A New Year – Goals for 2013

Happy New Year!

It has been a fair while since my last post as the end of year activities and trips to see family took up most of my time. But I have been here, quietly working away behind the scenes and making big plans for 2013.

We are here now, in a new year, and I thought I would take a moment to share my goals for business with you. I am hoping that by writing my goals down in a public forum will help to keep me accountable…and who knows, maybe one of you out there might be able to help me see some of them through.

So, 2013. What plans do I have for you?

1. WHOLESALE & OTHER AVENUES FOR SELLING – This has been a dream of mine for a while. I would love to find some lovely boutique stores (online and/or bricks-and-mortar) to stock my jewellery and/or cards. I would love to work with boutiques to create exclusive lines for them. Mumma Necklaces might also be a hit for the wholesale market. My main hurdle with this goal is getting over my nerves and working out how to approach shop owners (any tips of this please leave a comment!).
2. PRICING – This is a contentious one. I have been challenged in my business blog readings to value my own work and price accordingly. This is one area I have struggled with and I know many in the handmade world also struggle with how much to charge for their goods. As I am taking my business and product more seriously and spending time and money investing in it I need to raise my prices. It will not be a huge increase but enough to allow me to afford the fees I pay for business services (website, markets, Paypal etc) and still make a small profit. The increase will also absorb the rises in costs I am experiencing with resources and materials. Fingers crossed the price rise will not affect my sales in a negative way!
3. TRADEMARKING – As my business is growing I am feeling the need to begin the process of trademarking my name and/or logo. This is the first time I have had the money to do this so I believe it is time. Again, if you have any tips on trademarking feel free to leave a comment!
4. STOCK MANAGEMENT – After a year of working into the very late hours of the night (or early hours of the morning) while juggling an energetic 2 year old and a frequent night-waking baby I am in need of a new system to manage stock. So this year I will be trialling working in collections. I aim to release a themed collection for sale every 2 or 3 months with other stock being made and kept for markets and wholesale (when I get on to that). Mumma necklaces and my ranges of flower studs will continue to be available for sale throughout this time as a constant. I am hoping this will prevent the mad rush before a market and the fear of “Will I have enough?” when assessing my stock levels. I will still be open for customs but may limit the number of spots I release per month. It’s all about achieving BALANCE.
5. MYOB – The boring but important goal of the year. I have MYOB but need to learn how to use it. At the moment I have about 5 different places for keeping track of sales and my expenditure is ‘tracked’ by shoving receipts into a manilla folder in the filing cabinet. Failing learning how to use MYOB and becoming competent in managing my finances I will have to hire an accountant! Again, any good MYOB tips are much appreciated!

So that’s about it. I think 5 goals is quite enough for one year. I will keep you posted on how I go with them and if you have any tips or advice regarding the above please do not hesitate to leave a comment.

Also, if you happen to own a shop (online or otherwise) or know someone who does and think that my products would suit I would love to hear from you to discuss wholesaling!

So here’s to 2013 and all that it may bring!