Public Declaration!

According to The Soap Queen in her recent series of posts about achieving our goals, one of the reasons we fail to reach those goals is because we do not have a written plan with a support network in place. This is one of my biggest problems. Everyone is afraid of failure and I have overcome that in some areas of my life, but not in all. I set reasonable goals and they are well thought out SMART goals, but I don't set up a support network to hold me accountable. That way, if I fail to reach them, I disappoint myself, but nobody else has to know I failed. I have also noticed that when I tell people I'm going to do something, I do it. When I decided I was going to do triathlons and then a marathon, I told my family (so they could get me what I needed as Christmas and birthday gifts). I often had those moments when I didn't want to get up and do my workouts, but I knew I couldn't complete either with absolutely no training, so I got up. Hmmm...maybe I should declare my goals for 2011. I will of course set up a support network, but at the end of this year, we will revisit this post and see how I did. So, I will be accountable to you as well.

Business Goals:

1. To increase my knowledge of how to run a business in order to successfully manage my business as it grows and to be able to focus where I would like my business to go. I will accomplish this be reading at least 3 small business books, this first of which will be read by the end of February. I will contact the SBDC about talking with some of their advisers and attending at least one meeting quarterly about management or networking. I will read a new book on developing a business plan and will have a rewritten (and more professional) business plan in place by the end of March.
2. To find 2 new venues for selling my products, either through wholesale customers or new craft shows. I will accomplish this by getting new product photos taken by the end of January, recalculating all prices and creating a wholesale price list by the end of February, and creating a catalog by the end of March. I will be researching businesses that I think might be a good fit for my products and will start contacting owners in April and continue with at least two meetings a month until I have 2 customers.
3. To raise enough money to donate $100 to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation by the end of October. I will accomplish this by completing my BooBees line of milk and honey products, 20% from the sell of all BooBees products goes to this fund. I will start promoting special gift sets for Breast Cancer Awareness Month (October) in my August newsletter.
4. To increase my "presence" to my customers. I will accomplish this by attending quarterly networking meetings. Create a quarterly newsletter and send out a monthly email about current promotions or specials to all customers on my mailing list. Focus my blog by creating certain topics of interest to others; for example, I will start doing a swirl anthology to show different swirl techniques and share tips that I learn as I practice and perfect my swirling techniques. 

Personal Goals:

1. Complete a 5K race by the end of March  and one triathlon by the end of August. I will accomplish this by starting the couch-to-5K program the week after next and writing out my workout schedule that I will keep in a visible place. I will register for a race before February 13th. After I complete the 5K, I will start training for a sprint distance triathlon by using the 10 week training course from tri-newbies. I will also implement a strength training program to avoid injuries this time (I injured my rotator cuff last time).
2. I will lose 30 lbs before June (the baby weight + a little extra). I will accomplish this by creating a journal to track my eating habits (although I can't cut calories much right now because I'm breastfeeding, I can eat healthier), my exercise, and weekly weight. I will also have a set workout schedule (see #1). I will create weekly menus, so we eat out less, and have more balanced meals.
3. Spend more time focusing on my family. I will accomplish by getting a sitter twice a month and having a date night, this might involve a movie, a hike, or just a good ol' uninterrupted nap. We will use Thursday nights as "family nights, " cause its never to early to start; we will simply spend time together and enjoy each other. I will also focus on spending time daily playing with Hayden without worrying about what needs to be done.
4. Organize the house by creating a better system for mail (it should not go on the kitchen counter), creating a chore chart to track what has and hasn't been done, and creating a budget to better manage money flow. We actually did the budget yesterday, but we will have monthly sit-downs to recheck and balance. The chore chart will be completed by next weekend, it will show weekly chores and monthly chores, plus those things that need to be done less often, but are still important. We are working on how to organize the incoming mail. I'm thinking junk goes straight into the recycle bin and then we need a place for bills and then one for miscellaneous stuff.  

Ok, that's it. I will be checking back for monthly updates and then we will see how I do by the end of the year.


Do you have any goals you'd like to share?