Tag Archives: holidays

Planning for Positivity in 2013

crafting a business 101

Last post of 2012! We’re running out of time to think about our goals for the new year. Like we’ve talked about before here, here and here, it’s time to brainstorm and put in writing a set of measurable, specific goals for your creative business to strive for in 2013.

Here are some guidelines to consider when brainstorming goals for your creative business:

  • Don’t set yourself up for failure. Examine what you achieved in 2012. What were your sales, revenue, and profit-levels like this year? What are some realistic goals for 2013? Your goals should require some challenge and “stretch”, but still be attainable with a bit of hard work.
  • Your goals should be specific and measurable. Don’t just say “I want to increase sales”. Come up with an actual benchmark dollar amount (like “I want to make $5000 in sales.” or “I want to average $2000 in sales per month.”). Giving yourself specific benchmarks will increase your motivation to reach them. Plus, they make it easier to measure whether you were successful or not.
  • Your goals should have deadlines in order to hold yourself accountable. If you’re like me, you work better (and harder!) under a deadline.
  • Think about the path to achieving each goal you set from every angle. I want to increase profit. To do that, I can work on increasing sales revenue and decreasing expenses and overhead.
  • Sometimes it’s about quality and not quantity. One of my goals for Lazy Owl is to increase my sales numbers, but if I make a whole lot of $10 sales, I’m not really boosting my bottom line as much as if I made more $40 sales. Thus, my goals also include increasing items sold per order and to offer more higher-priced popular items.
  • All your goals don’t need to be about sales numbers or dollar amounts. Maybe you need to keep better track of your sales and expenses for tax records. That can be a goal, with a specific measurement of updating your records at least once a week. You might also think about increasing your fan base numbers on your facebook page or other business-related websites. There are many other business areas you can think about improving that indirectly increase sales and profits.

Here’s a basic two-page worksheet to record your 2013 goals on. Feel free to print and include in your creative business binder. There’s a space at the top to include your business name. I split the worksheet into four categories of business goals, and each table has space for you to write your specific goal, how you will measure your success, and that goal’s deadline.

2013 Goal Worksheet pg 1

Your goals should be very specific to your business needs, but to get the wheels turning, here are some examples of goals:

  • Sales goals:
    • Increase sales revenue
    • Increase number of sales
    • Increase sales on particular venues (Etsy, bigcartel, own website, offline, craft show, local, etc.)
    • Increase average revenue per order
    • Increase orders of multiple items
    • Begin selling in X amount of boutiques or shops
    • Participate in X number of craft shows
  • Financial goals:
    • Increase profit (net income = sales revenue less expenses)
    • Decrease expenses
    • Keep better inventory records
    • Consistently track expenses, sales, inventory, supplies, etc.
    • Improve records for tax purposes
    • Improve pricing formula
    • Boost profit margin
  • Marketing goals:
    • Increase facebook fans or twitter followers
    • Increase Etsy views, hearts, etc.
    • Increase blog/website/e-newsletter subscribers or views
    • Increase number of blog posts/facebook posts/tweets each week or month
    • Develop your own website/blog/e-newsletter/direct mailing list
    • Make the frontpage of Etsy X times
    • Get published in a print or e-magainze
    • Guest post on other blogs
    • Participate more in Etsy teams or other forums
    • Make X amount of Etsy treasuries
    • Get featured on a specific relevant website
    • Leave business materials in X amount of local businesses
  • Other Business Goals:
    • List X amount of new items on Etsy each week/month
    • Develop X amount of new product lines this year
    • Revamp your logo, brand, website, shop, etc.
    • Redesign or develop your business cards, custom catalog, etc.
    • Learn more about specific business topics, like SEO, HTML, product photography, bookkeeping, etc.
    • Complete your creative business plan.

    Write your goals down and keep them in a visible place. Throughout the year, you should take some time once a month or at least once a quarter to review your goals, determine your progress, and adjust as necessary. Seeing your goals will give you the kick in the pants you might need every now and then to get back on track.

I hope this helped you to begin thinking about planning for next year. I wish you, your loved ones, and your creative business success and happiness in 2013! See you next year yall!

What are some of your most important goals for your creative business in 2013?

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Throw Me Somethin’ Mister!

Mardi Gras 2012 is Tuesday, February 21.  That means we are right in the thick of Mardi Gras season for the next month!  This time of year makes me think of king cake, blaring trumpets, and lots and lots of beads.

