I don’t know about you, but I’ve got some big goals for my business for 2012. In fact, I’m planning on making 2012 my best business year yet.
But I’m not just hoping it will happen. I’m putting a plan in place to help me achieve my goals.
If you’re planning on making 2012 your best business year yet, here are four ideas to help you get there:
1. Pick one point of focus.
It’s really easy to get overwhelmed when trying to grow your business. Every day you’ve got an endless number of tasks to complete and it can be difficult to prioritize. Should you work on your website or call stores? Should you design new products or work on promoting the ones you already have? Should you spend money on that trade show or put it into advertising?
When you have a clearly defined point of focus, making those decisions becomes a whole lot easier.
The way you focus varies a lot from person to person. Some people pick a word or mantra to carry them through the year. Others may pick one area of their business they want to focus on growing. (For me, this year is all about growing my online retail sales.) Others may find that one focus for the year is too limiting, and instead decide to focus on one thing to improve every month.
Regardless of which strategy you choose, the most important thing is that you pick one thing to focus on and make a priority.
2. Don’t do things just because “you’re supposed to” or “that’s the way it’s done.”
When I started my business, I sold at retail shows. Because I thought that’s what I was supposed to do. But I realized pretty quickly that I didn’t love doing them. So I stopped.
I see so many makers doing something that’s not working (either for them or the bottom line) because they feel it’s what they should be doing. When it comes to running your business, there are no rules. (There are some laws, but there are no rules.) What works for someone else’s business may not work for yours.
If craft shows make you miserable, stop doing them. If the leaps you need to make in your business mean you no longer fit into Etsy’s terms of service, stop selling on Etsy. Just because you’ve always done something (or other people are doing it) doesn’t mean you have to.
The companies that get noticed don’t get that way because they follow the conventional wisdom of their industries. The companies that everyone talks about do so because they make decisions based on what’s best for them, not the way it’s always been done.
3. Take chances and make big leaps.
If you want your business to be different than it was last year, you have to do some things differently. And that means taking chances (and maybe even making a big leap or two.)
For some people, this might mean spending the money to do a trade show for the first time. For others, it might mean writing (and hitting publish on) a blog post that pushes you past your comfort zone. Regardless, the outcome is the same. By doing something that you’ve never done before, you’re taking your business in a new direction.
It’s hard to grow your business doing only what makes you feel safe.
Give yourself permission to take risks with your business this year and do things that make you uncomfortable. Sure, some of them might not pan out the way you had hoped. But if you only do exactly what you did last year, your business is going to look exactly like it did last year.
4. Embrace your customers.
If you’re looking for a mantra for 2012, why not make it “people”?
A business has to be built around more than just what you want to do. (Yes, even a creative business.) Even if you don’t take your customers into account when creating (which I highly encourage you to do), you need to consider them when it comes time to make a sale.
Think about what your customers want and what value you can provide for them. Instead of thinking about what your business can do for you, start thinking about what it can do for others. (And I’m not talking about charity here, I’m talking about value.)
If you make your business customer focused instead of just thinking about how it can benefit you, I guarantee you’ll see positive results come back your way.
There’s no reason why 2012 can’t be your best business year yet, as long as you’re committed to doing the work.
Please share in the comments – how are you planning on making 2012 your best business year yet?
Great article! I just found you on Twitter and am paying lots of attention to your advice!
Thanks!
Great post Megan! I need to put together my goals. My favorite thing about the New Year is the renewal and focusing on goals part.
This is fantastic advice – thank you. I particularly like the last point about making our businesses focus more on people/customers.
Great post Megan! I really like the part about not doing retail shows if you do not Love them. I did retails shows for 4 years and they were good to me, but in 2010, I decided to do less shows in 2011. It was a tough choice as retail shows were the majority of my income. I am happy to report a 22% growth in 2011! It is really fulfilling to implement a decision and have it work out so well.
The best part is that it alleviated more of my time for creating new work and allows me to not work overtime all of the time.
I have been blogging a lot lately about my goals and objectives for the year. I think I will go back and see if I did this last year and how well I have stuck to my goals.
I am always looking forward to your blog posts~ Thank you!
Fabulous advice. Number 1 is going up on my wall. It is actionable & also gives me permission to do 1 thing at a time. Thx!!
Thank you for the advice concerning NOT doing craft shows. Maybe in the future, but right now I just can’t devote that much time and resources to craft shows.
Hi Megan,
Thanks for this post. It’s very helpful. I especially like the part about focusing on how our businesses can be useful to our customers. Win-win! I have a lot of priorities but I suppose the biggest is to increase my personal income to $50,000. My business is starting to take off and I have 2 part-time jobs that I like. It’s altogether too much work though. I need to make more income, so I can eventually work less. I’m hoping to build my business and save enough so that I can quit one of my part-time jobs by June. Wish me luck!
Mary
Thank you megan iam definitely thankful to connect w other artisians in the biz i am going to work morethis year on putting my creative energy into marketing and taking a different look at the whole selling market . i really want to impliment online sales thank you again
Thanks for another great post! It feels like I’ve gotten permission to ‘stop and breathe” and that was very much needed!!
