Holiday Boot Camp: Goals

I can't believe it's that time of year again!  That's right, Etsy's Holiday Boot Camp is starting again!

And of course I'm starting a little behind.  Of course that seems to be how I'm starting most things these days.  Thankfully week 1 wasn't too daunting.

Task 1: Reading the blog post.  I like the post, gave me some motivation that I CAN DO THIS.  Since I already feel behind motivation is going to be important this season!  I also really liked the extra link on how to offer special services.  I really need to look into this!

Task 2: Holiday Budget Worksheet.  This is my least favorite part of having my shop.  My sales have been so inconsistent that I have a hard time keeping my books, which means that for now half the numbers I entered are a hip shot.  Hopefully this will help me get a better and get me more prepared for next year though.

Task 3: Boot Camp Calendar Stickers.  I was surprised at how long this took me, but I don't normally ship internationally, but I do want to be prepared so I'm still working on figuring out last ship dates.  I wish I had a 3 month dry erase calendar for my shop (possible investment) because with a toddler, pregnancy and cold/flu season coming, some dates may have to change.  Pencil will have to do for now.

Task 4: Share your goals.  I'm doing that right here.  As I'm pretty sure I've mentioned at least once before, my ultimate goal is to make my shop my full time career.  I realize this isn't going to happen with out a lot of hard work, or over night, but coming up with realistic goals has been difficult.  Right now my overall goal is make my shop self sustaining.  At this point I am still spending out of pocket money for materials to offer more items because the ones listed aren't selling.  My goal for this season is to have excellent customer service and create more repeat customers and referral customers.

Task 5: Find a Boot Camp Buddy.  While I found my buddy to be of great help last year, I don't think I will have the time to devote to a buddy if I am to devote enough time to my shop to reach my goals.  I don't want to make promises of support to another shop owner that I may not be able to keep so this season I am going to try and motivate myself brave this camp alone.