.png)
This week has been my first official week in the office of 2019...so naturally I've been making a shit ton of goals/plans and daydreaming about where I'd like to be this time next year and what I want to focus on...
But wait...! What about last year!
Before planning ahead, it's equally important to check on the past to see what you did, mistakes you made, what you can improve on and for me...basically how far this little business has come.
Luckily I had done the same at the end of 2017 so I had something to look back on and see the goals I had set myself. And OMG I was pretty shocked and taken aback.
I started this business on a whim in 2017 when a friend told me 'this is your thing' after creating Newspapers for my own wedding. Within a week, I'd set up a website, networked with other wedding professionals and done tons of research on how I could achieve success. Within 3 months I had quit my job, booked into several fairs and started to get noticed in the industry. I'd achieved a lot on this little whim and didn't have a clue what I was doing or where I was going...I winged it and figured out issues and things as I went. So when I reviewed 2017 and set goals for 2018 I was still in that mindset.
Fast forward to now. Looking at those goals...they are just so basic and amateur. It's true I'd come a long way in 2017, but having it written done made me realise just how far I have come in 2018. I've collaborated with so many people, learnt so much about all different aspects of business (mostly without realising), tried lots of things (some worked/some didn't), become more focused, learnt more about what I want and where I want to go and built my brand into something that is becoming recognised with soon to be wed couples and other fellow suppliers.
Image courtesy of Jade Maguire Photography
This might not be a shock to some...so why am I so surprised?
Well, I work on this full time...it's my baby! I think about it non stop. I juggle all the tasks it encompasses myself (designer, social media expert (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, Youtube), videographer, website designer, administrator, logisitcs, bookkeeper, accountant, strategist, blogger, front of house, copywriter, photographer, facilities, fair representative, account manager (and all the bits in between)....oh and a Newspaper creator!
In short, every little thing that this business has achieved is 100% me. Some of it has worked, some of it hasn't...but that's life and all part of the learning experience!
Some of the highlights of 2018 were:
>10 wedding fairs
>6 styled shoots
>21 blogs (inc 12 vlogs)
>41 newspapers
>Sponsor of The Wedding Showcase, Somerset (Autumn)
>Preferred supplier for Paintworks, Bristol
Because I work on this little baby every day...there are days where I don't feel like I've achieved a single thing and that I'm getting nowhere. I also have days when I'm slaying it!
So back to the goals...I have realised by comparing the goals for 2018 and 2019 that I'm heading in the right direction and have achieved so much more than I would have realised if I had not kept a record and cross referenced everything, I hope I have the same feelings on progress when I get to 2020.
I'm so freekin happy with my little business and the things we're going to achieve...starting with smashing 2019!
Who's with me?
If you'd like ideas, inspiration and news straight to your email inbox, join my mailing list here.