Some days I am so high on this little self-employed job of mine.
Other days, when the ideas are gone, my email inbox is empty and I've just finished my sixth episode of Friday Night Lights, it's a different story.
But this current period, this past week, has been really great.
As mentioned a million and one times, this is my first full year of self-employment. I am on track to make as much money this year as I made at my one full year of salaried employment. (Trust me, this is more of a reflection of how little I was paid as opposed to how much I'm making now. ;)) I'll be a happy girl if this works out. And then it will all start over (which I really can't think about).
I have learned one very important thing this year – my business goals need to be set quarterly, not annually.
In 2012, I will be setting a financial goal at the beginning of the year, but will be adjusting my actionable goals every three months to be sure they stay relevant for what I need to be doing.
The biggest reason for this is that my original goals for this year are no longer very relevant. The exception is the plan to streamline expenses; I have really gotten better at spending less. The main way is through wholesale ordering. I have a reseller's license, so I am able to purchase paper and supplies direct from manufactures as long as I hit an order minimum. Wholesale purchasing has lowered my overhead and also encouraged me to be smart and focus on what's next further in advance. (If you are interested in becoming a reseller, check with your state's Board of Equalization. I can't give advice on this other than to do your research.)
I've tossed my "big goals" out and am now focusing on the next six weeks business-wise.
This week : I have been sourcing paper for holiday books. This is going to be my favorite paper mix yet and am really excited to get them made and shared. I am thrilled with how these seasonal minibooks have caught on.
Next week : I have a new poster/print to launch.
Mid-October : Holiday minibook production/promotion/launch.
End of the month : I am currently working with Kolo as a freelance consulting position. I'll be spending the last week of October in Connecticut (!!) making magic happen. My own business is always going to be a main priority, but I've realized I need something different to help me out of my comfort zone and new projects are always welcome. I am sure I'll have more to say on this soon.
Mid-November : my minibook workshop in Berkeley! I am going to be sharing project peeks for this over the next few weeks and I am constantly brainstorming about how to make this class exciting and information packed. I hope you can join me.
As my business posts tend to do, this got away from me. Often this blog turns into my own sounding board though I hope it's of some interest to you! And speaking of the blog – I have a lot to say about the "no statistics checking" experiment I ran in September. Look for a post on that soon.
Here's the bottom line : I'm busy & that's fantastic.
enJOY it 
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