2014 Plans - A Year of Growth

I've had a really hard time putting together my goals for this coming year. I've brainstormed ideas and written a few things down, but I still don't have a list of goals like I've had in the past. I guess that's actually a good thing. I'm really happy with how my business is going and I just hope to continue with the same success I've had. But I also know that standing still will get you nowhere in the business world. That's why I'm dubbing this year The Year of Growth. I don't have big new plans, I just want to grow in the things I'm already doing well.

Sorry for the terrible color/lighting!

As you've seen, one of my first plans for growth is in space. My business has outgrown this tiny spare bedroom and deserves a space of its own. Things are coming together so nicely and I'll be moving into my new studio in no time!

Another area where I plan to grow my business is with a part time employee. During the summer I plan to hire someone to help with all the little things that take away from my creating time. I've been making a list of things this person could possibly do for me like packing orders and printing/cutting business cards. Depending on who I hire and what their skills are, there may be other things they could do like cut guest book pages or even load/unload the laser. I hope to have this person up to speed by mid-October to help with the holiday rush.

And my last area of growth I'm planning to focus on is with my equipment/machinery. I'm debating between a second laser (bigger, faster!) or a whole new type of machine. With a second laser, I could have one dedicated to glass and the other to wood. Or just double up on jobs. Some new ideas I've thrown around are a sublimation machine so I could print color photos on tiles, phone cases, coasters...you name it. I've also looked into a CNC plasma cutter. It's a lot like my laser, but it will cut metal! The only downside is that it would have to go in the shed...fumes, gas, air compressor, etc. So I still have a lot of thinking to do in this area.

So for 2014, I'm not setting any specific goals. I will be carrying over some of the goals I had in 2013, but rather than goals, I'm just making them part of my routine. (like staying up-to-date on taxes) It feels pretty great to be in a place in my business where I don't have tons of goals I still need to accomplish. So here's to my Year of Growth!

Today's post was written for the January BBA Challenge of Plans for the New Year.
Want to join our team...see our team page here.