Action Plan Q1 with Me! A Peek Behind the Scenes.

Hey friends, have you ever wondered how businesses plan things? Today I am going to share a little peek behind the scenes of AJS in the form of planning.

I am the first to admit that I am not the best at planning and sticking to that plan. I have a more go with the flow of things approach than I probably should. If 2024 taught me anything, it's that I need to plan and stick to the plan a little more so that I can step away when I need to and everything continues to flow.

I don't consider January to be the beginning of the year for my business. For me January is the time I use to get clear on my business goals for the year, what do I want to see happen, and what do I think I can commit to. This year I am using it as a month to try to get a jump start on things I usually fall behind with like blog posts, emails and photography. This way as soon as February hits I can dive head first into the tasks that need attention instead of dragging along.

First up, I go through the things I've had on the back burner, tumbling around my mind for awhile.

When I think of this, I immediately think of Birthstone Bracelets, Rings, Pendants and Earrings. I have been 'working' on this for the last two years - never able to fully commit my attention to it, so nothing besides the occasional drop of birthstones for mini gem stackers coming to fruition.

This is the main thing I would like to see come from the jewelry side of AJS in 2025. After ordering sample stones from a new supplier, those getting lost in the mail and then the postal strike I think a Mother's Day Launch for these would be an achievable timeline.

*SIDENOTE* An effect of the postal strike mixed with my move during the busiest time of year has resulted in a huge financial loss for Autumn Jade Studio, making the launch of new collections and ideas more difficult for the new year. I promise there are so many new things coming, but it is slow going over here for the next little bit while I build everything back up.

For the candle side of my business, my focus is a bit different. Candles quickly became my bread and butter product, as soon as I launched them. They make playing around with jewelry possible, put food on my table and pay my bills. I'd really like to focus on adding a bigger size of the signature scents and getting them into more stores across not only Alberta, but Canada as a whole!

Second comes the break down...

 This is when I break down each vision into actionable steps. For jewelry the number one thing is sourcing supplies. If I want a Mother's Day release, that means I have approximately 120 days at the time of me writing this blog. Personally I like to break it down from a list of tasks to monthly tasks to weekly to daily.

In the first 60 days I need to: 

  • source stones and beads
  • price check to make sure all are affordable and a sustainable product to add
  • order supplies
  • make product

Additionally I need to come up with the cash flow to create this collection, usually this would be saved up throughout the previous holiday season and budgeted accordingly. If you want tips on this let me know in the comments and I can share things I'm trying out and the results.

In the final 60 days I need to:

  • test product for fit and wearability
  • photograph
  • write descriptions
  • make a content plan and create all content to do with launch

Then I break these into monthly tasks, then into weekly, and finally into daily. If I am planning something over a full year I will break things into quarters as well.

The same will apply to the candle side, the tasks just look a bit different.

Third is taking action.

This one is pretty straight forward. It's time to get started on your tasks. I love setting three task goals for each day with a couple extra incase I finish them all. Having three main tasks a day helps me avoid feeling like I'm not doing enough and working until I burn myself out.

I'm a bit nervous in sharing this with you, incase my timeline falls flat on its face, but when I'm excited about things I love to share them with you. I also think it is so important to share behind the business and be transparent. 

I hope in addition to letting customers know what's happening, this gives other business owners the confidence to share and keep pushing knowing that even though I have amazing wholesale partners, unbelievably great customers, I still hit road bumps... Lots of them. And that's totally normal, growth isn't linear we have ups and downs and it can be stressful, but we pivot and make it work however we can.

If you have any questions, let me know in the comments!

-Siobhan

 

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