2016 Shop Goals and Personal Goals

Hello all! It's been a while. I feel like last time I wrote a real post was when I had just listed some of my first Etsy products. One year and 288 sales later, we have some catching up to do. MrsCaiterBug's Etsy Shop has gotten more business than I ever expected. Now that I have some e-commerce experience, I really want to push my shop even further and create goals for the next year. 

My 2016 Planner!

I'm writing this post for 3 reasons:

1. It has forced my to put my goals into words, and therefore they are more thought out.
2. Sharing my goals with you all will keep my accountable.
3. It fulfills one of my goals of blogging more - Is that cheating? haha.

Shop Goals:

Create one new product or product range per month.
I have a GIANT list of products, so coming up with the ideas isn't challenging. I just need to execute them! I plan to write a post about some of the first new products I will focus on, which will hopefully motivate me to stay on track.  

Host a giveaway once a month.
I've done 2 giveaways so far, and they both have been really fun. I love interacting with my followers on social media. It's been a great way to gain followers that have a genuine interested in my products. 

Participate in a local marketplace.
In October, I participated with RAW to exhibit in an Art Show in Downtown Seattle. It was a blast, and was a good practice to see what it would be like to participate in a marketplace. I already have a couple ideas on how I would like to accomplish this. 

Double my printable art inventory.
My printable art items have been rather popular and a great way to boost my sale count. What I like most about them is that I spend time making them once, and then the sale and download is automatic. Right now, I have 72 printable items, so I am looking to get up to at least 144.

Run a sale or coupon on my shop.
I haven't really hosted a store-wide sale, so let's do it! 

Participate in more social media trends.
I need to keep my social media presence consistent. Participating in Throwback Thursday/Transformation Tuesday/Etc will help keep me active. I need to research and see what Etsy shop or craft specific trends there are... or come up with my own! 

Write my shop "about" page.
Mostly I have been putting this one off because I didn't really feel like I had a story. Now that its been a year, I feel like a actually have something to say. 

Take an online Etsy class.
I've seen advertisements for online Etsy classes and they look like they could be somewhat helpful. At the very least, to make sure I am not doing anything incorrectly.

Participate on Etsy forums.
Etsy has an online forum for sellers to post questions and seek help. I'd like to be active and help other shop owners out - and maybe meet some local shop owners??

Meet-up with local shop owners.
Seek out other shop owners! Hear their stories and learn from them!

Expand on packaging and branding.
As of now, I have just been doing the bare minimum for packaging and branding. I really want to push myself further and include more professional and cute packaging.

Get tags made to sew onto products.
Now that I know I will get a return on my investment, I can see that it will be worth spending the money to get some custom tags made. It will also give me the chance to support another shop on Etsy.

Improve product photos.
I've already made some improvements with my latest shoot by having a neutral background and natural lighting.

Start my Amazon Handmade store.
When I first got accepted into the Amazon Handmade store, I was in the height of my holiday orders. I tried setting up my shop, but it was just too overwhelming at the time. The most exciting part about this is that I will be able to offer non-customizable items with Prime!

Keep product ideas original, fresh, and fun.
It's so hard to stay trendy AND be original. Really, I shouldn't worry too much about being trendy and just make whatever I think looks best and "follow my heart" or whatever ;) 

Create cute back drops or embellishments to style product photos.
This one might be hard to accomplish in our current apartment, but I am willing to try.

Start customer spotlights.
My customers have a habit of sharing their stories with me. I love hearing how they ended up at shop. It will also be a great way to share different customizations people add for special orders.

Get 1K Instagram followers.
I'm currently at 541. Let's do this!

Personal Goals:

BLOG! 3 times a month -> work up to 4
Does this one count for February? 

Take a sewing class online or in-person
I've already subscribed to a youtube channel that does sewing tutorials using my EXACT sewing machine. Yay!

Continue to eat healthy.
Over the first 1.5 years out of college, I consistently gained weight. It got to the point where I had outgrown a lot of my clothes and I started not to recognized myself in pictures. I was miserable. Last May, I started Weight Watchers and lost 20 lb in 2 months. It totally changed the way I eat for the better.  If you would be interested, I'd love to share more of this story and some of my favorite recipes. I'm pretty much addicted to Skinny Taste!

Exercise! Start with once a week -> work up to 3 times a week.
Looks like there is a lot of dog walking in my future!

Drink more water.
I'm already SO much better at this than last year, but I know I can still do better.

Meal plan before grocery shopping.
I try to buy groceries for 3 meals (dinners) at a time. I've been slacking on this since we now live across the street from two groceries stores. 

Prioritize laundry and dishes.
I always put this off. I am literally the worst! I always feel so much better when it is done, I just need to do it!

Hang up more pictures.
We have some blank walls and frames in boxes. You do the math.

Make clothing alterations.
 Because of my recent(ish) weight loss I have so many pairs of pants that are 3 or 4 sizes too big. It will be a good sewing practice to learn how to take the seams in a couple inches.

Give more gifts.
 I'm so bad with remembering birthdays. Let's do better this year!

Take better care of my skin.
I actually have a skincare routine now. It's not much, but its an improvement!

Scrapbook.
My first crafting love. I LOVE scrapbooking. I know, its so dorky and old school. I miss it so much! I need to make time for it again.

Draw! Complete 3 frame-ready drawings this year.
Every now and then I look through my portfolio and think "Damn... I really knew how to draw!" It will take some practice to get back to where I was in school and I know I'll be discouraged at first, but I really want to give it a go.

TRY to be more organized.
I say "try" because I already know I will fail at this, haha. A for effort though, right?

Listen to podcasts or audiobooks rather than watch tv.
This will become easier since we are canceling our cable soon. Any podcast or book recommendations? 

Write more stuff down.
I've realized it really helps me get my thoughts together. I can see this being really helpful for planning new products.

Overall, my biggest goal is to STAY MOTIVATED!

Okay, let's do this 2016 thing!