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5 Lessons My Kids Have Taught Me About Business

by with No Comment Behind the ScenesPersonal Growth
Photo by Ben Wicks on Unsplash

I started my small business in 2021 after having my son in 2020. I struggled to return to my contract job, particularly in finding a balance with childcare. Since then, I have grown not only as a mum but also as a small business owner. Let’s explore the five important lessons my son has taught me about running a business

1. Failures are a Part of the Journey

That moment when a child takes their first solo steps is unforgettable and becomes a cherished memory. However, the journey to that moment is filled with ups and downs—lots of falls, frustration, and tears. Running a small business is very similar.

Operating a small business from home is rarely smooth sailing. There are tantrums over technology failures, frustration when a design doesn’t come together, and tears when Royal Mail loses your package. Yet, the final results will make all the challenges worthwhile.

2. Play is Important

For kids, there is no yesterday or tomorrow—only the present. They exist in the moment, which is often filled with intense activities like car racing or flying planes (I have a boy, so I don’t get to play with ponies). In the world of business, taking breaks is crucial.

It’s easy to experience burnout, especially when you focus on all the tasks you need to complete tomorrow or when you think about things from yesterday that you need to address today. However, taking time to be present is essential. Whether it’s driving Lightning McQueen around on the carpet or simply sitting outside with a book, carving out time for yourself is important

3. Show Everyone What You Have Done

There is a special kind of pride that little ones exhibit when they run up to show you a picture they’ve created. Even if it’s just a brown blob on a piece of paper, they present it with confidence, and you can’t help but agree that it is indeed the most amazing piece of art ever made. This sentiment applies just as much to running a business, particularly a creative one.

Sharing something you’ve poured your heart and soul into can be daunting. The fear of facing rejection or being overlooked can trigger significant anxiety. But you should go for it! Present your work to the world and take pride in what you’ve accomplished. Someone will appreciate it, and then another, and another. Stand tall with a big smile and say, “Look at me! Look at what I created!”

4. Negotiation

Anyone with a toddler or a teenager will understand this struggle. My negotiating skills are truly tested when my son tries to convince you that they need to go headfirst down a slide, and you have to negotiate a safer way to play.

These skills can be quite helpful in business, especially when dealing with customers. Whether they are negotiating a discount for a wholesale order or requesting a custom design, it’s important to remember that customers are not as tough to negotiate with as a 5-year-old trying to get a new toy car.

5. Nap Time is for Babies

This made me laugh. When my son turned two, he boldly declared that naps are for babies. As a result, he started resisting naps at home, although he did take nice naps at nursery.

I’m not one of those people who believe that “you snooze, you lose.” That idea is nonsense. Resting doesn’t make you a loser; in fact, it’s quite the opposite.

However, not promoting your brand, failing to post regularly, and neglecting to update your listings can make it seem like your store is on “nap time.” To keep everything active and attract customers, stay on top of social media, update your listings frequently, and refresh your tags for SEO. This will help wake everything up and draw in more customers.

Many thanks for taking the time to read my blog. What lessons have your kids taught you? Please feel free to leave a comment below.

You can also follow me on social media.

Until next time… keep shopping small.

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Behind the Scenes: How I Design and Print My Autumn Collection

by with No Comment Behind the Scenes
Photo by Elena Mozhvilo on Unsplash

Autumn is now in full swing. It’s the time to get cosy and warm at home as the rain gently taps the window.

You can probably guess that this is my favourite time of year. I find Autumn more inspiring and creative than I do spring or even summer. And I think that is reflected in my Autumn Collection.

I added some new products a few weeks ago, which you can view here. But let’s take a look at my creative process behind the designs.

Inspiration

Inspiration can come from anywhere. Most of my inspiration comes from when I am being creative myself. I like to switch off and do some digital design or a mindless doodle, and sometimes an idea arrives and I note it down in my notebook or in my phone if I am out and about.

But what I really like to do is scroll through Pinterest looking at colour palettes, or finding some funny sayings or puns. I avoid looking at other people’s artwork as that could lead to copying, and that is something that I would like to avoid. (Obviously, a like on that pin is a bonus to that artist) And AI image generation is also a big no-no.

