2013 was a pretty amazing year, both personally, and professionally. Each new year makes for the perfect time to reflect on the previous twelve months, and more importantly, to get excited about what the next twelve months hold. Each team member at Wright Brothers, Inc. has been tasked with sharing the 14 things we’re most looking forward to in 2014, so here goes mine…
1. Going to the chapel
In May of last year, I proposed to my beautiful girlfriend of 2+ years, in Cancun. Fortunately, she said “yes” and in May of this year, we’ll be returning to Cancun with our closest family and friends to say our “I do’s”. I’m looking forward to being done with the planning, I’m looking forward to spending two weeks in Cancun, but most importantly, I’m looking forward to spending the rest of my life with such an amazing woman.
2. Home ownership
Less than two weeks ago, my fiancé and I moved into a brand new home in Rancho Mission Viejo. The new digs give us plenty of room to entertain family and friends, gives me an awesome home office, and even leaves room for future little Corey’s (no timeline on that yet). Home ownership has always been a dream of mine, and I’m excited to build my home and my family in such a great spot.
3. Growing our team at WBI
9 years ago, when Casey and I started Wright Brothers, Inc. with a two laptops and an idea, I never could have imagined where it would be today. We have an amazing team, a killer office in downtown San Diego, and serve hundreds of great clients from all over the US and Canada. That said, I have big expectations for WBI in 2014. I’m looking forward to growing our team, improving our products, serving new markets, and making a noticeable impact on the tech/marketing world.
4. Giving back
One of the things I’m most excited about at our company is our new “Thankful Thursdays”. Once a month, we’ll be taking a Thursday off of work to give back to the community in some way. Each team member will have the opportunity to organize a volunteer opportunity throughout the year that we’ll all participate in.
5. Corey “the tool man” Wright
Being handy has never really been my thing…until now. Along with home ownership, comes home improvements and repairs, and it’s time to embrace that. I’ve recently started building my tool collection and I’m putting them to use. This year, I’m looking forward to taking on a few projects to challenge my handiness, and improve our home at the same time.
6. “Prime-ing” everything
If you haven’t heard of Amazon Prime, you’re missing out on life. For $79/yr. you can get free 2-day shipping on almost anything that Amazon sells. Once shipping costs go away, online shopping becomes a no-brainer. So now, rather than hopping in my car for a new vacuum, a longer HDMI cable, or more toothpaste, I’ll be having it shipped right to my front door. On a more macro scale, these type of efficiencies will be applied to a lot of areas of life this year, not just shopping, but I’ll refer to all of them as “prime-ing” that area of life.
7. Fantasy football 2014
I know we’re still in the middle of this years NFL playoffs, and I should be more focused on my Chargers playoff run than next year’s Fantasy Football season, but I have a very justified reason. This year, my fantasy football league decided to not only have a trophy for the winning team, but to have a “prize” for the last place team as well. As luck would have it, I took the “prize” for last place this year, which means I get to drive around with a hot pink, bedazzled license plate frame that says “Fantasy Football is Fabulous” for the next twelve months. Needless to say, next year’s fantasy football season can’t come fast enough.
8. Entrepreneurs’ Organization
This year I’ll be joining, EO, an elite network of entrepreneurs to help me grow both personally and professionally. I’ve been fortunate enough to be connected with some great business minds through our board members, business partners, and personal connections, and this is the next chapter in that journey. I’m looking forward to surrounded by successful people who face similar challenges in their lives. And while I never want to be a member of an organization that would accept me as a member, I’m going to have to make an exception here.
9. Playing the market
For years now, I’ve created fake stock portfolios and tracked those stocks throughout the year. I’ve found that it was a great way to stay tuned into the stock market, without actually investing in it (although every year I wish I would have invested in those stocks at the end of the year). This year, I’ve made a commitment to build a real investment portfolio. Let’s hope I’m as good at real investing as I am in fake investing.
10. Cigar heaven
From time to time, I challenge myself to become an expert at something that I have little or no knowledge of. A few years back, it was tea (see Mr. Tea blog), then NASCAR, and this year it is cigars. I’ve already started to build a collection, and I’m excited to appreciate cigars on more of an “aficionado” level. Let’s just hope this doesn’t get too expensive.
11. Unplugging
When WBI was just Casey and me, it was nearly impossible to “unplug” from work. Our clients only connection to our business was us. This limited what we could do, where we could go, and how well we could serve our clients. This year, I’m looking forward to having the ability to unplug from the business at times (wedding, honeymoon, etc.), without sacrificing the service that our clients have come to know.
12. WingWire rewire
For more than two years now, WingWire has been one of the real estate industries best kept secrets. This year, we’ll make sure that changes. New features, new templates, and new models are right around the corner and will give WingWire the ability to change the real estate industry for good.
13. Chef Corey
I’ve always loved cooking, but often times, eating out is way more convenient. This year, with the new home, I’m looking forward to spending a lot more nights at home for dinner. It’ll give me the ability to do something I love, eat more healthy, and save some money for the mortgage. I’ve already found some great recipes that I can’t wait to experiment with.
14. Getting organized
Now that I finally have a home, I feel like I can get serious about getting organized. Prior to now, it’s always been a temporary situation that changes every 2-3 years, so I’ve never fully invested in organizing everything. Looking back, it seems foolish that I waited so long because I’m already seeing what a stress relief it is to get everything organized. I’m sure it will be chaotic at some point again, but for at least this year, I’m excited about having everything in it’s right place.
Categorized in: Runway Blog
