Reflecting on 2009

Are we really entering into the last week of 2009??? I cannot believe how fast this year has gone by....seems like it should only be the beginning of summer.

As I reflect on 2009, I realize how much I've learned and grown. I am proud to say that I've made 6 sales on Etsy. Now, I know that doesn't sound like many, but when I take a step back and look at the big picture, those 6 sales are a lot! The reason I say that, is that I work a full time job outside the home (often 50 + hour weeks), am a bit shy (can be hard for me to promote my shop to people I meet/know), and there are a crazy number of jewelry sellers on Etsy. I've heard many people complain that they've only had 20-some sale one month, that the jewelry market is saturated. I agree, there are a lot of jewelry sellers, but I way I look at is - hey, out of all the other sellers the buyer can choose, and all the items for sale, those 6 people found me....they loved a piece that I made, and they just had to have it. Now, I'm not sure about you, but that makes me feel DARN GOOD!!!! So I will take my 6 sales and will be proud!!!

During 2009 I started my blog (and will do a better job at posting in 2010), created a twitter account, learned about shipping and sales, and other promotional tools that I can expand on in 2010.

I am very excited for 2010 - I will be starting a new job at the end of January, and am just excited to see what the year has in store for me. One of my goals is to become more organized. I hope to be able to establish more of routine (my new job should be more 40 -45 hour weeks) and to plan my weeks better. I think if I can plan better, then everything else will fall into place.

So here's a nod to 2009 and a big smile to 2010.