Autumn is great for colour. You have so many warming oranges, cheery yellows and fiery reds to inspire.

A screenshot of some colour palettes on my Pinterest

Framework

This is when the sketchbook or notebook comes out. This is the point where I start to gather in reference images (if needed), the colours, and start planning which product this design would be pressed onto.

Now is the time to begin the early sketch. The basic shapes and positioning are the main focus. Detail comes later, keeping in mind how this design will sit on the sublimation products.

I like to have references; it helps keep me focused and ensures proportions are correct, as well as helps with poses. Definitely needed for my Cat tote bag. Nothing beats curling up in your big autumn jumper, with a hot drink and drawing a peaceful Autumn vibes image.

Using colour palette for a design.

Creation

Time to refine and build up the details. Once I was happy with the final drawing or digital design, it was time to put it into Photoshop to resize and define the image to fit onto the product. I would also sometimes tweak the colour slightly, as it does come out dull in the sublimation printer, but once pressed, it is very vivid, and some colour enhancement can really help the colour pop.

The final step is to use the heat press on your test product. This can be quite a nerve-wrecking part of the process, as I have already put in so much time and effort on these designs, it can be disheartening when it doesn’t come out as you had hoped.

I have to say, orange is one of the best colours to see after a press is one of the best things about doing sublimation because it just gives an immediate warmth.

And now it’s ready to upload to Etsy

Many thanks for taking the time to read my blog. I hope this has been a helpful insight into my creative process. Please feel free to leave a comment below.

You can also follow me on social media.

Until next time…keep shopping small

Why Supporting Small Businesses Matters More Than Ever

by with No Comment Behind the Scenes
Photo by bruce mars on Unsplash

Well, 2025 has been a year.

And we all thought the COVID Pandemic was a tough time. It’s certainly not been the best year for me since I started running my small business back in 2021.

It’s essential now more than ever to understand the importance of supporting small businesses.

GPSR

General Product Safety Regulation. This did technically start in December 2024, but it certainly had a sales impact for this year.

In a nutshell, the GPSR is an EU regulation surrounding the safety of products being sold into the EU. The big thing is that it is a requirement to have an EU-based representative, as well as a whole load of paperwork and various other things.

As I can’t afford a certified EU-based representative, I had to stop selling to the EU. Many other UK-based businesses have had to stop selling to EU member countries.

I have been working hard to expand my UK and other non-EU-based customer base. And sadly, I have seen many businesses close their virtual and real doors because they have lost so much to this regulation. So when shopping, pop into that local shop, chat to someone at a Christmas market about their business, and show them support on social media.

This helps small businesses be seen by more people and potential customers. It really does make a difference.

Cost of Living

This has hit everyone. The cost of the basics is at its highest, and the cost of materials has made businesses increase their costs, making even the smallest of gifts seem pricey.

This has led to people to be more conscious of their spending, resulting in fewer visitors to websites and marketplaces.

As you can see from the graphs below, which were posted by eRank, there has been a decline in visitor numbers to these marketplaces. And not just Etsy. Amazon and eBay have seen the same trend

It really is sad to see these numbers, with Christmas approaching, these numbers should start to go up. So make sure you support your local business for the holiday season. Your support will be greatly appreciated compared to bigger-name brands.

USA Tariffs

Now this has been a rollercoaster. You can read it in detail in my USA Tariff blog post here.

The amount of changes and uncertainty surrounding these tariffs has made American customers less likely to purchase. And sellers have been struggling to keep up with all the changes, so they have either decided to stop selling to the USA or they have incurred a loss due to the confusing way these tariffs work.

Like many others, it has prompted me to refocus on making more sales in the UK. I have applied to Faire so I can start offering my products at wholesale prices. My application is still pending, so it doesn’t look like I will be set up in time for Christmas. Please consider a UK small business first when doing your Christmas shopping. Whether it’s at a market or via a line shop, you would be helping an unsung part of the economy survive this Christmas.

Jeff Bezos won’t be doing a happy dance when you purchase from Amazon. But small businesses would be jumping for joy and doing everything they can to make your experience with them one to remember.

With the Christmas season fast approaching, please consider a small business first for a gift. I think you would be surprised by the amazing and unique gifts out there, and you would be able to find something for everyone. Even that one person who is hard to shop for.

