where we can assist those below us achieve our level of success, thereby relieving you to deal with the more difficult areas.
Often we sign up with a p5rogram that fails to deliver what we need. Perhaps you can assist in area . We often need a program to provide the kick start to our financial needs
Thank you Eric for your products and Eric’s Tips.
You have a wonderful family!
May God richly bless you all in the New Year and beyond!
I appreciate all you and your wife do for people!
Thank you Eric for the post, I am relieved of the reason of your absence and it wasn’t due to ill health, I also have been a subscriber for some time and have always respected your presence on the Internet. You have always endeavoured to delivery quality and sincerity to your customers, of which I think we are all grateful.
The pictures of the adventures you have been on in 2016 are wonderful, family is so important, my wife and I also had 6 children but my youngest is now 23, but seeing them all grow up into decent human beings is very satisfying and probably go down as our greatest achievement.
I look forward to what you do in 2017 what ever it is I’m sure we as a community will be blessed with.
May the good Lord bless you and your family with his wonderful peace.
The completed survey does not seem to go to you
Hi Leon, it should go to me and should not take you off of my site at all. It is a wordpress plugin.
Happy New Year!
Tried to complete your survey a couple of times…just went to “working” symbol and never completed.
Maybe it is me 🙂 FYI
Hi Jerry, sorry about that. It seems that most people are submitting it successfully. This is the first time I’ve used this survey plugin. Since your comment came in close to Leon’s above, I am wondering if it was non-functional for a period of time while my server was backing up or something. Thanks for trying!
Hey Eric. I have the same problem as Jerry. Submitted the survey & just get the “working” symbol. I’ll try again & see how it goes, but seems it might be a bigger problem.
Just one other point. In the survey, one question asked how much money are you making from your site (or something like that). I am not making money or planning to as my site is a bible study site. I am trying to build the profile to increase my reach, not make money. This wasn’t an option in the survey though.
All the best & God bless….John
John, thanks for the input! New surveys are still coming in so I know it’s working for some people but I would love to figure out the problem. Maybe try in a different browser?
Hi Eric
Good to hear from you and that you and your family are all well.
I tried to do your survey and submit it and like other people have said on the page it will not submit to you
just a bunch of dots going around in a circle continually forever and nothing happening.
Also no link to your Rapid lead magnets course presumably because the survey has not gone through to you.
Could you please let me know if you have received the survey or not and if not how I can get it to work.
Also enjoyed the Christmas dancing pageant video and the update on your family.
Looking forward to your reply.
Best regards
Gary O
Thanks and I’m so sorry the survey is not working for everyone. I’m looking into it now, and will send out an email when I have it fixed or an alternative solution. I’ll make sure everyone has a chance to take the survey and download the bonus. Thanks!
For anyone who had trouble submitting the survey, please try taking the survey at this new link:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ericstips
When you complete the survey you will see the free gift download link on that page.
Thanks!
Thanks for the updates! Awesome!!
Hello Eric I am on of your followers list since I moved to Canad from a non internet country in 2008 .Now I have build maybe 5 websites. One of the having 50 unique visitors a day . I am always waiting for your email in my inbox . I am looking to recreate this same model for spanish speaking since I believe the value is unique and very useful for anyone that has no resources to start with .. will you guide me to a mentoring program that can help me to develop my idea ..in a faster way …. Thanks Ileana
Eric IS one of the “good guys” online from someone who’s been online for a very long time.
Thanks for sharing Eric – you have an awesome family!
Wishing everyone a happy & prosperous 2017!
Hey there Folks!…Happy New Year!
Thanks for sharing.
All kids are precious, and as you well know, each one of them have their own little unique personalities but, that youngest boy of yours, I bet he’s a hoot. He reminds me of my youngest boy who somehow thought he was Evil Kneivel at times as he jumped ditches on his go-cart, jumped out of a tree onto a trampoline, and loved to climb the porch support to sit or LAY on the rooftop so he could see better and those sorts of things.
Anyway, what are their names? I gathered that the oldest boy is Josiah, isn’t it?
Thanks Eric for all your insights and your grounded faith in an industry where that is hard to find 🙂
I am glad you took time to be introspective in 2016 and to keep humble… that’s why I always gravitated to your writings/teachings.. nice to see your beacon of light in a sea of fog.
