Here are my top 5 New Years Resolutions for 2015...
1. To Have more Fun! And to bring that fun into my jewelry business. I first started making jewelry just because it was fun. And yet now that I make and sell it professionally its so easy to lose sight of the fact that its supposed to be fun...what with spreadsheets, analyzing stats, keeping inventory, adding up receipts, interacting with vendors and customers, and doing various accounting work. But when I'm designing and making, thats when I'm having the most fun. And I've decided to have more fun in my business. Whether its in the creation of new designs, or using brighter colors, I'm looking forward to bringing more fun into my business.
2. Relax and Recharge. I'm looking forward to scheduling more time off into my schedule. Believe it or not I work everyday. Even on the days when I'm not making jewelry or running to the post office I'm usually answering emails or doing some sort of administrative work. Its easy to work everyday especially when you love your job but I know that taking more days off will actually refuel me and recharge my creativity which I know I can bring right back into my work.
3. Get organized! Confession time: During tax season I usually compile all of my receipts together last minute and try to figure out everything at the eleventh hour....usually just a day or two before my appointment with my accountant. In the past I have often ordered more materials and supplies than I have need at a time and been stuck with more inventory than I can use for months on end, all because I wasn't as organized as I could have been. I could be way more organized! So I'm committing this year to using my plastic bins better and to organizing my paperwork better. I'm hoping to find the perfect file organizer very soon!
4. Less is more. I currently offer more than 200 items in my etsy shop and thats A LOT of different materials and gemstones to keep in stock. Over the past few years I have come to realize that when you offer too many things for sale at one time and make it available to a variety of different people, its easy to feel scattered as a brand, trull work to improve on the collection you currently have, and its hard for people to distinguish you from every other jewelry designer out there. So, as a result I've decided to cut down on the amount of products I offer and the varieties available of those products as well. This will also help me to focus and cater more to my current customers needs. I'm also looking forward to the effect this will have on my brand in the long run.
5. Expand my creativity. I know, I just said "less is more" in the last paragraph! (smile) But here's what I mean by expanding... Did you know I love to cook? Yes, I absolutely love cooking and baking, and even coming up with new drink recipes. I love decorating my cupcakes and cookies as ornately as I do my jewelry. I even considered attending culinary school after graduating with a BFA from art school but ultimately decided against it when a few of my friends told stories of how difficult a time they were having in finding jobs in the industry. But that doesn't stop me from trying new recipes and cooking for myself and my friends at home. Last year I tried lots of new things, even experimenting with cooking on the grill for the first time and I'm definitely looking forward to branching out more with new recipes and other forms of creative expression. In fact, I recently bought a few canvases after a 15 year break from painting and can't wait to see what I create.
I'm curious...are you making New years Resolutions? Have any tips that you would like to share to help me get more organized? Want to share your New Years Resolutions with me? I would love to know, whether you have a business or not...so please do share in the comments below! :)
Happy 2015 Everyone!!
p.s. stay tuned, I'm writing about what I'm most excited about in 2015 in my next post!
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