You really could make someone’s Christmas this year. When you buy from a small business, you are not helping a CEO buy a yacht, but someone who will be able to pay for school uniforms, family days out, and a Sunday roast.

Many thanks for taking the time to read my blog. If you want to give a shout-out to a small business or just want to leave a comment, then please use the comments section below

You can also follow me on social media.

Until next time…keep shopping small

The Juggle Is Real: Balancing Mum Life and Business Life

by with No Comment Behind the Scenes
Photo by Vitolda Klein on Unsplash

Achieving a work-life balance is tough. And even tougher when you’re a parent juggling everything.

As a working mum to a little boy, to me it is important to have flexible working hours so I can to spend time with him. It’s a tough balancing act, and it’s something I have learned over time but continue to learn.

There is no defined way to juggle it all. But below are some insights on what has worked for me.

Time Management

I am one of those people who plans. I did it during my studies at school and university. Using a diary, I would block out time slots for specific subjects, breaks, class schedule, etc. I also did it when I was employed; my Google Calendar was the most colourful in the office.

But it’s a whole new level when you have a little one. They have no schedule!

Especially when they start fighting naps. When I started Panda Motion Designs, I would put my son down for a nap and get on with processing orders. But then he began to drop the naps, and it all went out the window. It is a real struggle to plan when you have a toddler who won’t sit still.

I ended up planning the bulk of what I needed to do in the 2 days he attended Nursery. That way, I could really focus on the business and free up the time to spend with my toddler.

Now that he is in school, I have more time to work on my business, but still under a time restriction. I got a weekly planner for Christmas, and it has been great. I could plan out what I needed to do for the week and tick them off as I go along (There is no feeling like it when you cross something off your to-do list).

Having a diary or weekly planner has really been the key tool for me for time management

There are plenty of downloadable weekly planners on Etsy, but I do recommend MumBossDigital. She has some lovely digital products to help you with your time management.

Unplug

Time to unplug. This is especially tough when your entire business is online and you are on social media and responding to messages, etc.

I did struggle with this the most. And still do now and again. But when I first opened up my Etsy store, I was constantly refreshing my Etsy stats and was not present with my little boy; he expressed this lack of attention with crying and tantrums. I ended up putting my phone out of arm’s reach when I was on the floor playing with him. Phones are addictive, so it may seem impossible to unplug from your digital life, but it is achievable by making small steps.

Unplugging as a parent is important, too. I used to read a lot on the train during the commute to London, and I missed that, so I started reading again. Take up some creative hobbies, I have done cross-stitch and had a go at knitting (need to start again, had to take a break as it was getting frustrating), I also love to bake and draw regularly. It all helped me anchor myself and feel more like me again.

Serenity Growth’s social media is lovely and has some lovely, supportive posts to help unplug and anchor yourself in beautiful ways.

Time to Yourself

It is so easy to burn out these days, let alone being a parent and running a small business. So, it is important to focus on yourself.

One day a week, I use it as a self-care day. I do what I want to do all day. Whether that’s giving myself a pamper, playing couch potato all day, or baking. Whatever it is that day is for me. And during the school holidays, my husband will take my son out for a day and leave me in a peaceful house.

If it is just for an hour, or a whole day, or a night out with your mates, make sure to give yourself some self-care. It really helps me clear my mind and refocus again as a mum, wife and business owner.

Positivi-Tea has some lovely self-care hampers to treat yourself or someone else with.

Well, I hope that was helpful. I want to reiterate that these insights have been effective for me, and they may not work the same way for everyone. I hope that this blog has given you something to think about and how you can implement some of these ideas into your daily life.

It can be a lonely world as a parent and small business owner. But know that you are not alone, and you are fantastic, and you can do this.

Feel free to reach out to me via my social media pages or comment below.

Until next time, stay brilliant.

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IMPORTANT SHIPPING UPDATE: USA Tariff Charges – September 2025

by with No Comment Behind the Scenes

Hello All.

It’s been a busy few months here with new product launches and navigating my first school summer holidays (I survived). I am now getting back into updating my blog and website.

