 |
| a life through the lens calendar 2013 |
I trust that all the amazing stuff that is meant to find me will - I just need to expend the energy
(and I have found that expending the energy is more important than the precise thing I expend the energy on, in other words it doesn't matter so much what we do in the beginning, so much as we do something)
set the intention for JOY
(yes, JOY - not lower-casing this baby anymore - I'm ready for the real thing and if you are, too - remember grandma's advice "be careful what you wish for" because sometimes a whole lot of things have to move over and sometimes right on out of your life to make room for JOY and once you set these wheels in motion there is no wheeling this elephant out of your living room - JOY ain't goin' nowhere)
and get out of my own way.
This get out of our own way thing is crucial for us over-thinkers. Getting on a more clearly defined marketing schedule - and making some things more automatic will help. This doesn't mean that we aren't able to change things when we need to - what's the point of being a small and thus nimble business if we can't pivot on a dime after all - but having a plan is a plan in itself and even us "fly by the seat of our pants, trust the amazing stuff will find us" girls need one for some things.
Step 1. Get yourself a calendar - there are a gazillion amazing ones HERE and some you can even download and get started today
(this will also allow us to make multiple copies which we are going to need anyway)
Step 2. Add the big deal dates - you may think of some I have missed, my brain is still on 2012 time
(for most one-day holidays mark all dates from 1-2 months back, for Christmas go 3 months back, for seasonal events mark all dates throughout the season and remember Etsy's never ending wedding focus last year - I'm sure it made them some big bucks, handmade weddings are not going anywhere and are something people will always spend money on - they are somewhat recession proof - and most makers could use something geared to this)
• New Years
• Valentine's Day
• Easter
• Mother's Day
• Graduations
• Weddings
• Father's Day
• Back to School
• Halloween
• Hanukkah
• Christmas
Step 3. Take a look at last year's Chase special months (you can buy the real-deal 2013 one somewhere - this is the abridged list) - what's the stuff on here that is calling your name - what can fill in some gaps in your calendar - this stuff can provide some excellent publicity ideas when you approach blogs, etc
Start thinking about an annual charity event your biz can do - what are you passionate about? This isn't something to do when your business is making more money - this is something to do now.
Step 4. Add your show schedule
Step 5. Make a list of some print magazines that could feature your work and check their media kits to see what they will be writing about over the next year - scope the blogosphere for some blogs that should be talking about you
Now you don't have to do everything right away - this isn't one more overwhelming thing after an exhausting holiday season - this is something to make our making easier and this is just the basics anyway.
This will be fun I promise and we will feel infinitely better just seeing these little color coded events on our calendars - yes, I said color code - we must color-code and I do not take the word "must" lightly folks - we need markers!
And let's pretend all this stuff is being done by our assistant named ... Lucy or Harriet or Clementine
(yes, I am looking at those little oranges right now - how'd you guess)
and actually while we are doing this stuff we should get dressed in our officey best (Lucy would after all).
One day last year (actually I was working after going to a wake, so it may not be the best example) I got so much done when working "dressed up" that it made me think it would be a good idea to get dressed everyday ... I didn't actually do this, but I did think it ...
Next time I'll tie this stuff all together, for now just have fun with it.
3 comments
This is the first year I feel like I'm going into this with a plan, but I have always been a fly by the seat of my pants girl so I'm sure there will be some detours along the way. And a girl can never have too many sharpies, gotta have our markers! ;)
You know, I just gave my Aunt most of my materials for doing shows. I am cleaning my studio, organizing everything in sight, and planning for a whirlwind year with a major move, hopefully sooner rather than later. Business is secondary. Creating is not.
I am still content and ready for MORE!
Hey fellow ecoetsy gal. I'm so glad that I found your blog today because it is just FULL of wonderful information to help me plan my business! You are AWESOME! I mean it. :)
Post a Comment