If you've been reading my little blog from Day 1, you may have noticed that I like to step back and refocus on my life and the direction my business is going in from time to time. After the convention I attended this past weekend (an annual event that puts me in the company of people who do a lot to shape who I am). I have some reevaluating to do. Now, more than ever, I feel the importance of Banana Grove Designs in my life. There's SO much to think about, and I often have a difficult time knowing exactly where to start. I thought it might be interesting to show you the process I went through yesterday and today to thoughtfully consider all areas of running BGD.
To help all the jumbled factors make sense, I utilized a tool that has helped this disorganized young woman on many occasions... le cluster.
This doesn't even cover shipping/packaging, or financial planning, but it includes most of the areas I'm juggling at the moment. And it's probably not a true cluster because there are no branches shooting off the main eight categories, but I don't want to overwhelm anyone (including myself). After brainstorming about BGD and all the categories in the cluster, I listed what I plan to do in each area to keep moving forward.
- Blogging - carry on with daily posts and stay connected with leading bloggers through comments
- Pinterest/FB posts - Pinterest has been one of the most enjoyable ways to promote. It hasn't generated a huge amount of traffic, but I'm steadily gaining followers and have fun looking at pretty pictures (who doesn't?). FB is an area I'm struggling with at the moment. I really hate bombarding my followers with posts about my new listings all the time and want to create a community of BGD fans that interact about more than my jewelry. But, how? Seeking advice in this area...
- Selling locally - putting together a collection of pieces to show to a local boutique owner. Investigating licenses in other states to sell in boutiques down south.
- Dealing w/ manufacturers, ordering, etc. - Focusing in on a few key manufacturers, searching for someone equipped to create unique elements for me from scratch, looking for local manufacturers.
- Bookkeeping - least fun area. Get help here. Using Outright!
- Giveaways, blog features, other marketing - This is one of my favorite areas! Love interacting with the bloggers who feature me. Hire photographer to take photos for ads.
- Learning & Creating - Reading Jess Lively's e-book, taking online workshops on new techniques. Constantly looking for inspiration. (I was in Fossil tonight and was really inspired by some of their beautiful, simple leather strap and metal mix bracelets.)
- Hands-on "Making" - This is the crowning jewel of the entire cluster, so to speak. If there was no picking up wire, stones and a pair of pliers, there would be no BGD. I'm working really hard to get 100 pieces listed in my shop. That's my current goal. There are some gorgeous gems sitting on my bench that no one has even seen yet, and I'm really excited to show them to you.
Now I feel better. And now I look way more organized than I truly am. This might be a rather extensive process for you, who may only require a sticky note and a to-do list, but it really helps me to sort through the details and focus on each one individually. What process do you go through to refocus? Share with me, please?
.jpg)