I appreciate the honesty and pray that God always imparts wisdom to you in all your endeavors.
I look forward to your “New Series” of Tips!
Eric, thanks for sharing! It is about relationships and I really appreciate your openness and honest- as a marketer, as a family man and as a Christ follower! I look forward to many lessons from Eric’s Tips- I have read many of the existing tips and have learned a ton from you.
Keep up the good work and blessings to you and your family!
Kelley T.
Hi Eric and a belated Happy New Year.
Lovely to see how your family is growing (in age not volume!) and you all loook so happy with life.
I have followed “Eric’s Tips” religiously over the last 3 years or so and it has been for me an invaluable programme.
I too appreciate your honesty and inegrity in the commercial and sometimes hostile environment – that too is invaluable.
I look forward to new “Tips” material as it appears.
Thanks for your help to date.
Terry
Hello Eric and family.
I am sure you had a very great Christmas and I wish you a great New Year. I was afraid you were disappearing into the abyss of the Internet and was sad, because I am sure you have helped most of your followers in some great or small way. You are an inspiration because of your Faith and honest simplicity when making your presentations. I am a senior who has been a fan of yours for 7 years. I have always understood what you were doing, but have never been able to follow up. It gets very complicated and I have no grand children near to help me. Keep up the good work for others.
Hi Eric, It just blows me away that you can get so much accomplished with everything going on in your busy life! You really do Rock! I admire your very helpful insights and genuine heartfelt care that you put into your messages and it really shines through that you truly care about your valued subscribers. Also I did not get the chance to personally Thank You for sending me your “Thanks Giving” subscriber Prize! I was shocked to see my paypal notification. That really helped me and my daughter out and we had a nice turkey dinner thanks too you. (Better late than never)
You Truly are “One of the Good Guys” May God Bless you always Eric. Looking forward to 2017 and what you have in store for all of us! – Tommy
Happy New Year and God Bless!!
Appreciate your year review. Glad that your son is OK.
Thanks for the book suggestion.
Jim
Hi great to hear from you Eric just completed the survey and i apreciate your concern thanks God bless you
Hello Eric, I really appreciate you sharing with us i am a strugleing imer but successful off line businessman i run my own handy man company. so i can appreciate what you said about the dance studio startup etc… (really cool by the way} I just haven’t been able to get the internet to work for me yet. i currently make $300 a month through My paying adds which gives me a great traffic platform. I am still working on the no cash income system making it mine it really has been a pleasure doing business with You. THANK YOU SO MUCH ! have a blessed new year looking forward to another great year and continuing our relationship.
Jonathan Murdock
Orlando Fl.
Honestly Eric I appreciate everything that you are endeavoring to do! I have taken all of the tips newsletters but have not completed them all. Got sidetracked several times. I also purchased the No Cost Income Stream original course and the 2.0 version. The course has been invaluable to me. I am trying to learn how to set up and use PLR for my website and product creation. I really appreciate the value of the content that you publish and the teaching ability that you have shown us. I look at your emails before I do anyone elses and quite honestly buy just about everything you offer as long as I can afford it. Right now I need to learn how to use it. I appreciate your open relationship with Jesus Christ and your love for your family and friends. God Bless!
Happy Birthday Eric
Thanks for sharing Eric. It has been amazing to see your family grow over the years. Glad to know you are enjoying good health and still making a difference in many lives.
Hi Eric,
Congrats for the dance hall project and all the other things.
You are a great husband and dad. I truly admire you.
I have been following you for years now though haven’t taken any real step but want to action in following your business model this year 2017.
Is the coaching still running? I want to be on it as soon as i can.
Looking forward to your new project.
God Bless you and your family;
AKONWI ASANA (Cameroon – AFRICA)
Hi Eric, I just stumbled across your blog for the first time tonight while searching for ‘self-employed vs business owner.’ I enjoyed this post especially, since I grew up in Alaska, love hockey and I’m also a Christian entrepreneur. I also blog daily at jmonen.com if you ever want to stop on by. Anyway, I’m hoping you don’t embrace obscurity too much. 🙂 Would love to read more
Cool!