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Friday, December 28, 2012

2012 Year End Goals Wrap Up


Goal #1
To sell 104 items on etsy in 2012. This averages out to 2 items a week. My first year on etsy I sold about 1 item a week, however last year I didn't even reach that benchmark, so I am leaving this at 104 sales for the year, with the hopes of blasting this year out of the park.

How did I do in 2012? Well, sales number wise, I did not reach this goal, as I only had 27 sales. BUT, if we look at revenue, I did awesome! Lets break it down:

Year
# of sales
Gross Sales
2010
58
635.5
2011
22
304.57
2012
27
981.21

So, why the drastic increase in revenue, but not number of items sold? It’s a two-fold thing. The first reason is that I made a lot of “destash” sales, AKA beading supplies I no longer needed, in 2010 and 2011. In 2012 27 of my sales were for destash, and in 2011 8 of the sales were destash. I had no destash listed, or sold, in 2012.

The second reason is that I had a few multiple item sales in 2012. I did one bridal order, which consisted of 6 necklace and earring sets. Then I had one customer who bought 3 necklaces, and another who I made 2 custom necklaces for. So the quantity of jewelry purchased increased. Also, I sold more “big ticket” items, such as necklace/earring sets, not just individual earrings.


Goal #2
To participate in 2 shows in 2012. I foresee lots of changes in our near future, so I am not going to push too hard on doing lots of shows. I am going to take my time, and research the venues thoroughly, so that I can maximize my potential for profits.

Well, I did do 2 shows in 2012. So I succeeded in this goal. The first show I did up in Northern California, where I was living at the time. It rained for the first few hours of the show, then it changed to snow. The turnout was poor, and they closed down early once the snow came. I don’t remember exactly how much I made, but I know I made my booth fee back, plus around $100, so I was okay with that.

Then I did a second show in Durango, CO, about an hour from where I now live (yes I lived in 3 places this year). That show was SLOW! I made my booth fee, then $22. Which I promptly spent on earrings and commissioned a large pottery utensil holder from another seller. Sales wise it was a bad show for everyone, except the pottery lady, who about sold out! But I met lots of nice people who live near where I now live.

Goal #3
To maintain at least 100 items in my etsy store. This will allow lots of diversity in my shop, as well as giving potential customers plenty to choose from.

I kicked butt on this goal J Except for maybe a total of 2 weeks the whole year, I had 100+ items in my shop.

Goal #4
To dedicate 5 hours per week to my shop. Whether that means creating, photographing, editing, or listing. 

Yeah. Not so much on this one. My year started off with a bang. Literally. On my way to work, on the second day of my job, I was in a major car accident. So life was hectic for awhile. I was also living with my great aunt for the first 8 months of the year. She was sooo generous to let me stay with her, and I didn’t like to spread my mess around her house. So I mostly worked when she was away. Then in mid-august I moved to Farmington, NM where my husband got placed with his airline. We quickly found a house and moved in. So the last 4 months I have been spending more time creating. Which has shown in my hands. I have developed an “overuse injury” from the increase in beading, as well as my day job as a physical therapist assistant, where I do hours of trigger point and deep tissue massage.

Goal #5
To maintain better records on how my time is spent, my supply purchases, and my sales. Also to keep a notebook full of the things that I need to work on, as well as ways to prepare my shop for the trends of shoppers.

I did good at this for about a week, but then quit tracking. Then when etsy added a “browse” search feature, I spent a good amount of time keeping track of keywords and trends. I tried to stay on top of the trends, but honestly, I failed. So maybe for 2 weeks out of the year I know how my time was spent. As for purchases, I have receipts all over the place. But thanks to etsy’s tracking of stats, I have a nice record of all the sales I made on etsy.

Overall it was a more profitable year. I learned some good lessons, and know what directions I want to take in 2013, including “off etsy” sales goals.  

11 comments:

  1. Weldone Turtle - for setting realistic goals and meeting them (well mostly lol!) My goal for 2013 is to set some goals!

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  2. This is GReat, now I am going to have to recap my year!

    I am still trying to keep 300 items in my shop with no luck LOL

    Good luck on your goals!!!!

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    Replies
    1. Yeah, but you cant keep them at 300 cause they keep selling! Thats an awesome reason!

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  3. Great job Turtle! Considering all the moves and challenges you had, I think you did really well this year! Here's to a great 2013.

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  4. Wow... this is super Elizabeth... so happy you reached so many of your goals considering all you went through. Hoping for even better 2013 for you!

    I will have to do a blog post too but mine will not be as positive.

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    Replies
    1. Well, my results weren't that positive. But I learned a lot, and have new ideas to try and figure out how to have better success, that the important part! To learn!!!

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  5. You've had a rough year Elizabeth. I'm glad you made it through and are settled. It sounds like you've learned a lot and I bet 2013 will be a great year for you! I love your jewelry, as you know, so keep up the good work!!!

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  6. Great Recap! I've a question about the destash. Are you saying you feel it is a good idea or a bad one? I couldn't quite sort out the dates. I'm toying with destash but not sure it's worth the bother. ???

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    Replies
    1. Calli- I'm not opposed to destash. In fact, I have opened a second shop for it. I dont want supplies mixed in with my jewelry. Just a personal opinion.

      And it was neither a good or bad thing, merely a financial comparison. Though I had 58 sales, about half were destash, which means the revenue was in the $5-10 range. Not the $40+ range of necklaces. So it was a lot of sales, but not much income. I was trying to give some reasoning behind why the sales numbers were lower this year, but the revenue was higher.

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  7. That's what I meant by 'not worth the bother. I don't like packing and mailing items with such small profit margins.
    Thanks for the clarification

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  8. Elizabeth, good job! There are always obstacles which get in our way, but I admire your ability to return to your goals and to reevaluate them. I think you've had a very successful year, given the many challenges you've had to face. I'm sure 2013 will be even better for you!

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