How to Make 2022 Your Best Year Yet

Throughout the last couple of years I have seen many handmade businesses thrive. Business owners pivoted and grew their online presence, and were not only able to survive during the pandemic, but increased their sales and found hundreds of new customers! Have you experienced your best year yet?

As we go into another year full of uncertainty, we can still plan on making it our best when it comes to our handmade businesses.

Disclosure: some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.

Change Your Mindset, Change Your Life

I’m a firm believer that your mindset dictates the trajectory of your life, both personally and professionally.

Go into the new year with a mindset of doom and gloom, and you’re likely to see just that! 

But if you can see the new year as endless possibilities, and a chance for you to take action on your dreams, then you’ll likely see these outcomes instead.

This isn’t wishful thinking; dreams without action are just that – wishes. But dreams and action combined are manifestations!

Have A Big Goal For Your Best Year Yet

You can even have two big goals, but don’t set more than that. Too many goals compete for your attention.  Check out this video by Adam Erhart where he talks about goal competition.

Don’t censor yourself when coming up with your goals! If they are REALLY big, then maybe you’ll need more than this year to attain them, but you can still work toward them this year.

To truly solidify your goals, write them down. Putting your goals down in writing makes them “real”.There’s something about writing it down and saying it out loud that causes your brain to say, “oh, this is real, I better get on this!”

Better still, tell someone about them. Share your goals with your significant others or a friend. Saying it out loud can help spur you into action. 

State Your Reason Why

Remembering the reason why you want to achieve your goals will help you stick to your plan when the going gets tough. As you are forming your goals and writing them down, also write down why the goals are important to you and your business.

The bigger or more important your reason why, the more likely you’ll take action. 

Let’s say one of your big goals for your best year yet is to increase your sales by 20% over last year. Now you have to ask yourself why this is a goal. Maybe you want to buy a new house. Or maybe you have a child who’s going to college soon and will need financial support. Maybe you want to retire early!

These are BIG reasons why and will help you stick to your tasks toward reaching that goal of increasing your sales.

Now Comes the How

How are you going to achieve your big goals? You’ll need to spend some time thinking about what you need and how you’re going to do it.

You may need to take some training or a class. For example, if your goal is to open an online shop for your craft or handmade business, my program The Marketing School for Makers is perfect for you (and is opening for enrollment this month).

Maybe you’ll need to network so you can find people who can help you. Or maybe you need to free up a couple more hours per week.

Map out what resources, classes, materials, time or other things you think you’ll need to achieve your goals. But remember to keep it to the things that you can control. 

Obviously, there are a lot of outside factors that can influence what we do on a daily basis. But mindset is everything. If you stick to the resources and tasks that you can control and that help you move toward your goals, then you are going to be successful!

Your Best Year Means Finding An Accountability Partner

Having someone to answer to while working through your tasks can be a terrific motivator. Find an accountability partner, someone who is available to talk to on at least a weekly basis (more is better), and share your tasks and what you want to accomplish with them.

Then check in every week or every other day and let them know how you’re doing.

The key to a great accountability partner is that they need to keep you accountable! They should push you when you’re not keeping up with your goals. They are a cheerleader but also a task master (in a friendly way, of course).

The best accountability partner is someone who understands the intricacies of running a business like yours. Go to the Bloom Facebook Group and ask for volunteers! The group is full of like-minded business owners.

You will be their accountability partner as well, so be prepared to give as much as you take. Set up a schedule for checking in. For example, maybe you text each other on Monday and Wednesday, then have a short call on Friday to review the week and discuss the following week’s tasks.

You can definitely make 2022 your best year yet! Set your goals, plan out your year, and you will see your business bloom!

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