When I was little, my mom often took us to the huge (and family-oriented) parades in Kenner and Metarie, just outside of New Orleans.  Every year I was in college (all 6 of them, haha), I squished in a car with my friends and we drove to New Orleans, usually jamming about 12 people into one hotel room.  Mardi Gras in New Orleans is truly a unique experience.  I probably wouldn’t be able to handle it now that I’m older, but the memories of limping down Bourbon Street in sticky shoes, eating Popeye’s red beans and rice at 3am, and sitting on someone’s shoulders desperately trying to catch the biggest beads will always make me smile.

Now that we are in Houston, we celebrate a very sedate Mardi Gras season.  My husband made a king cake, and I’ve decided to honor Mardi Gras by creating earrings with authentic parade doubloons.  If you aren’t that familiar with Mardi Gras traditions, you may know about catching beads at parades, but there are also doubloons.  Each year every Mardi Gras krewe creates limited edition doubloons, which are basically big shiny aluminum coins, to throw at their parade.  The doubloons usually have the year, the krewe name, and the theme or name of the krewe’s parade that year engraved on them.

These Mardi Gras earrings are a great way to wear a little piece of Mardi Gras tradition during this season, whether you are participating in carnival season somewhere in Louisiana, or just want to celebrate the good times wherever you call home!

Silver doubloon earrings by Lazy Owl Boutique
Shiny blue doubloon earrings by Lazy Owl Boutique
Gold Mardi Gras earrings by Lazy Owl Boutique

Party like it’s 2012

Hello!  Welcome to 2012!  Obviously I did not intend on taking a nearly two-month long vacation from the blogosphere, but December and the holidays turned out to be busier than I thought.  I hope that all of you had a peaceful (and successful, if you are a fellow Etsian like myself) holiday season!

With the beginning of every new year, I like to follow the trend of setting some goals and coming up with a resolution or two.  This year I read an article about the 101 Things in 1001 Days Challenge.  1001 days is three years, so coming up with 101 goals in 3 years gives you the time and opportunity to do some serious long-term thinking and planning.

2012 Weekly Planner PDF by milas on Etsy

I then stumbled upon the awesome website, Day Zero, and decided to set up my very own 101 things list.  You can see my list here.  I still haven’t thought of all 101 things, I could only get about 80, so I have some room to grow.  I tried to come up with a mix of fun things I’ve always wanted to do and serious goals I need to do, along with a few things that I’d love to happen but don’t know if they are possible (like weigh 140 pounds…ha…ha….).

I welcome you to create a Day Zero list with me to motivate yourself to meet your goals for the next three years.

Here are a few of the items on my list, many of them pertaining to Lazy Owl Boutique.  They say you should make your goals quanitifiable and specific, so you can see I chose a specific number for many of them.

– Learn how to sew
– Cook a meal in the crock pot (I’ve told you I like never…cook)
– Paint every room in the house (ouch)
– Go to the beach (yay!)
– Learn Italian
– Go to Italy (TBD in a later post!)
– Cook 10 recipes from Pinterest
– Make 150 sales on Etsy (hopefully over the next 3 years, this will be possible, so far I’m at 10 out of 150)
– Write 50 blog entries!  Here we go!
– Sell at 5 craft shows (hopefully more)
– Make 30 things from Pinterest
– Read 75 books
– Eat at every Pappa’s restaurant (it’s a Houston thing)
– Make an ottoman/bench out of our old coffee table
– Eat on our wedding china at least twice (since we’ve never eaten on it at all)
– Bake 10 different types of cupcakes, yay!
– Be on the frontpage of Etsy 5 times (I’ve managed to get on it once this year already!)

So, now you can follow along with me as I try to complete this goals over the next 1001 days.  Let me know if you decide to make your own list, and we can share.  I need more ideas for goals!

Stocking Stuffers and a Sale

Happy almost Thanksgiving yall!

In honor of Thanksgiving/Black Friday/Cyber Monday, I’m offering free shipping all this week.  Use coupon code TURKEY for FREE domestic shipping!  This is a great way to get unique, handmade gifts without having to fight the crowds at the mall, but without having to pay extra for shipping!

Sneak a peek at some of the cutie patootie stocking stuffers, all for $14 or less, that I have in stock right now.  I’m about to list TONS more over the week too!

Mint green rosette studs for just $9!

Hot pink mum earrings for $10

Cute as a button! Heart button earrings<

Plum rose earrings

Gold wire-wrapped sea green pearl ring

Mint Dahlia adjustable ring

It’s *almost* the most wonderful time of the year…

Sniff, sniff….do you smell the holidays coming?  Or maybe your nose is just running from the allergies you get during the changing of the seasons?  Or maybe that is just me.

