Sales goals and defining success

+ what I've been wearing lately

This is a little detour from my usual content, but I thought it might be interesting to share a little “behind the scenes” of my life as a business owner. If you’re here for the fashion, skip to the bottom where I shared a few favorite outfits I’ve worn lately. :)

What is Success?

I’ve been thinking about success and what it means a lot lately. At the end of each quarter I take a day to analyze and reflect on the previous quarter and plan for the next one. I did that this past Saturday.

The highlights of Q3 were:

• Our sales were up 24% from last year (YAY!!!)

• Espresso Croco was/is a hit

• About 38% of orders were from return customers, which is awesome!

And then I looked at my goals for Q4. And I started spiraling.

At the beginning of each year I set sales goals for each quarter and each month, based on previous years. It’s just a rough outline so I can keep track of how we’re doing.

My goals for Q4 are lofty. Each month’s goal is a number we’ve never hit in a month. Ever. So I’m setting out to have the three best months we’ve ever had, resulting in the best quarter we’ve ever had.

I started panicking thinking - do I even have enough product on hand to hit those numbers? How am I going to increase the number of eyeballs that see our brand and quickly? My stress was mounting. But the only way to deal with stress is to face it head on and make a plan.

So that’s exactly what I did. I mapped out a communications schedule, content I need to create, launch dates, restock dates, and a few creative ideas for getting as many bags in as many hands as possible.

Having a plan definitely helps with stress, but that little voice of doubt can still creep in from time to time. My voice of doubt likes to ask me, “Are you sure you’ve thought of everything? You haven’t left any stone unturned?” That’s always my biggest fear - that I’ve missed something. Maybe I have - maybe I haven’t. Hindsight is the only way to know for sure. I have to tell that voice, “I hope so! I’m doing the best I can with the information I have. Time to shut up and have a little faith.” :)

In the midst of stress, it’s easy to lose sight of the “why.” Why am I doing any of this in the first place? Why do I want to hit these sales goals?

Here’s my why I’m doing any of this in the first place:

I want to prove it’s possible to put ethics at the top of the priority list in a profitable, independently-run business while creating beautiful, high quality accessories for women who value ethical fashion and don’t want to compromise on style. And I want to do this all while working with artisans in Kenya. The same ones I’ve been working with since 2017.

Why do I want to hit these lofty sales goals?