This is probably my favourite blog post to write all year as it is always full of optimism for the year ahead!
So if you haven’t already, go back and read my 2021 business review so you can see where we are up to. And yes, I do realise it is May already but I’m glad to finally share my 2022 business plan!
Last year was all about being realistic about what I could achieve and really focussing on specific things to do rather than trying to do lots of random stuff.
This year I am taking the same approach but with a bit more fun! I’ve never really been into the whole choosing a word for the year, but this year I am feeling very much like the word that I keep going back to is PLAY!
After my recent thyroid cancer experience (as I write this I am recovering from my second lot of surgery) I realise that you need a lot of fun in life to counteract all the stressful stuff.
I do like being organised though and this is my overall 2022 business (and life) plan!
GOALS
Like last year, I have one overarching business goal which is to licence 20 designs. Yep I doubled my goal amount from 2021 as I feel like I have a much better idea now of what I need to do to make this happen!
The two areas I will focus on are directly contacting companies, and through marketing. My main marketing channels are Instagram, Pinterest, and of course this blog and website! One thing I really want to improve on this year is my video marketing, as I’m sure you’ve noticed video is everywhere now and while I feel like I can create lovely still images that fit my brand, my video efforts are definitely lagging.
I’ll continue to focus on creating pattern designs that suit swimwear and activewear and these will be the main companies I contact. I’ve also joined the Patternfield app and have a number of designs shown on there, so I’m curious to see if this gets the attention of any companies.
I also have a mini business goal, which has actually been in the back of my mind for years! It is to set up a print shop to sell photographic and art prints. I have the printer, the paper and even some of the packaging materials but I just have never got around to setting up an online store. It is now one of my 2022 goals though so watch this space!
ARTWORK
I would really really love to have a recognisable art style and improve my realistic drawing. At the moment I do not have a regular drawing routine and tend to swing from doing watercolour illustration, to paper collage, to liquid paints, to simple gouache paintings. Last year I started a series of shell drawings and noticed an obvious improvement in my drawing ability as I did more drawings. So this year I want to start a regular drawing routine and also make time in my diary for ‘fun’ art play – so liquid acrylics, mixed media, collage, whatever I like!
TIME
My daughter is now in kindy this year, and let me tell you those kindy days go fast! I get about 8-10 hours per week now to work, so I have to be pretty organised and focussed.
Once again I am using a MiGoals planner, I find it really helps me to plan out a month ahead what I will do each of my work days in that following month. Two days at the end of the month are always dedicated to social media planning for the following month, then my tasks are a mix of pattern creation, finding & contacting companies, website updates, trend research, marketing (for example preparing Pins, writing blog posts & newsletters), and also learning new skills through Skillshare or Youtube.
PLAY
It takes ALOT of effort to run a small business, especially when you are the only employee and do so many different things! I have certainly felt the pressure to work as much as possible, forcing myself to stay up late and put work before other things. However, my approach has changed somewhat over the last year and I realise that the ‘go go go’ approach is not sustainable and does not lead to an enjoyable life.
My priorities now are my health and fitness, and maintaining a relaxed state of mind – so when I do my monthly planning I make sure that my daily tasks are achievable in the time I have, and I include ‘free’ days each month where I can do something non-business related like sewing (or cleaning the house ha ha).
I hope you have enjoyed this blog post about my 2022 business plan – I would love to know what your goals are for 2022 and have you achieved any already?