As of this month, The Wealthy Ironworker is 3 years old. The sound of it doesn’t seem impressive – I mean, 3 years – so what?

For me, though, 3 years and an average word content of 2,276 with 54 posts (yes I keep track) has taken some time to amass. I’ve tried to be methodical with the rollout, too. I didn’t want to promote something without content. After 3 years, though, there is solid content on this site for all to look at, digest, and share. My most read piece, The pros and cons of the skilled trades, is timely and timeless as well. The site is deliberately dressed down so as to not take attention away from what’s posted. Just a few months ago I launched the LinkedIn page with the intent of getting the word out about the brand, the message, and hopefully more opportunity to promote the trades.

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But I’m not satisfied, especially when I know there is more I could do – much more, in fact. This article, then, is a 3 year review of this site and a projection of where I’d like to see the site in the next 3 years.

Three years in review

First up, let’s look at some of the milestones of the past 3 years and see how they weigh out.

For starters, as referenced above, the article and word count is up – maybe not where I’d like it to be but it’s better than where it was when I started. Do a little research and you will find scores of articles designed to inform people how to be successful. Yet, for all that’s out there, the internet is littered with washouts who aspire to start writing and give up without any real effort or patience. Not me. I didn’t spend the past 3 years writing solid and timeless content to simply throw my hands in the air and give up. Instead, the content and frequency is designed to be a platform from which I can address the next 3 years.

So what does the word count via articles look like?

Well, with the last article I had 54 with a total word count of 129, 907 – not that I’m obsessed – I just want to know where I stand. It also allows me to address trends if things begin to change. Plus, now that I feel I have a plethora of articles for a visitor to read, I can plot the trajectory for other goals I have.

This might not seem like much but considering I’m a husband, father, full time employee, student, and all around busy guy, these numbers aren’t too shabby. Moreover, I do all the work myself. I have no one else writing, posting ,editing, doing social media. etc. It’s all on me and this site will sink or swim with what I do – there really is no in between.

Another check in the pro column is ranking on search engines. By no means am I an expert in SEO but I know more than I once did. Solid content has definitely helped out too; I have several articles that come up depending on what you are searching for. The pros and cons of the skilled trades, Passion vs opportunity, talent vs tenacity, Why I HATE (And I Mean HATE) summer… all of these are found with a quick search and Google ranks them high. It’s nice to see your work featured on the FIRST page when it looks through over 1 billion pages. I’ll take that win.

A third point I’d like to note is that while the articles up here have depth, they also have variety with reference to subject material. Yes, building a brand about the skilled trades means writing about the skilled trades and a lot of my material carries the torch. Still though, I like to write, my interests are varied, and this platform gives me a great place to create content about a plethora of things.

I have several articles that seem to be outliers – single articles about neutron radiography, another about convenience, and even an article or two about some book reviews. The reason? I’m interested in the subject material and enjoy writing.

You can also find a series on pensions, multiple posts about colleges, and a host of articles under the banner of “The Wealth Series.”

My interests are varied and so is my writing – enough to keep a wider topic array in focus.

What I want to do with the next 3 years

I’d like to continue posting on a frequent basis – say bi weekly – for continuous content and ensuring I’m relevant. I have to keep engaging and I have no plans on stopping, either.

I want to have a more engaged social media presence – primarily LinkedIn since it’s the avenue closely aligned with the message I have. Since I just launched the LinkedIn page not too long ago, most of my time will be spent on good writing to keep up with the bi weekly pace. My thinking is that if I continue to add to my article cache, the rest will eventually follow. Sure, I have to be intentional but overall I’ll be bolstered in my efforts.

Speaking of the rest, I want to get with a consultant to work on the website. I know I have solid content and recognize the package I deliver it in could use some work. I’d like to work with a website consultant and have some serious conversations about how to make it more appealing, how to drive even more traffic here, what I can do to hone my focus more, etc. I opted for a more dressed down platform initially and I don’t think it’s a bad move. Still, I intrinsically know more can be done and when I need help. Instead of stumbling through the dark I want to turn on the light sometime soon.

I want the content to speak for itself but I also want the brand to grow, too. I want this site to be a gathering place for those in the trades to look to, to rely on, and to lean on. This helps me build the brand because tradesmen identify with the messages and spread them.

To be blunt, I want to be THE premier website/brand skilled tradesmen – building tradesmen to be exact – flock to. I think those in the building trades have the some of the best opportunities available to them today, that they should be capitalized on, and need a place they can rally to. I envision a spot where articles are written promoting the trades, news is shared for those interested, possibly a live forum – all in the name of building up the trades and working with your hands.

At some point I’d also like to offer merchandise also: t shirts, polos, etc. I’ve reached out to see what’s feasible and although it’s a long way off, the idea is there. For now I’ll store it in the perennial idea box to be used at a more prudent time.

Happy Three Year Anniversary

The above isn’t exhaustive – just a few off the top things that have been on my mind for a while. I have LOADS of ideas for content still to be written – all when I have the time, of course. In the meantime, I dream and if I’m going to dream, it might as well be big, right?

All things considered, I am pleased where The Wealthy Ironworker is as of today. It may not be where I’d like it to be, but it sure has come a long way from absolutely nothing. It’s easy to do nothing; millions of people do just that. It takes time, tenacity, investment, resources, dedication, love for a craft – in short, it takes a tremendous commitment to make this work.

Lastly, I want to thank everyone for reading what’s posted; without you there would be no point. I appreciate all the views, the shares, passing on great content for others to read – everything that has enabled me to get the word out.

Three years has come and gone – here’s to the next three!