Goodbye 2020 and Welcome 2021

2021 Goal and Hopes

2020 was not a year I would like to say was the brightest in my life and probably in yours. Like many of you, this pandemic put a damper on our lives and moods. As a small business owner, I saw my whole world turn upside down, with my main goals for the business going out the door and revenue down and possibly gone. 

Many of us business owners took advantage of this time in quarantine and rethought how to bring in more revenue. Many of us in the quilting business decided to bring in new revenue with Zoom and other online platforms. Many of you started teaching online and moving stores to the web to keep your businesses running.  It made many of us turn to Social Media to stay in contact with our customers, teaching them tips and tricks, and just talking to them. I decided to took this time to write a book and learn by watching what others were doing.

There are two things main things I learn from this whole pandemic.

First off, take care of yourself and do not get burnt out.  I must emit that I did get burnt out on my business by the time my book launched in October. I feel like I worked 24/7 on this book and probably pushed myself over the edge. First, the pandemic did not help. I was stuck at home for months and was not able to get out and socialize.  I was missing my quilt shows where I could get out and soak in the splendor of all the beautiful designs for inspiration and then hang out with friends. Over the last couple of months, I started taking one day a week and working down at my local quilt shop to develop their online store. I also started taking weekends off to give myself a break from my quilt designing business. Plus, I needed to find a hobby that was not quilting all the time, so I started machine embroidery. I fell in love with it, thanks to my local shop owner, who showed us various tips and online events. I also have taken the last couple of weeks as a vacation to have time for myself, clear my mind, and get ready to get back to business.

The second thing I learned was not to take things for granted. I had my hopes and desires for my business crushed this year due to the pandemic. I learned the hard way that if something or someone shuts the door in your face, you need to just turn to a new door and start fresh. It is natural to be down about this, but you need to pick yourself up and move forward and discover the next exciting thing.

What are some of my significant accomplishments of 2020? 

Thankfully, my family and I stayed safe and healthy throughout
the year.  

Secondly, I developed what I feel was a beautiful first book, Poppin’ with Wings. It took a lot of work, time, and money to produce, but I think this book will be a great addition to my Studio 180 design pattern collection.

Lastly, in 2020, I developed and released several new patterns that have become great sellers. I have also designed several more patterns that will be out soon.  I also feel I am starting to get a good following of Quilt Affection Design fans that love my patterns after being in business for 6+ years.

So, what are my goals for 2021! I have one main goal that will work into several minor goals:

My main goal is to take my recent quilt and book patterns and develop an OnDemand Class Library to teach the techniques.  So, anyone that wants to can learn to make these beautiful quilts. I hope to have several out by March 2021.

The first minor goal is to develop a series of patterns that allow the current Studio 180 Design fans and anyone new to practice and develop skills. These patterns will be designed around a single tool that will be easy to put together with clear instructions.  Some patterns will be table toppers to multi-sized quilts.  They will be coming your way in the Spring, probably around April.

The second minor goal is to develop more patterns, just like the ones you have seen from my studio throughout the year.

The last minor goal is to develop a sequel to the Poppin’ with Wing book.  I have no date for this yet but will keep everyone informed.

How will I accomplish these goals? 

Well, I need to develop a schedule or routine that includes self-care like exercise, time off, etc.
To get my business goals accomplished, I will need to keep a planner and write down my tasks and goals for each day or week to keep me on schedule. This planner will help keep me organized and on task. 

My hope for everyone in 2021 is to have a healthy, safe, and joyous year.  I hope we will emerge from this pandemic toward the fall and have some kind of new normal closer to the old one.  For the new year, I encourage everyone to set goals for themselves and start a journal to keep you on track. 

Have a great New Year!