I know it's a little late, but better late than never to get back into the swing of things. December was crazy busy with holiday markets and my goal was pretty much to
get through it all. (and now I'll cross it off, since I didn't do that earlier). Now that I have some time to catch my breath, it's time to focus on where I want to go with what's left of this month.
I'm trying to simplify a bit, and as I've been thinking about this post and what my goals will be, I've realized that there are really only a few things I want to accomplish. There are a number of smaller goals within each larger one, but this seems so much more manageable than the huge lists I usually come up with. (maybe simplifying is my new year's resolution?)
January Goals
1.
Hold sales consistent from last month.
I've watched my sales increase from month to month since I started doing markets and really working on getting my work out into the world. In December, I did three times as many markets as usual and I saw my sales triple from November. So the big challenge this month is to keep that figure consistent without all the markets and the holiday hullabaloo. The good news is that I'm already almost 1/3 of the way there. I have one market at the end of the month and I might be able to do another 1/3 there. I'll still need to make up the last 1/3, which is where goals 2, 3, and 4 come in.
2.
Get the online shops going in a serious way.
Take photos of all products in stock and post them to both
1000 Markets and
Etsy. Follow through with marketing and promotion.
3.
Wholesale!
This has been hanging out on my list for a while. I was very fortunate to meet an interior designer here in town who is helping me focus myself a bit and giving me some suggestions as to how to approach this both for designers and retail shops. As it turns out, I've been making things much more complicated than they need to be. (Surprise, surprise! I'm starting to wonder if this is really a complicated way to procrastinate?).
In order to do this I need to:
1. design one more base pattern and rework
trellis stripe to be a 2-color pattern. (
hex and
dismas are ready to go)
2. rework my swatch book to show only base patterns, in all available colors and fabrics
3. full-size samples of all the products that I offer: dinner napkins, cocktail napkins, linen tea towels, placemats, quilts... also shower curtains, window curtain panels, throw pillows... am I missing anything?
(ETA- yep, forgot table cloths and table runners)
4. line sheet
5. make sure my pricing is accurate
6. spiffy presentation
7. photos
4.
Approach the four BR stores on my list
5.
Valentine's Day
I've designed a few patterns (special thanks to the saturn dealership for the 7 hours I spent in their waiting room last week, during which time I got lots of designing done, yeah!)
6.
Replenish inventory
Between
sales and trades last month, all I can say is, "oof!".
Now I just need to get down to it, stay focused, and make it happen!
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