Many thanks!!
Thanks so much Megan! I have so many ideas and “plans” for the future, but I have a hard time pin pointing what to work on and when. With our 3rd baby on the way, I’m finding it is so so important to really do what I want to do, not what others want me to do or what is expected… great advice, thanks so much!
Great advice as always Megan. I especially like the idea of focusing on one big leap forward, it’s so easy to feel overwhelmed by all the ideas and avenues that a business can take.
Great post Megan, very inspirational. By focusing one task at time we can see the results faster and that motivation pushes us forward to look for new challenges. My main goal for 2012 is to focus on my online sales and new stockists.
In December my thoughts for 2012 was how to be more profitable. I listed several ways to cut expenses and explore selling opportunities. I like your suggestion on customer focus though. The bonus of working with local shops is the feedback on what sells and what people are looking to buy.
You have encouraged me to continue to explore monthly items/ideas to reach new customers and expand within my current customer base.
This year is my year for “FOCUS”!
I really like you saying to get outside of your comfort zone, that’s a biggie for me, but I am going to do it! You are right you can’t keep doing the same thing over and over and expect different results!
Here’s to a new year and bigger results!
This is great advice, Megan! I love what you said here: “But if you only do exactly what you did last year, your business is going to look exactly like it did last year.” This is such good kick-in-the-pants advice to do something different! Thank you!
I’m taking the plunge & doing a higher-end glass art this year. I’m submitting to really good galleries because, um, what have I got to lose??? If I don’t get in, I’m right where I was before, but if I do get in, we do the happy dance.
I’m applying to fewer, but better, shows this year. And I want a cool web site like Beth Millner’s – so impressive!
Awesome advice, thank you! Focusing in one area has always been difficult as there is just so much I want achieve but this year….is the year.. focus, focus, focus!
My two other points I have to tackle to move forward, is delegating and stop being a control freak (which the two do go together). Finally realising I don’t have four brains and eight arms!
Thank you again, about to go camping…clear my head..and set those new goals. Happy planning everyone! X
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Great article. We all need to push the envelope to grow our businesses.
Thanks Megan!
Your article is really encouraged me to do something different to grow my small business.
Impressed with pint 1 and 3.
Really a good a kick in the pants advice 🙂 thanks again!
Great ideas here – I decided I was going to make more money this year, but I realize now I did not decide HOW I was going to accomplish it. Focusing on people and what they want will greatly help. Also, I’m going to start making more of what I like to make and not just the things I know will sell. I love doing craft shows – I really enjoy customer interaction, and I don’t think I will ever stop doing them but I am going to try some new venues this year, also. Thanks for your post.
This couldn’t of been at a better time for me! I was feeling so overwhelmed with what I should and shouldn’t be doing! Thanks Megan! My goal is to have 5 wholesale orders by the summer and to update my website with great photos!
Thank you for the advice!
My goal is to learn to a market my business – a very hard area for me to get my head around.
I also want to focus on online sales so the 2 go hand in hand. I have registered for your makers and marketing course and feel that I am on the right foot already.
looking forward to starting soon! Thanks
Megan – Excellent content. I am taking your points and integrating them into my first staff mtg of the year with my team. Thank you continuing to deliver such quality in all you do. PS – Time for a shopping spree on your site!!
Thank you, thank you, thank you! #2 on your list is exactly what somebody needed to tell me right now. You are absolutely right, of course. I have been feeling very pressured to change some of the ways I do business to conform to what the other vendors do. It hasn’t felt right to me & thanks to you I’ve been empowered to make an executive decision today – I’m going with my gut & not following the herd!
Best of luck Rose. Be an independent thinker. Yea!
I love this! I particular like point 2. I sometimes feel that if I’m not doing things the way everyone else is, I won’t be very successful.
As a fellow crafter, I know what an event needs in order for my work to turn to sales. I still dabble in crafts but my focus as of the last 14 years has been as a festival producer. Knowing the needs from both sides of the fence, what I can share is that we treat our artisans like family. If you are looking for outdoor festivals to promote your hand-made designs, please check out the Erie’s Wild Rib Cook Off & Music Festival – May 30 – June 2, 2012, in Perry Square Park, Erie, PA.
I loved all the things I read ,Thanks Elizabeth Shaw to share ,I definite need to change lots of points in my business. thank you .
Thanks Megan,
This is so helpful. My time is limited for my business stuff because Ia m a student. But setting some goals for the year is really helping me focus on where I want to be by next year and the steps I want to take to get there.
thanks!
Thanks Megan,
My goal is to spend time promoting my on line shop. In the past I have concentrated on retail shows. I now find myself overwhelmed in how to goggle or divide my time creating and sitting at the computer promoting my store.
It’s getting better, because I am putting a lot of effort in it and relaxing a bit.
Very helpful information than you!
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I am focused on two things this year and that makes me really happy.