Overview Only you know your business, and what you hope to get out of it. It can be difficult to forecast exactly what will happen with each season, but it's always good to know what you're working towards. When you have a clear end goal, you'll be able to weigh your decisions appropriately. Example: If your end goal is to create a sustainable way to justify playing with yarn, then regularly accepting requests from big industry names to share their yarn with your followers is a great opportunity. It aligns with your end goal. If your end goal is to go full-time, turning down some non-paid opportunities is integral to maintain the bandwidth needed to build your own brand. End Goals Think about your macro-level end goals. Why did you get into business? What do you hope to achieve by the end of the year? Jot down 1 financial and 1 personal end goal for yourself. Below are a few ways to think about them. Financial: I want to do this full time. I want to earn extra income for my family. I just want a sustainable way to justify making. etc. Personal: I want to contribute to a charity or advocate for a cause. I want to be in community with other makers. I want an excuse to make. etc. Intermittent Goals While end goals set a great direction, intermittent goals break that down into executable stepping stones throughout the year. With your end goals in mind, jot down as many financial and personal goals as come to mind. Below are a few ways to think about them. Financial: I want to do $100 more than I did last month. I want each month to be up 20% over last year. I want to launch a non-seasonal product to pick up summer sales. I want to sell at at least 2 markets. etc. Personal: I want to learn how to crochet. (if you’re a knitter) I want to learn how to cable. (if you’re a beginner knitter) I want to launch a pattern. (if you’ve only sold finished products) etc. Without having a clear set of goals, the endless opportunities in front of you can sometimes feel overwhelming. Setting goals and keeping them top of mind will give you the structure needed to make decisions that will most benefit your business. Recommended reading: Big Dreams Daily Joys, Elise Blaha Cripe Embrace Your Limitations "Improvement at anything is based on thousands of tiny failures, and the magnitude of your success is based on how many times you've failed at something. If someone is better than you at something, then it's likely because she has failed at it more than you have. If someone is worse than you, it's likely because he hasn't been through all of the painful learning experiences you have." Mark MansonnetThe Subtle Art of Not Giving an F(pardon the title) Failure is, quite literally, essential to your success. From my own experience, some of my strongest products, strategies, and directions have come from my own failures and limitations. I'll give you two examples, with the hope that you'll be able to revisit your limitations and see them as creative catalysts towards hitting and exceeding your goals. 01Limited Knitting Knowledge I learned to crochet first, which meant that knitting felt nearly impossible. After multiple classes and too many failed attempts, I eventually reached for a knitting machine. If you've used one before, you know that there is only so much variation that can be implemented, and that the purl stitch essentially doesn't exist. These limitations, led me to the design of my double brim beanie. I eventually transferred it to needles and it came to be one of my highest selling finished products and patterns of all time. Not only that, but it started a double brim trend in the maker community. Don’t miss what happened... I didn’t know how to knit Had to settle for a knitting machine Couldn’t use the purl stitch Still needed to make a stretchy brim TLDR: One of my best-selling knit patterns was quite literally born out of my inability to knit. 02Limited Space My apartment is tiny. I stack all my inventory somewhere between my entertainment center, couch, and personal closet. It’s near impossible but I make it work. But imagine how much more difficult it was when I was trying to stock a wide variety of colors? It created a very difficult workflow, and only allowed me to keep so few of each product in stock which forced me into a made-to-order process. I soon switched to just neutrals, which allowed me to better manage my inventory, optimize my processes, and differentiate my brand from the competition. This neutral aesthetic soon became a core asset of my brand, and one of my unique selling points (USP). Literally, as I am writing this, a household brand has just DM’ed me…"We love your black + white aesthetic, would you ever be interested in collaborating with us?” Take your limitations and figure out how to use them to your advantage. To be clear, it’s not easier, but it has great potential to be better. Without having what you want/need to achieve your goal, it then forces you to get creative. And because everyone’s limitations and problem solving abilities are going to be so wildly different, you’re more apt to land on a unique solution. More on why made-to-order can hold you back, and how to define your unique selling point (USP), in later modules. ... Pick up your latest project, and give this podcast a listen: