2019 has started and at this time of year we look to the year ahead. Also at what we hope to achieve. It is a common belief that business planning isn’t really necessary for a handmade business. However setting yourself some milestone goals for the year ahead can really give your business some direction. At the end of the year it gives you a measure of just how much you have achieved. Also what areas worked well or need to be worked on for the following year.
Try not to overthink the process of setting business goals. Try and think of small manageable goals that you could work towards during the course of the year. If you want to be all professional you can follow the SMART objectives framework.
S – Specific
M – Measurable
A – Attainable
R – Relevant
T – Time-based
However this process can seem very overwhelming and a bit over the top for a small scale business. Although when you look back after setting your goals you will find that they will fall into this criteria. For a start without even thinking about your goals you have already set your time frame. You are looking to achieve your goals in the next year so by the end of 2019. There you go time based can be ticked off straight away.
Quick Business Review
I would have a quick review of your business and where it is at the moment. Do a quick assessment of the following areas:
Social Media Followers: How many followers,, favourites or likes have you got on your different social media platforms?
Sales: Have a look at how many sales your have made through different channels. How many sales have you made through Facebook, Etsy, shops, fairs etc. Where do you currently sell your items.
Product Lines: How many different items do you sell? Are there any gaps in your available items?
Hopefully by looking at the areas of your business mentioned above you will have come up targets. Some areas that you feel you would like to concentrate on improving over the coming year.
Setting my goals for 2019
So all this talk of setting goals for the year. I am going to set my goals here for 2019 giving you an example.
Make a sale through my own website. I have yet to make a sale through my own website where my items are available for purchase. This is a selling platform that I have not yet managed to take advantage of.
Increase stock levels for ready made items.Have more items ready made so they can be posted straight out. So I am not making items to order at peak times.
Attempt online marketing, through Pinterest. Pinterest is a growing social media platform that will become a larger influencer of sales. It would be beneficial to tap into this early on so that when this happens your items are already there.
I’m not going to be too ambitious with my goals . I have experienced considerable growth in my sales for 2018. I’d would like to take some time to better cope with my increased sales levels.
Mainly try not expect too much and be realistic. Think about what you will be able to achieve in a year. At the beginning of 2018 I wanted to achieve 20 sales on Etsy, by the end I had over 100. It is more rewarding to have a goal and smash it. It would be very disheartening to set an over inflated goal and not being able to achieve it. This would have the opposite affect on your business and cause you to question your ability and possible success.
