A new year, how exciting, what is front of us?

When you look forward, what do you see? Is it a linear or non-linear path?

First, a reflection looking back to help me look forward

- I played 53 rounds of ?? started on a 6 handicap & ended on a 7 albeit that seems I was going backwards, but I feel my game is stronger with a clear highlight for me playing many rounds with my brother Ian while he was in NZ & winning a tournament with him, looking forward my goal is to get to 5 this year & enjoy the walk, maybe with some technique improvements from IG videos lol

- I ran ?? 71 times covering 550kms, mostly around the late 5s to early 6s per k, and I was super proud of myself for keeping moving, inspired by the Femmi community, I want to begin strength work around my core, stretch goal would be 100 runs and 1,000 kms and maybe a 1/2 or full mara?

- I watched a lot of hockey games, like a lot, so many and it was so much fun learning more about the game, and also learning how to not voice any opinions to coaches, managers and my youngest daughter, thank you to Kate for being my sounding board, and here's to watching, observing and not commenting in the 24!

- I walked a lot, with dogs in NZ (Lulu) and Sunshine Coast (Charlie) and when you count the golf, the runs, the walks, probably nudged 1,500 kms which feels good

- walked the Hump Ridge at the bottom of the South Island with mates from 40 years on, so of course do anor great walk with my mates, such a great few days in nature with old old friends who give me crap as it is rightfully deserved

- visited Australia a few times with a focus on Queensland given our daughter lives there, the plan in the year ahead is to be there more often to build up work and to go to the State of Origin (dream) with my mate Monty Betham and also to go to a Wahs game over there

- worked with some amazing people doing both normal and crazy things in their business lives which I am grateful for the opportunity to be involved

- started some things, finished some things and argued with a few people that I will never be proud of, including filing so many OIAs (Official Information Act requests under NZ law, basically the Government Organisation is required to give you the information) that I have promised myself that I will not file as many in the year ahead, which will please the team at Callaghan Innovation. It could not be left without expressing gratitude and thanks to Debra Hall Peter Hall Michael Heron KC Kate Cooper Andrew Simmonds for the most amazing support of our cause this year in the niggle with the same Government Organisation - thank you so much. Also to the countless people inside Government, in comm's agencies, fellow business owners who wanted to help, be a sounding board and just listen - thank you for being there, and sorry if my/our messages were a bit incessant!

But lets look ahead, and one way I do this is by thinking about the amazing people that I am lucky to work with - I can't name them all, I am grateful to all who share their dreams, their challenges with me, especially when they buy the coffee ??

So to Zoe Hobbs and Kelly Evans I wish you the best for the year ahead and may you run fast, run well & keep being an inspiration to so many, it was such a great moment to see the partnership building between you two.

To Sarah Ramsay who I have worked with since that lovely little pandemic, you are so resilient, so strong, and so full of hope and also you give inspiration by your actions as you build a force of a business - defence contracts beckon in the 24!

Lydia O'Donnell & Esther Keown and the Femmi crew, what you do is so inspiring for so many. Courage to release an app to align your running to your menstrual cycle and to build an empowering community is amazing, so all the best for your seed round, doing something different is hard, and being female in the startup world, super hard, but you can and must do it.

Keith Hudson the sustainability champion who wants, no knows that the world needs to do things differently to help with the impact of climate change, thank you for inviting me into your Sapro-Tech journey to find alternatives to animal leather from the amazing properties of mycelium. I look forward to serving your mission as we go through the seed round this year.

My constant joker and food legend Scotty Baragwanath of Blue Frog Breakfast who just keeps on keeping - don't worry bud, I will keep calling you every week checking in and also eating your breakfast.

Ben Lynch of Akahu and Dolla - it is damn hard working in open banking in NZ, with the banks, and the regulatory environment - keep at it because the country needs what you are doing!

