2017 was a really exciting year for my tiny business; in that it got a bit less tiny, (it's still very small, but y'know, baby steps!) and started feeling like an actual *thing* rather than just a hobby that makes me a little bit of cake money. (There's still cake, don't panic).
It's all been a bit magical, but also sort of an unplanned rollercoaster; so this post, is basically me taking stock and planning ahead, in an effort to do a bit less winging it and a bit more intentional magic making...
I sent out almost 1000 orders last year, to nearly 600 people in twenty different countries across the globe.
That makes me grin, and to be honest, makes my head spin a bit too! The game changer was, of course, enamel pins.
So obviously, I very much plan to keep making pins in 2018 (I love making them as much as you guys seem to like buying them!), however I do plan to change the packaging a little in that they're now going to be NAKED!! ...by which I mean there will be no more plastic sleeves/cello bags.
It's something I've been overthinking for a while now. As my little business grows, I'm becoming more and more aware of trying to make it all as sustainable as possible. I've always been a bit of an eco-warrior at heart, and now that I'm feeling like a 'proper' boss babe, it feels only right I should be making sure my business is as environmentally friendly as possible.
The amount of plastic our tiny planet gets through every year is shameful, and if I can help reduce that even a teeeny bit, that's got to be a good thing - millions of small changes = big results. So, from now on, my pins will come on a pretty backing card, wrapped in tissue and a paper bag as usual, but no cellophane wrapper. (The tissue & bag can both be recycled, or even better - reused in any way you like!)
I'm also planning to not focus all my time and energy on pins! I know, that sounds like I'm contradicting myself, but as I've mentioned before, pins were supposed to be a sideline! So while they're absolutely sticking around & I have lots of new designs planned, you can also expect to see a lot more prints, original art, and anything else I can think of to put happy scribbles on! I've been doing my homework on a few third party sites where I could make my designs available on other products too, but I'm not quite ready to commit just yet - I'll keep you posted!
I also want to make more time for art for fun. Doodling, painting and other crafty nonsense has always been my therapy, my safe place, my way of escaping the 'real' world. And while I know I'm extremely lucky to doing that stuff I love for a living, it's very much a double edged sword in that it's easy to forget not every creative urge needs to be business related! I want to do more nonsense doodling, more snipping up paper scraps, more making a mess with paint... with no real purpose or intention, just for pleasure. I'm hoping I might be able to inspire others to try a spot of art therapy along the way too. We'll see...
Another thing I'd really like to do this year is blog more - I've got a few ideas knocking around in my brain content-wise, but if there's anything you'd really like to see on here, please do give me a shout. I'm planning to keep in touch with my gorgeous Happy Gang more too, and spend more time scouring good stuff to share, so make sure you're on the list if you're not already!
I'm sure I had more to say, but I'm still in a bit of a New Year fog, so I'll leave it there for now and let you know about other stuff as and when it happens.
In a nutshell, thank you for all your support last year - it absolutely means the world, and I hope you'll stick around and enjoy the continuing adventures of Leslieanne Made It in 2018!
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