This is my annual post (it’s becoming something of a tradition!) where I review how the previous year has gone and share my plans for the year ahead. With no further ado..
Review of 2019
This was the year when I definitely got my work life and home life into better alignment. As the year’s gone off I’ve felt less guilt and have also worked a bit smarter, meaning much less time working in the evenings and at weekends. Sure, I still work a lot, but I definitely feel more in control of things now.
Some of the highlights of the year include:
- Working with a coach. This has been game-changing for me.
- Launching my courses, after a successful beta test.
- Been brave enough to go live on Instagram a few times. (I no longer care what I look or sound like!)
- I spoke at Thrive Effect in Brighton. Possibly the scariest thing I did this year and also one of the most rewarding.
- I’ve grown my consulting business (and sneakily changed the name). I have some great new clients – many of whom have become long term.
- I’ve grown Tiny Chipmunk sales – the new plates flew off the shelves earlier this Summer!
- I had a ‘proper’ photoshoot and now have some headshots I feel happy to use.
A review of my 2019 goals
In no particular order, my goals for 2019 were…
- Launch my course – Yes! I did this! I’m pretty proud of this, as it was a huge piece of work and I also had to conquer my fear around hearing my own voice! In case you don’t know, my courses are for anyone who wants to sell products (with an idea or not) and takes you from validation right up to launch.
- Release new products – Another tick! I launched my bamboo plates and bowls this Summer and they’ve sold really well so far.
- (Finally) hire a Virtual Assistant – This happened too! Not until the final quarter admittedly and I’m on my second, as the first wasn’t the right fit. However it’s been life (and business) changing and I’m so pleased I finally took the plunge. My goal for next year is to delegate more and delegate smarter.
- Grow my audience – by producing more useful content – I feel I’ve upped my game around the content I’ve been sharing this year – but I still have a way to go. I think this is actually more of an ongoing commitment than a goal that can be ticked off at some point.
2020 goals
Here’s what I’ll be updating you all on this time next year…
- Start a podcast – I really feel I have some interesting things to share and I LOVE podcasts, so this one really excites me. I honestly don’t know whether it’s the ‘best’ thing to do for my business, or whether it’ll do anything for me at all – but I do know I really want to. I guess this is my fun goal!
- Help more people get started on Amazon – The are plenty of marketplaces out there, but Amazon is my main expertise and where I shine. I love helping people create products from scratch, but I’m also getting a big kick out of helping experienced sellers grow their businesses here. I plan to divide my time between the two next year.
- Get into retail stores – After doing a successful pop up, plus a face-to-face event this year, I realised that my products sell well when people can see and feel them. I’d like to start local and see them in a few stores by the end of the year.
Usually I have four goals – this year it’s only three. Mainly because, right now I’m finding it hard to look so far ahead.
Next year is going to be a pretty big year for me business-wise. Come September I’ll have two children at school and be able to work on my business full-time, as opposed to fitting it into the hours I have available right now. I’m both excited and daunted by this and I’m not quite sure what that’ll look like in a year from now.
Other random highlights
As a huge book and podcast lover, I wanted to share my favourite new business-y books and podcasts from this year. Enjoy!
Favourite new podcasts
Favourite business book
- Shoe Dog – Phil Knight
- You are a Badass at Making Money – Jen Sincero
- Everything is Figureoutable – Marie Forleo