Here in southeastern Texas, it is still rather warm (as in mid-70s) even though we are approaching Thanksgiving.  Today I think the low is actually in the 40s. Woo!  I am ready for colder weather, mostly because I’m ready to wear my many pairs of boots…

I have been really slacking on the updating front lately.  It has been a busy couple of months, first the half marathon and Disney trip, then the craft show, then the stray dog issue…Since then I have had a terrible bout of food poisoning and some really busy weeks at work.  I have almost hit the 6 month mark at my new job so I’ve had some new responsibilities transition to me.

In the meantime, I have focused all my Lazy Owl energy on listing new items in my shop, hoping to capitalize on that upcoming holiday shopping rush.  Take a peek at some of my new items, these beauties are the perfect accessory for upcoming holiday parties:

Black and gold wire-wrapped ring

Rose old hollywood earrings

And my new personal favorite, these lovelies:
Rainbow vitrail gold earrings

I also have been working hard on a custom order for a bridal party, which I just shipped off this morning, so that was pretty exciting.  It was my first wedding order, and the bride was wonderful to work with.  Plus, the earrings she chose for her bridesmaids are one of my favorite pairs:

What have yall been doing to get ready for the holidays?  I need to shift focus from my Etsy shop back to getting ready for my next craft fair.  I also plan to write a post featuring a few of my stocking stuffer items, along with some promotions for Black Friday/Cyber Monday.  Next week we are taking some time off for Thanksgiving, so I’m happy for the excuse to relax 🙂

Happy Holidays!

Holiday Bootcamp Kick Off

Waaaaaahhhhhhh!  I’m sort of trying to swallow down a nervous breakdown right now.  A week from yesterday, I leave for my happy place, Walt Disney World resort in Florida.  A week from tomorrow, I am going to attempt the impossible — running (jogging? walking? limping? crawling?) 13.1 miles as part of Disney’s Food & Wine Half-Marathon.

I know I had made some promises a while back to keep you all posted on my training progress, and maybe you are wondering where all those promised updates are…well, I have barely been training! Ahhhhhhhh.  The longest I’ve gone in preparation for this is 9 miles.  And I’ve done that twice.  And the last time was like 3 weeks ago.  I have only run once this week (4 measly miles).  I’m promising myself that I will do 9 miles again this weekend since it’s my last chance to squeeze in another long run…but….we’ll see.

Anyway, running-related freakage aside, I’ve been slowly building up some anxiety related to my Etsy shop and this holiday season.  Two issues — I want my shop to be in tip-top shape for the upcoming holiday rush (assuming there is a rush for me), and I’ve signed up for two craft shows in Houston where I will attempt to sell my wares in person for the first time EVAR.

There are many, MANY things I need to do to prep for a for-reals craft fair.  Hopefully preparing for the craft shows will help get my Etsy shop into gear as well.  Yesterday, I received week 1’s issue of Etsy Success’ Holiday Bootcamp, and I really need to follow some of the advice the blog article suggests.  So, in an attempt to get my butt in gear, I’m going to start listing some goals for myself.  Maybe you can follow along too!

Etsy’s Holiday Bootcamp

Lazy Owl Boutique Holiday Goal Outline(very official name)

  • Increase inventory, with a goal to at least double inventory by October 29 (date of first craft show)
    • Begin by focusing on inventory that will sell well at craft shows:
      • Make more wire-wrapped rings in variety of sizes
      • Make more bunting necklaces, particularly ones with school colors (focus on Texas schools and SEC schools for now)
      • Make more vintage glass jewel earrings
  • Order supplies as needed
    • Inventory supplies — earwires, craft wire, crystals
    • Craft show supplies? — another table, table coverings, risers, receipts, vendor apron, earring cards, merchandise bags, stickers, etc. etc..
  • Prepare/create displays for craft shows– ring boxes, earring frames, doorknob necklace holders, earring/necklace trees, price signs, shop name banner, etc. etc.
  • Update inventory catalog and pricing — I’ve gotten really lazy about entering my supplies and costs into my inventory spreadsheet, how will I know where to price my items if my supply costs are not accurate?
  • Photograph and list, list, list on Etsy all these new items I’m making!!

*Sigh*…I basically just need to set aside more time…more time to create items, but also to update my inventory/pricing spreadsheets, take photos, and list items.  I feel like all that admin stuff takes more time than actually creating, but I guess that’s the way it is!

Do you have a plan to get ready for the upcoming holiday season?  Feel free to share!  Or give me advice, I love advice…

Are you ready for the holidays?

I know it’s only barely September…but if you’re an Etsy seller it might be time to start gearing up for the holiday sales rush!  I say that like I know what I’m talking about, but since I’ve never experienced a holiday sales rush (or any sort of sales rush, sadly), I don’t.  However, Etsy just sent an email announcing this year’s Holiday Boot Camp, so I hope you participate!  Goals are good!

What are you doing to prepare for the holiday sales rush?