This year I will be working hard to build and grow my small business and setting goals is one of the main ways I will stay focused and put my all into what I do. This is why when it came time to setting goals this year, I decided to take a step back and have a good think about what kind of growth I'd like to achieve over the coming 12-18 months. I might be being a bit optimistic, but I have come up with 12 goals I will be working toward throughout 2023.
Some of them, you might think are pretty easy to achieve such as the follower count on Instagram and Tik Tok, but for me, this will be a massive accomplishment. As some of you may know I do work full time and have a little boy, so I don’t always have masses about of free time to create posts and reels to grow my social media. I am also a major introvert, putting myself out there on social media for all to see, I do find it very daunting. I will bite the bullet eventually; I am just not sure when that will be yet!
So, without further ado, lets delve into my 12 business goals for 2023:
- Hit 1,000 followers on Instagram and 500 followers on Tik Tok
- Keep up with posting on social media
- Blog at least once a week
As mentioned above, spare time can be limited for me some days so keeping up with the first 3 goals will be a great achievement in itself. This is an area I struggled with before, it was always hit and miss when I posted so I never got above 250 followers on Instagram. I need to ensure I remain consistent, present, and engage with my audience.
- Set up a Pinterest account and create pin boards
Pinterest just boggles my mind. But 2023 is the year I am determined to master it! It has so many benefits for small business as it has a wide potential customer base. By creating a pin, it creates a clickable link to my website where the image is located so increases the traffic which will hopefully convert to sales. If all goes well, this will create another income stream for my business.
- Set up e-mail marketing to include freebies and exclusive discounts
Again, another simple but effective strategy to engage with potential customers. Setting up email marketing will allow me to share content for upcoming sales or first look at product launches. I can provide freebies, competitions, and exclusive discount codes to subscribers.
- Achieve 200 sales per month across all selling channels
Over the year, I would have my busier periods – like most businesses – over Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and Christmas yet the rest of it was pretty quiet and I would be lucky to hit 100 sales. As I introduce new products, I hope to achieve consistent sales throughout the year. I know 200 sales may be setting the bar a little high since I am just starting up again, but I need to challenge myself to expand the business so it doesn’t plateau out.
- Branch out product range after poll results
In the coming weeks, I will be running a poll. This will list 4 different areas I would like to branch out to in the future; I would like my wonderful customers and followers to let me know what they would like to see first. My aim is to launch the new range by the end of 2023 / beginning of 2024.
- Launch Xmas range by September, latest.
This year over the festive period, it has been hard for all small businesses across the UK. The postal strikes really added on additional stress for you which is why I want to launch my Christmas range early. This allows more time for customers to shop and if needs be, if the same scenario happens in 2023, I will close the books early for Christmas orders.
- Apply for Not on the High Street
I have been on Etsy from the beginning as my first website failed massively. I want to branch out to another marketplace platform that has a lot of traffic as it will increase my exposure and it will be another income stream. There is no guarantee I will get accepted on there as there is a lot of competition in my niche however there is no harm in applying.
- Have at least 3 wholesale orders
The majority of my non-personalised items are available for wholesale purchase through Faire. I didn’t promote it at all last year, so I am going to drive this more in 2023. I got 2 orders from the US so I am going to aim for 3 this year. Not only do I sell wholesale on my own products, but I can also create products for other businesses using their own designs to expand their product catalogue.
- Create an affiliate programme
I would like to set up an affiliate programme, this will not only expand my reach to new potential customers but it will also give something back to others for helping me achieve my goals. The affiliate will be provided with a link, if a purchase is made through this link, they will earn a 10% commission of the sale value. This will then be paid out to the affiliate on a monthly basis.
- Create gift bundles.
At the moment, I only sell individual products however I want to create gift bundles / boxes so customers can buy all their gifts under one roof, so to speak. It could be as simple as a mug and matching coaster, or pregnancy announcement mugs, a bumps first Christmas ornament and milestone acrylics (pregnancy range coming soon!). Eventually I would like to include items from other businesses i.e. candles / wax melts, body scrubs, soaps, bath bombs, etc.
The next 12 months are going to be the hardest, I need to find a routine and the work/life/small business balance, but it will be worth every minute of the stress, tears (I guarantee there will be a few!) and sleepless nights to see what I can achieve if I give it my all.
Check back in 6 months’ time, I will be doing a progress update to see how well I am keeping up with the goals and what I am struggling with the most. I will also do a review at the end of 2023 to see how I did as a whole. Honestly, I will be happy even if I only achieve half of my goals. Small progress is still progress. I will be further along in my journey than I am now as a write this so don’t ever get too disheartened with yourself if you don’t manage to do everything you set out to do, cut yourself some slack and make those goals your mission for the following few months.
Let’s get 2023 started with a bang!
All the best,
