Hi there, it's Sue and thanks for joining me for Tips and Talk Day. These are bite-sized topics that I pull from community questions and things that I'm observing in the world of handmade small business. If you'd like to submit a topic, DM e over on Instagram at Gift Biz Unwrapped. Before we get started, I'm gonna share a secret with you. One of my superpowers is the ability to get an enormous number of tasks and projects done each and every week.
I easily meet deadlines, rarely forget to do something, and know at the start of each day what needs priority, attention and action type A personality. Yes, and a follow through on the Kobe assessment, which should have given me the clue, but it wasn't until people started commenting to me that I realized not everyone naturally knows how to do this. It's the biggest single contributor to the growth I always see in my businesses without spending hours and hours working either.
It's about focus and doing the right things efficiently. Prompted by all the questions on how I do this, I went about finding a way to help you perform at a higher level too. I analyzed my methods and formalized my process, which is one many of my coaching clients. Now, also follow. You can use it too. It's all part of a tool called the Inspired Daily Planner made specifically for gifters, bakers, crafters, and makers. Make no mistake, this is not your ordinary planner.
First off, it comes with a video explaining my productivity strategy and the physical planner isn't dated, so you can start using it the second it arrives at your doorstep, and that's not all included for each day is a motivational or business building tip and plenty of space to capture and book in time for to-dos scheduled appointments and all those ideas that are now getting lost. You can watch the video for free and then get your inspired daily planner@giftbizunwrapped.com slash inspired.
Getting your dreams on paper makes them more likely to come true. Setting intentions is the direct path to manifesting what you want. Journaling, creating a vision board or closing your eyes and imagining yourself achieving what you've set out to do are various actions to take as you let your dreams swirl around in your mind. All of these are worthwhile activities to bring your desires into reality, but there's more to it than that, and this is where our wishes for what could be remain.
That just dreams. I'm sure you've had someone in your life who repeats over and over again how they're going to take that vacation to Italy, write a book or change careers. You've heard it so much, you can repeat the exact words right along with her, and it's a great idea. It just never goes anywhere. What's missing is setting specific action steps underneath the goal to be used as a path to get to the desired result.
When you break a goal down into small parts, not only can you see clearly how you can get from point A to point B, your goal becomes less overwhelming and it gets exciting because it's easier to believe in its possibility. Here's an example. Emma is stuck in a boring job. There's no room for advancement and the tasks aren't fulfilling at all, but it pays the bills. She's relatively secure in her position.
She's been there forever and has a solid performance every month, but she's long thought about adding excitement into her life by starting a dog treat business. Who knows, maybe it could grow into something bigger someday. Emma's dreamt about this, shared it with others and gotten positive reactions to her idea. Yet still it remains talk why?
It's because there's no tangible plan to move it forward, and for Emma, thinking of where she is now to really having a dog biscuit business of her own is too big a gap. How does she get there? Her next step should be filling in the smaller actions to move the ball forward.
She could hand out samples of her biscuits to friends with pets to get feedback and possible testimonials for her products that would prove to be great credibility for the future, and its initial validation for her right now that her doggy customers like her biscuits.
She could start researching what's necessary in her state to be able to legally sell dog biscuits, and if she's all set with those regulations, Emma can even begin selling to unknown customers on a small level by participating in a farmer's market or a church bazaar. You may note that I'm not mentioning creating a name for a business yet or even officially registering herself as a business. That comes shortly, but not first.
This is a common mistake new business owners make, and as an aside, if you wanna learn more about starting up, watch my free video called Five Not So Obvious Mistakes that Get In Your Way When Starting a Handmade Product Business. To watch this at your convenience, go to gift biz unwrapped.com/five mistakes. Now, the example I just gave you with Emma is a huge goal, but there are many smaller goals that don't ever have a chance for the exact same reason.
The gap between the statement to reality is too big or it's too vague. When something's too vague, the chance that it will actually happen is almost nil. Every Monday in Gift Biz Breeze, my Facebook group, there's a post addressing this issue. Here you can tell us what one thing is that you want to accomplish during the week.
Of course you'll do lots of things besides this one thing, but if you can identify and complete a significant step in moving the ball forward towards your big goal by Friday, imagine how this can build on itself week after week. That's my intention of having this post prompt. There are a few other things also to keep in mind when you're creating this one thing each Monday, it has to be formed in such a way that by Friday it's a clear yes or no in terms of whether it's been achieved or not.
Let's say your overall goal is that you want to start selling your products at local craft fairs. A Momentum Monday comment would not be, I wanna start selling my products at a local show. That's not gonna happen by Friday, and continuing with that thought will never get you to a show. Instead, a weekly goal could be, I'm gonna identify five local craft shows that are potential options for me, and then the following week's goal can build on this.
Of the five shows I've identified, I'm gonna research and select one and commit to attend. By registering for that show the following week could build further with something like, I'm gonna make a list of all the things I need to do, so I'm ready for the craft show next month. Then week after week could be tackling groups of these activities in preparation for the show. As you can see with each one by the end of the week, it's either been done or not clear and obvious. Here's another one.
Let's say your goal is to make more sales. I actually get this one a lot in Momentum Mondays. How about instead, week one, I'm going to take multis seen photos of 10 best selling products of mine in preparation for my online presence.
Week two, I'm going to sign up and open my shop On Etsy, week three, I'm going to research Etsy tutorials on how to optimize my products to get seen by potential customers on Etsy, and week four, I'm going to integrate Etsy into my regular social media postings and in-person show materials so people know they can order for me online. Get it? This is the true way to advance your dreams. Of course, we're talking business here, but it applies with anything that you want to accomplish in
life. Break it down. It can be the littlest step forward. Think about it, 52 little steps in a year. That's a lot of advancement, and before you know it, you'll be wowed by what you can accomplish. Let's start now. Come Monday, I want you to think about decide on and commit. What are you gonna accomplish by the end of the week? That's a wrap. I'm a get to the point kind of girl, and this is what you can expect from these quick midweek sessions. Now it's your turn.
Go out and fulfill that dream of yours. Share your handmade products with us. We want them and they bring us both so much happiness.