Stop & Celebrate

We're nearing the end of January and although I feel like I have the longest to-do list and am slightly overwhelmed, I've also gotten a lot accomplished. I am a strong believer in making time to stop and celebrate, so let's celebrate!! Number one is that people are now able to SHOP MY SITE and PURCHASE items! I mean that was like a #1 priority. I am adding new items almost daily and have been working hard to link my social posts to the shop and have the shop be organized so customers can flow easily through it. So the website improvements are huge but I did so much more than that. I had big plans for  a n n m a d e  in 2022 and we're well on our way to our goals. 

1. Register the Business- what I had been putting off for years was actually the easiest part. Beyond registering the business I have also registered my business with the Ohio Department of Taxation (aka Vendors License).
2. Write A Business Plan- I have started this process, hoping by the end of February to have this complete.
3. Create a Social Media Plan- This one is a little more complicated than I expected, mainly because I want to do it right. So although I a have been working on tik-tok, reels and the cadence of my postings, I need to spend more time learning about how they all truly work and how to tie them all together and use their analytics to drive more people to check out my site.
4. Optimize Product Listing & Pricing- I am super proud of myself that I even started this task. Every business owner should know their cost per item to determine their price and thus their profit. I have not kept track of the cost of materials, the fluctuation in those prices, or additional costs such as website hosting, applications, licenses and fees. So I have created a spreadsheet and am working to get all costs included to be able to properly price and sell my work. I still need to work on how to optimize the listing itself, but we can only do so much at once. 
5. Create  a n n m a d e knitting accessories- Still in the planning and brainstorming stages, but currently looking for some suppliers to begin the design process and receive some samples. 

These are the big to-do's and I will be working at them all year long. But I am going to add another goal, and that is 6. Increase Traffic to the Website. I plan to add specifics to this goal and then create a plan to achieve it. More to come!

So what's next...

So we've checked a lot of boxes and we're in progress on a handful, there is just not enough time in the day to get all the a n n m a d e  things I want done, done. The website has become the current mission. I am determined to make it better every day. Outside of all the new business goals I do have a live show coming up on February 12th at Lake Effect Studios and need to work on inventory collections, adding branded tags to existing items, and new business cards! 

During my reiki session last night I was told that my third eye is clear and open and my creative energy and drive is flowing. I feel it, so I'm going to spend my next 15 minutes knitting before heading to the 9-5 gig! 

Until next time, 

Ann