I wasn’t going to have a goal series this year, because sometimes I feel like they get lost. However, after Natalie Franke’s post last week about #communityovercompetition, I thought that this might help others to know you are not alone. It rang so true to me that so many of us silently struggle with business woes and feeling alone. I’m raising my hand high, here friends. That is not true, though. I know we all love what we do and it comes with the territory, but we do not need to feel like we are the only ones who experience the down days.

In the simple act of sharing some of my goals, I hope to add to a community of fellow entrepreneurs and help us band together to support each other. These are not just words, it’s the beginning of a movement that will shift the landscape and heart of our industry as we know it. That fires me up so much!

As a creative business owner, there are always more dreams and goals than time. This is my effort to not only keep myself accountable, but to support any of you who share the same goals. We are all in this together!

“Her success is not my failure. Her prosperity does not make me inferior. And I choose to cheer her on because community rises above competition.” – Natalie Franke

After a month long process, I have noted ten goals for the year. Five are personal and five are business focused. As always, they all play into my greater core ‘why’ and work together. This month, I’m going to share a few of my business goals in hopes that maybe some of you other boss ladies will have similar goals and we can cheer each other on!

Organize and simplify the back end of the business. There is always improvement to be done streamlining the business side of things. This includes accounting (my favorite…), efficiency in workflow, SEO, and finding the best formats and tools to use. This is important not only for the obvious operational reasons, but because having more of a system and routine for this will allow me to focus on what I truly am passionate about. To love people and work to tell my client’s love stories in the best way possible. This also applies to friends, family and life in general. Worrying less about the business side of things opens up time to spend building relationships and helping more people.

Refine and develop a more meaningful client experience. This is something so dear to my heart that I have had to pull back the reins on a few times. Gift giving is one of my love languages and I often find it difficult to balance the fine line between my ideas and that pesky budget. However, it is really important to me that anyone I come in contact with, whether it is a client or colleague, knows how loved and appreciated they are. I have big ideas here, lovelies, and I am really striving to build this into what I envision, little by little, this year.

Create to create. Being creative means staying on top of your game and letting your mind wander every now and then. I already do a lot of brainstorming, but there is something missing for constant inspiration. Exploring new mediums and avenues will only fuel my imagination and allow me to do better work. More honest work. This month, I want to paint on canvas. I’m not an artist, but I have always wanted to try painting. It might turn out horrid and reminiscent of kindergarten watercolor, but I am going to give it a go. I also plan on taking at least two creative field trips. No electronics, just me and a notebook to write in or sketch.

What are your goals this month, this year? I would absolutely love to cheer you on and support you in achieving them.

xoxo, Jenn