Let's up the ante: Goals for 2016!!!

Recently, I have become a goal setting freak!
I used to be horrible at thinking about the future. I had no idea what I wanted, or what would make me happy. But now I have realized that it is hard to be happy when you don’t know what makes you happy. The more you know yourself, and what makes you satisfied, the easier it is to achieve it.

So, every so often, I like to sit down and really think about what I am doing, where I am going, and what I think will make me happy in the long run.
What is it I should work towards. I’m not saying that it is easy, or that my mind doesn’t constantly change about what I think I should do, but I find that thinking about it helps. And setting goals helps. Setting yourself deadlines, or a set period to do something in is a good way to see if you care enough to get it done. Not everything will get done, and that is OK. A year is a long enough time that if I don’t get to something in a year, I can seriously take a look at it and ask myself if I realllly do want to achieve it, and if I do, then what stopped me from achieving it. 

 Part of reaching goals is knowing yourself and knowing how you work.
I am an obliger (for those of you who read/listen to Grethen Rubin) which means that other people are key to keeping me accountable. Telling someone my goals, or writing them down both make my choices much more real to me. And that means I work harder to reach them.

Business goals for 2016:

1. Blog at least once a month – I should be able to write 12 times in a year, right??
2. Create and release 4 downloadable sewing patterns – Sewing patterns are the direction I want to take my company, but they are so much work!! So I think that 4 is a reasonable number to release in one year. That way I (theoretically) have 3 months to think up, design, pattern, test, re-pattern, scan in, computerize, write a tutorial for, and test a new release…
3. Teach a class for the Indy Trade School – I have taken a few classes through the Trade School Indianapolis, and I think it is an awesome concept! I want to support them, and also I know that I have a lot of sewing knowledge that I can pass on to other people.
4. Grow my email list, and email a newsletter once a month – Want to help me with my email list? Click Here to join!
5. Take a photography class – Now that I have a nicer camera to use for my business photography, I need to make sure I’m getting all I can out of it! I would like to find a class specifically for my Nikon D3200. If anyone knows where I can take one, or wants to offer me a lesson, let me know!
6. Take a refresher course in pattern grading – If I’m going to sell clothing patterns, I need a refresher on how best to create the different sizes for each pattern. It has been too many years since I took that class….
7. Have my own photo shoot, using other people to model my work – Yes, I am a convenient model to use for my business because –hey!- I’m right there. But it is not easy to get a good photo when you can’t see what your subject looks like! I will need volunteers, so if anyone is interested, let me know!
8. Have a public craft night event – I want to create a little crafting community, where we can meet other people, and swap stories, inspiration, and advice! And I want it to be in person! I would love to have it once a month, and I’m brainstorming places to have this Makers Meeting (suggestions are welcome!)
   
9. Sell one thing each month, even the slow months! – Every seller finds that there are certain times of the year that are particularly slow in the sales department, and my Etsy shop is no exception. Now that I have an entire year under my belt, I have a better sense of the ebb and flow of sales. Now, I want to work on those weak months of the year, and build them up!
10. By the end of the year, be working two days a week for Goheen LLC – This is a pretty straightforward goal, but one that will be scary to implement. The best scenario would be to start paying myself to make up for the difference in income. But it may be that in order to create that income, I will need the extra day of work first. We will have to wait and see.
11. Be a vendor at 2 craft shows – This past year I dipped a toe into the craft show world, but in 2016 I want to at least put a whole leg in. The plan is to get into slightly larger shows this year, and be able to keep up my inventory for them.  If you have suggestions for shows, please let me know!
12. Get on the Etsy Conversations Podcast – This is a great podcast that I listen to, where the host, Ijeoma, interviews both new and experienced Etsy shop owners. I realize that I don’t actually have control over this goal. But I do have control over whether I volunteer to be on the podcast!
13. Do an SEO overhaul, and try out Marmalead – Search Engine Optimization is a big part of having an online business, but it is something that I haven’t really dived into deeply yet. That needs to change in order for my business to grow! Maramlead is a new tool that I've heard about that helps specifically with Etsy SEO, so I need to try it out!
14. Sell at least 100 items overall, and at least 12 patterns – This is about a 30% increase in sales for the year, and a random number for my new pattern venture. I think it is doable!
15. Contact 5 blogs/influencers/stores to help market my company – Making connections, putting myself out there, telling people about my business: all things I have trouble with.
16. Make new business cards – I’m out of business cards! And, I need ones with my new website anyway.
17. Re-evaluate pricing, as if I’m paying myself – This is a biggie! If I’m going to transition into creating a sustainable self-employed business, I need to be realistic about my prices. I tend to price my items too low when I first introduce them, because I want them to be affordable. But I need to price items to cover ALL my costs: the materials, my time (at a reasonable, sustainable rate!), my shipping supplies, all the fees that I pay to list and sell an item, my overhead like tools, internet, and work-space. And THEN, if I want to be able to sell through local stores, that price needs to be doubled, because a retailer typically takes a 50% cut.
18. Get shipping streamlined – I’m at the point in my business where getting bulk supplies, and a shipping scale at home sound like a good idea. I just need to research, and also reorganize my space to fit all the supplies!
19. Self promote! – I tend to shy away from telling people that I own my own business. I guess I have a bit of impostor syndrome going on. I feel like my company is so small and so new that to say “I own my own company” or “I’m a creative business owner” almost gives the wrong impression. But those are true statements, and I need to be more confident in what I am doing, and be more confident telling people about it! So, when people ask me what I do, I’m going to try to answer with “I work for myself!” instead of the vague “I sew...” that I normally give.
20. List or renew one Etsy item every week. – I’m going to try to keep it consistent! It is a good habit to get into, and will make sure that I’m keeping my shop filled out enough to continue bringing in revenue.

20 Goals.
It is a lot, but I have 366 days to accomplish them (yay for leap years!). I'm not saying it will be easy, but that is why I have written them out here for you to see. So that you can help keep me accountable!