sjsmith.com.au - blog

Planning way ahead

Glorious Mid-Year

Can you believe we're nearly half way through the year? I am always amazed how quickly time passes. But pass it does whether you're ready or not. And that's one of the things on my mind at the moment- being ready. Believe it or not, art and craft manufacturers are getting in the swing of Christmas already. They need to have their products ready and photographed to send promotional material out to their channels by about July. And here's the shock. You should be thinking about Christmas too. If you put aside just a little cash before July you can take advantage of the July sales and lay by some of your large ticket items. It will not only take the pressure off come December but will also make Christmas much more stress-free financially. This kind of long term planning is great for you and Christmas but it can also be a great thing for your business!

Did you have business or personal goals that you set at the start of the New year? Now would be a great time to go back and review them.  Have some of them changed, become obsolete, or have you already achieved some of them.  Maybe it's time to revise what you want out of this year. Has your focus changed? It's also worth looking a little further ahead, say five years. In five years time where would you like to be with your business? Write two or three things you'd like to have achieved in this time frame and start thinking about breaking these goals down into smaller chunks. If you didn't make any plans at the start of the year, that's okay.  Think about what you'd like to have accomplished come the end of the year. How are you gonna get there? I find that writing plans down helps solidify things for me (I've been an Olympic list maker!).  Maybe you'd prefer a visual board which will give you daily prompts towards what you want.  However you decide to portray your goals and wishes make sure you put them where you can see them everyday. This daily reminder can be a key driver in making your dreams a reality. Oh and don't forget the Christmas shopping!

Till next time,

Sarah-Jane X