Knight H. the co-founder of Relab which is innovating in the real estate market, helping real estate agents have the best tools for their roles, epic moves in the 23 and looking forward to seeing your entry into Australia in the 24 - remember that people trying to take you down is just a function of fear and control, ignore them and focus into your users!

To James Hutchinson and KiwiNet the work to be done is important, the work being done good, the but is to make big leaps in the year ahead to help create a transformative environment for deep research and tech, the foundations are there, this is the year to take the leap!

Nathan Balasingham and Usha from Zest Biotech, what you are doing is amazing for helping productivity in hort, viticulture and farming but also in reducing emmissions, the fact that some of the industry tries to take you out, it just that, more fear, so ignore and keep believing in what is possible!

Ennis Bacova the playmaker, the world renowned Pizza Creator with your business partner Kevin Morris , you give so much joy to me and my family, while you are on your journey of making the best Pizza in the world - love you my man!

To Icehouse crew Elizabeth Wotherspoon Darilyn Kane Anthony Gold Kate de Lautour Maryse Dinan Scott Turner thanks for having me in the fold, continuing to coach and serve owner managers across NZ, 22 years now and never more important is the mission to support owner managers! I have loved the work I have done with the Icehouse Clients including Charlie Allan from GCA Logistics out of the mighty Gisborne region!

Also to some new clients from Tane the co-founder of Inviol - epic round of investment there; to Frano Covic from Chargemaster (via the Icehouse), wishing you the best finding that elevator in EV charging in the 24; to Russell Douglas of D&Co we ate and drank well in the '23 in preparation for a big 24 of innovation and venturing - lets create some chaos, which is my job and then you will work out how to systemise it, and also make money from it lol.; to Tim Bateman who founded O-Studio what an epic foundation year in the 23 getting the new franchisees signed up, 24 will be about multiple openings and resisting the urge to head to Australia and wider - loved getting to know you and the crew and mission of O-Studio, even doing my first cold's experience; how could I forget the three musketers who are building an AI service for content creators, Chatrlyst Theo Taylor Paul Rassie and Sam Broadhead - love the journey, love the approach and thinking you will either do a seed round in the 24 or not need too lol because you won't need too!

To my new business partners Leanne Bats ?? and Dougal Swift what a great start in our web3 and AI consulting advisory gig, I am looking forward to building on that in the 24, it was a special last few months learning about the racing industry.

Tex Edwards you are a freaking hero mate, as we have so many challenged market structures where power is exerted in sub-optimal ways, we need you and your #MonopolyWatch organisation challenging and holding people to account. Don't stop!

To the LinkedIn crew who post, who comment, who join, who share, thanks so much - LI was a powerful tool for me to get leads in the 23, even if I was not premium! To Ralph Shale for always engaging, providing thoughts, for Mike Hall for helping me learn about #AI, for Jennifer Clamp for helping my continuing journey of supporting the journeys of female business owners and leaders, thank you for your mahi, and your sharing of content which helps many of us. There are many more - thank you!

To the lovers in my life, Lulu OMG you give so much to our family and to boss Karla Hamilton looking forward to seeing your project and consulting work grow in NZ and Australia - well done on getting your Prince7 foundation CT and more to come. To Estie Hamilton all the best for your UQ 2nd year and adding business to your biomed degree and to Anais may your last year in High School be a great one full of fun, hard work, leadership and lots and lots of hockey!

To my mates who have stood by me - Andy Matts, Paul S, Gilley, Sammie D, Sarah K, Bridget C, Dean T, Suze R, Horty, Ali Y & our mates What's App Group, Duncan S and so many others, thank you for just being you and being there for me.

The 24 is for the countless people who are hustling out there - we all need people to support us, believe in us, help us, sometimes direct us, and that includes me, however experienced we are, it is always good to externalise and to be humble - go well in the 24, it can be an unknown journey and that is exciting in itself.

Make it happen, whatever it is and make the unknown, known by doing!

ps, the joy of edit function is that when I post this, I can go back and correct any mistakes or leave outs lol, already gone back #1 #2