Tag Archives: New Year

2013: A Year in Review

Happy Holidays! Whew! I apologize for my radio silence for the majority of this year. I promise 2014 will be back on track around here!

I think I had a pretty good excuse for my distraction. You see, in 2013, we had a little baby owlette! Being pregnant and having a newborn kept me pretty busy!

IMG_20131111_102018_860

baby girl hazel

Now, I know this isn’t meant to be a lifestyle blog, so I will keep my gripes about being preggo and gushing about our new little hazelnut to a minimum. I’m now running Lazy Owl Boutique (the business and the blog) as a full-time stay-at-home-mom of a 3-month old (that was a lot of hyphens).

Business aside, 2013 was a great year for Lazy Owl, and I hope it was a record year for your creative business as well. I’ve revisited my blog posts from the end of last year, Planning for Positivity and a Year in Reflection. The lessons from these articles can easily be re-applied to this year. First, let’s review what we’ve accomplished in 2013!

Positive notes for me and my creative venture in 2013:

  • Continued to generate new content for this blog over the first quarter of the year, gaining new followers and ever-increasing stats (even without updates, the hits keep coming! make a website yall!)
  • Maintained steady sales orders and revenue over on Etsy
  • Became a vendor at a new local shop in Houston for handcrafted goods, The Tinderbox
  • Sold for the first time at Pop Shop Houston, a handmade holiday market, and it was AMAZING!
  • Got a new camera, learned to (sort of) use it, and upped my listing photography skills
  • Continued to re-do my branding and imagery (I updated my banner, Facebook look, and business cards so far), and learned how to use Photoshop to do so on my own
  • Experimented with some new product line ideas, and figured out what did and did not work (like I am never going to be good at calligraphy haha)

That was the good stuff. Considering all that happened for me personally in 2013 (mostly baby stuff), I’m glad I was able to accomplish anything business-wise. I will admit that my sales did not increase nearly as much as I had hoped for this year, but the limiting factor in that equation was myself. I just did not have the time or energy to put as much effort into Lazy Owl as I had planned, and without constant effort, you’re not going to get the bigger payoff. However, I think that’s what’s so great about being a creative entrepreneur…you’re in charge of your destiny. The business is here when you need it, and if you need to step back for a while to focus on other things, you have the flexibility to do so.

I’m re-posting the same free printable I posted last year, but with a few new tweaks to really get you thinking about what you accomplished this year and ramp up your planning for the next. I added the “Personal” section, along with a capstone question – What did you learn this year about your business and yourself as an entrepreneur? If you had to sum up 2013 as one big lesson to lend toward your success next year, what would you say? For me, I’d say that in 2013 I learned that Lazy Owl can only be as successful as I’m willing to make it. I can only make so much money and generate a certain level of success by letting it (and myself) coast along. It really is important for me to do a little something to benefit my business everyday if I truly want to reach the goals I have in the near future.

Here’s the downloadable printable in all its glory. Click to download and dig deep into what you’ve accomplished this year. Even if you’re just starting out, it’s important to give yourself a pat on the back for what you’ve gotten done thus far!

free printable

SIDE NOTE! I just have to use this venue as my free plug for shopping Lazy Owl for the holidays. There’s still a few days left to order some fun handcrafted jewelry in time for Christmas! If you use code OWLBLOG you can get $5 off any order $15 or more!

wire-wrapped ring featuring raw pyrite nugget of fun, this year’s most popular Lazy Owl gift!

Up next, we’ll discuss planning for positivity and growth in 2014!

signature

Related articles

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?

signature

Related articles

A Year in Reflection

Etsy

Etsy (Photo credit: Scott Beale)

I was inspired by this post to reflect on the year 2012 and what I’ve accomplished. I agree that it’s all too easy to think back on the year and focus on all the things left undone, all those goals I didn’t reach or things I didn’t achieve. Sure, we can always do better, but that’s what planning for 2013 is for right? Let’s take some time to focus on all the things we did achieve this year.

2012 was a year of slow but steady growth for me:

  • Reached and surpassed 100 fans on facebook
  • Surpassed my goal of having more than 100 Etsy sales in 2012, I actually had 240+ sales this year (and it ain’t over yet!)
  • Became a part of a local store in Houston, Roundtable Goods, and networked with lots of amazing local artists
  • Revamped my new website and began writing a little bit more regularly
  • Participated in several shows, including my first wedding show
  • Finally put up a few of my “backburner” or “dream” products up for sale in the shop, like a yarn wreath and mixed media necklaces
  • Quit my day job and switched to a new part-time teaching job to have more time to spend on my own business!

It’s important to boost yourself up with positive thinking every now and then (or all the time really, haha). Take some time to reflect on the year and all the great things you accomplished. Feel free to use the printable worksheet below.

signature

Related articles