Christmas Break

Merry Christmas a bit early, Patriots!

What a year it’s been!

So much to be thankful for. I’ve been reflecting on the good, the bad, the true and the beautiful lately – taking some time off from writing and fishing to focus on faith, family and business.

… even spending slightly more time on Twitter, watching the meltdowns and chaos…

It’s hilarious… far more entertaining than anything on Netflix…

Let’s take a look at some of the stats from this year, and talk a bit more about what I’m really, really thankful for.

I’m thankful this website grew.

This year we saw just south of 70,000 views. Not too shabby for a little fishing site! We might surpass the 70k mark before the end of the year, based on current activity levels. That’s awesome – thanks for reading!

Hundreds of people signed up for the weekly emails, which was also encouraging. Some of the most popular articles were surprising as well:

I was especially excited to see articles on motivation and blessings elevated this year.

I’m thankful for new friends.

Several people contacted me directly via email. Some kept it short, asked questions, offered words of encouragement or said thanks for the tips – others wrote me their life story – and all of it was appreciated. A handful of new friends have sprung up as a result.

I love hearing from you guys. This has been really, really fun for me.

I’m thankful the YouTube channel grew.

Subscribers are up, watch time is up, views are up – this is a lot of fun to work on.

If you shared a video, clicked “like”, subscribed, or just watched stuff – thanks!

I’m thankful tough conditions led to new lakes.

This year was weird. At first, I sat around and complained. When that didn’t make me feel better (shocker), I looked for new areas to fish. Tried baits I had zero confidence in. Failed again and again. Screamed at the heavens. Even though the conditions were tough for MANY reasons, it forced me to grow as an angler, and put me in some beautiful situations.

I’m thankful for all the fish.

We ended the year with 337 bass. Not too shabby for someone with two businesses and 4 kids that take up the bulk of their time!

Refining what it means to be a Minimalist Fisherman has made a huge difference.

I’m thankful my business grew.

At The Hauser Design Group, we took on many new customers even though the economy & inflation have hit a lot of businesses hard. Saw this firsthand. Talked to business owners that had to shut their doors, fire employees, make tough decisions… I’m thankful we weathered the storm.

Created new relationships and started to work with some really cool businesses, like Jocko’s:

I’m thankful my consulting business grew, too.

Fix My Site saw growth as well, landing new accounts and scheduling several one-on-one consulting calls with new customers.

We’ve grown enough that it now makes sense to invest some serious time and effort in a complete redesign, and expand our service offerings.

I’m thankful y’all helped me save for a new battery.

Halfway there. Really appreciate all of the donations!

Before you say:

“Wait a second, what do you need donations for with two businesses?!”

Because the businesses pays the bills. 4 kids eat a lot, we burn through gas like it’s going out of style between school and sports, and add in paying for healthcare out of pocket… trust me when I say there ain’t much $$ leftover for fishing…

Y’all are appreciated!

I’m thankful my family is healthy.

I’m thankful we have food on the table, a roof over our heads… and a lot of love & laughter in between the hectic day-to-day screaming and fighting.

I mean really… what else could a guy ask for?

Merry Christmas to you & yours a bit early my friends.

God Bless, Tight Lines, and Godspeed, Patriots!

Thank you Readers!

Thanks for visiting! I’m going to keep doing everything possible to keep the helpful content coming, and FREE FOR EVERYONE… but I need your help. Please chip in by making a small monthly contribution to keep this site alive & growing. $4.96 will buy a sweet Pack ‘o Dingers, and with it, I promise to catch many bass in your honor. Thanks. You are a gentleman & a scholar! -AJ

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