Celebrating February
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Happy Sunday & March! This week I’m going to share my February end-of-month review with you. But before that, I said I would give you an update on my ski trip! My husband and I visited Snowshoe, West Virginia, which is where he originally learned to ski but it was my first time. The runs are a little more chill compared to the ones we encounter in Colorado, so I was hopeful that maybe I’d be able to complete my first black diamond run. And I did it! I was pretty nervous, but it turned out to be much easier than I was expecting, so I think that’s a sign I’m improving even though I still feel a little apprehensive on the slopes. We’re going on our last ski adventure of the year next week and visiting Steamboat in Colorado. My husband sprung for private lessons with Olympic gold medalist, Deb Armstrong, so maybe she can really whip me into shape. 😅 Okay, enough with the ski updates. Onto the monthly review— February Goals & What I Accomplished1. Add another 200 designs to my Spoonflower shop.Done! This is always the easiest goal for me to achieve because it’s what I love to do most. 2. Enter any new Spoonflower design challenge.I entered two new challenges this month, one for “sophisticated stripes” and another for a “novelty paisley” theme. As usual, they led to two designs I otherwise probably would have never created. 3. Write and send a newsletter issue each week.I did it! Again, I struggled a bit with the writer’s block, but it felt easier this month than last. I’m getting better at facing the blank page without panicking. Other Things Worth CelebratingI placed 335th in one of the Spoonflower design challenges this month.Last month I celebrated placing 405th in one and I topped that this month! Somehow it was with one of the simplest designs I’ve ever created, a good reminder that simplicity sells. I optimized my creative workflow.I spent some time revamping my creative process so that I can complete a month’s worth of designs in 5-6 working days instead of doing a batch each week. I find my creativity works better for me when I can get into the flow of a big project and then take a long break. I’m testing out that workflow now and it’s going well! I sold a roll of wallpaper to a repeat customer.Someone bought a swatch of wallpaper a few weeks ago and they must have liked what they ordered because they came back and purchased a full roll! It was one of my older designs that I honestly don’t like very much anymore, but it’s the customer’s choice. A reminder to myself that I’m not always the best judge of the quality of my work. The NumbersSpoonflower SalesThis month I made 15 sales and earned $14.13 in commissions, an improvement over last month. I’m very happy with the volume of sales I got this month. It’s one of my best months yet. However, almost all of those were swatches, so the commissions I earned were a little lower than I would have expected. That said, every product I sold this month was on wallpaper which is a huge accomplishment as I’ve been more intentionally designing for this product type. Previously I was selling more fabric, but I’ve been wanting to lean into the home decor space. It feels good to see that those intentions and strategic designs are paying off. Email List GrowthThis month I added 2 new subscribers to my email list (if that’s you, welcome!). I’ve been growing my list very slowly and organically, basically just through word-of-mouth. I’m loving that approach right now while I focus on building a writing habit. This feels like a cozy, supportive community to share my thoughts with, so thank you for being so kind! (and if you know anyone who would find this newsletter insightful, please forward it their way!) My Goals for March
I hope you enjoyed reading my monthly review. Take some time to celebrate yourself this month! Until next week, ~Rachel P.S., if you enjoyed this email and know a friend who might be inspired by it too, please forward it along! And if you ARE that friend, subscribe here. |