10 Tips for 2018

Christmas is over and you’ve enjoyed a bit of respite. Tax forms are coming to mind along with a new game plan. Don’t stress just yet. We’ve assembled the top 10 tips to start 2018 off right!

 

1.) Automate AS MUCH AS YOU CAN

Instagram growth/engagement can be automated using this service

Schedule out your Facebook business posts (we mix new products, customer photos, reviews and viral content out per month)

Schedule out your e-mail marketing (we send 3-5 emails/week and automate this weekly)

If you use small windows to schedule these things out in bulk, it’ll free up your time for something else- & time is $$!

2.) Get to know some  peeps.

Get out of your bubble. Join groups, send DMs (even when everything in you tells you not to !)

The best way to be seen these days is by exposure. Having friends may mean a door opening that you’d otherwise not even know existed!

Product loops, giveaways, email lists, blog posts and just flat out support comes with having small shop friends!

3.) STOP FEELING BAD FOR ASKING!!!!

Don’t overwhelm someone with questions, but be sure to write down your problems and either ask a mentor, or promise yourself to surf google at the very least! Asking questions means becoming a more proficient business owner- and we could all use more knowledge!

4.) STOP WINGING IT!!!!

There’s a time and place for improvisation- but promise yourself that in 2018 you’ll PLAN!!! Automating is the first step. This applies to product launches, team searches and every day scheduling. Knowing what is coming and hashing out a plan ahead of time puts you far beyond your competitor.

5.) ALWAYS HAVE A BACK UP PLAN!!!

Something will go wrong, fall through, not pan out! Have a back up plan ready, so you’re curveball doesn’t put you entirely out of the game. We just did this in our Valentine product hunting. While we didn’t find EXACTLY what we were looking for, we were able to settle for the right color pallet and let it flow from there. Seamstresses child gets sick and you were relying on her for 200 products this month? No big deal now, because you went ahead and sent your patterns and samples to a back up seamstress and she’s available!

6.) BIZDEV!!!

I cannot stress this one enough- continue to grow your skills. Books, articles, chat boards- never stop learning. We like to hit up half price books and get last month’s issue of FORBES, Entrepreneur, etc. Additionally, in our schedule, we carve out at least three hours a week to give us time to do just that. We keep a running list of things we would like to research, and take that time to conquer workshops, books and articles. How else do we know how to keep ya’ll in the game!?

Here are a few books we recommend. 

Here is a channel we love to watch. 

 

7.) Make a plan and stick to it!

Self-discipline is absolute key in being successful long term. This is a big trend among the 2018 goals we saw. Finding a way to “set hours” and ensure you have enough time for all of the important things in your life is PARAMOUNT. Between automation, hiring out and worshipping your planner, you are sure to find what works best for you!

Here’s the planner we recommend. 

Here’s a fantastic video about finding balance from @WalkInLove

 

8.) MESS UP!!!!

Yup, you read that right. Some of our biggest successes happened immediately after falling on our faces. Just last month, we used the same tactic as 2016 BFCM and it tanked. Following the disappointment, we found insane motivation to make something wok, and our Plan B paid off big time! 

9.) Find what works and RUN WITH IT!!!

Once you get into your groove, crunch the numbers and find a way to expand your goals. We thought $10k months were out of our reach. The number just sounded insane- but when we did the math, we realized it was not only possible, it could be easily attained just by reaching!

Be sure you sell with a platform that allows you access to extensive analytics. This will help calculate those goals and reach them easily.

Our favorite platform is, of course, Shopify. Here is a link to get started. 

 

10.) MAKE IT FUN!!!

If you aren’t loving what you’re doing, you won’t do it- Simple as that. You are your own boss, so if you aren’t still burning with passion for your business, you won’t work hard for yourself. Remember why you started your business and what aspects of your business you love. Make sure to outsource the things you truly despise and focus on all the places that make you proud of what you do! That’ll keep the fire burning and help you work harder than ever for yourself.