For Her Soul

Inspiration in an envelope

 I am so pleased to announce my new greeting card line.  For Her Soul speaks to a women's thoughts and feelings. I love the images and the greetings inside.  These are just a few of the many cards in the collection.  Please e-mail for more information. lydiarep@yahoo.com.

I believe the ideas in this article that I wrote last year still apply to make 2014 your best year so I am reposting.  Here is the revised article:

PLANNING FOR YOUR BEST YEAR EVER

We may not have a crystal ball but planning for the New Year, in good times and bad, brings a load of benefits to your business.  The first few months of the year are the most critical. The first quarter is the best time to plan for results that will last all year long.  

We all have a story, what is yours? For many years my story was that everything and everyone else came first before focusing on my business and I wasted way too much time on social media and busy work that was not revenue producing. 

Setting goals and focusing my actions to achieve those goals has made all the difference in the world.

                    

Here are just a few ideas to get you started planning for a successful 2014:

• Plan a brainstorming session.  Get together with a group of like-minded people and help each other come up with creative ideas to achieve your goals. Two years ago I asked a few entrepreneurs to join a mastermind group.  Since 2012 we have met monthly and shared our goals, got valuable advice from each other and set new goals to achieve and to be held accountable for by the next meeting.  The results to our businesses and creative endeavors has been phenomenal.  I cannot say enough about how effective this is as a tool.
• If you haven't been using social media the new year would be a great time to start.  Create a blog; sign up for a business Facebook page and get customers to "like" your business; create a Twitter account; join Pinterest.  Then set a weekly appointment to blog. Tweeting and posting on Facebook should be done once a day or as time permits. Pinterest can be so addictive that you may have to set limits.  You will be amazed at what effective marketing tools these are.  And they're free!  I have customers that will only respond to texts or facebook messages and that’s alright by me.
• Make reservations to attend the wholesale trade shows in January.  It's a great way to see the trends.  Make an appointment with a local sales representative.  They will be able to tell you about new lines, promotions, discounts and vendors that offer dating. Or it may be you are looking for a sales rep to sell your wares?
• This is a great time to plan your yearly budget. Prepare a forecast for the entire year based on your previous year. Review the last year's sales on a daily, weekly, monthly and quarterly basis.
• Read your industry magazines and newsletters.
• Change your story.  Discover what the payoff is for staying in the same place you’ve always been and be willing to let go of that payoff. 
• Make the decision to follow through on your business plan.  This is where the hard works begins to make 2014 your best year ever!

You will be amazed at the results!