Sadly, the latest post is not a positive one. But it’s a very important update that I need to write.

This is a follow-up on my previous blog post on the USA Tariffs.

Overview

Earlier this year, the Tangerine Tyrant imposed tariffs on various products and countries. It caused chaos, confusion and anger among many people. Especially small businesses that wouldn’t know if their products would receive extra charges or not when entering the USA.

At the time, the “De Minimus” was still in place. It allowed products under a certain value from anywhere in the world to enter the USA without extra charges. China was removed from De Minimus a few months later. For a while, customers in the USA were reluctant to make online purchases in case they received extra charges. But thankfully, that picked up again as the year went on.

However—

On the 30th July 2025, the “President” of the United States announced the removal of De Minimus. This was to take effect on August 29th 2025.

Now we all waited to see if he did one of his famous TACO manoeuvres, but sadly, no. It went into effect on the 29th of August as promised. This now means that ALL products entering the USA, despite cost and country of origin, will be charged extra customs fees.

What is De Minimus?

De Minimus is basically legal wording to describe something too trivial to worry about. In this case, cheap products are not worth taxing or worth considering taxing because it would be too much money and time to do.

Most countries have this in place. For the UK, anything under £150 is exempt from customs charges. For the USA, anything under $800 wouldn’t be taxed or have additional customs charges. That is no longer the case.

What Happens Now?

For the Cheeto President to keep his promise that exporters will be charged the tariffs, not the customer, tariff charges must be prepaid before the product can leave the country. If a product arrives in the USA without the tariff being prepaid, it could be rejected and returned at the seller’s expense, destroyed or sold at auction.

As a result, sellers have had to increase their prices to cover these charges. Mostly in the shipping costs, which is what I have done for my cheapest products.

I do have to give Royal Mail credit here; they did a huge amount of work to set up the ability for anyone in the UK to be able to pre-pay the tariffs, and in just under a month, too. Some other postage companies had to stop sending to the USA completely (unless it was a gift), Royal Mail only paused shipping to the USA for 48 hours and then came back up.

There were some teething issues, but I think they have been mostly rectified.

So yes, I am open again to selling my cheapest items to the USA, but with a huge increase in postage costs.

How is it calculated?

I hate maths. It’s bad enough I have to do math for my taxes each year, but this was a whole new level of brain pain.

As I am UK-based, some of my products are only charged at 10%. However, as some of my other products originate in China, I will have to charge 30% on these products.

But why? If you make it in the UK then surely the UK tariff stands? No

According to the rules as set by the current US government, simply placing an image onto a product does not qualify it enough to be “UK Made”. If I imported the sheets of aluminium, cut them myself for my bookmarks and wall art, and then added the sublimation covering, then added my design onto it. Only THEN can I mark it as UK Made. But since I am a single person running a business out of my home and not a factory, that’s not an option.

So, here is my pricing breakdown: Price of item + 30%/10% tariff fees + tracked postage + Etsy fees + Royal Mail processing fees = New cost for USA customers.

Why not just charge the 10% tariff? How would they know?

Sorry. Not risking committing fraud for a few pounds.

And I know some of my products have been opened and checked by customs. I have had a couple of USA customers contact me because their package has been opened, and the item is either missing or damaged (thou why send just an empty envelope is a bit confusing to me). And a few products do say “made in China” on them. I’m just going to risk it.

And I am also not risking marking them as “gift” for the same reasons as above. They are checking items at customs.

How Is it charged?

For the time being, I am charging the tariff fees via shipping costs. Etsy is currently working on creating a country-based pricing system so it’s easier to manage (as well as avoiding paying them more fees), but that will be months away, so for now it’s in the cost of delivery.

Conclusion

I have yet to make a USA sale since the De Minimus ended. And looking at the costs. I am not surprised.

I lost the ability to sell to EU countries last December, and now it seems the USA is almost impossible to sell to. Another nail in the coffin for small independent businesses.

I love seeing how everyone says how great small businesses are to the economy, but then makes it near enough impossible to actually make sales.

If you are based in the UK or outside the USA, or outside the EU. Please consider buying from a small/independent business this Christmas. We are all suffering, and some have already closed shop.

Support small this Christmas.

Thank you for visiting my website to read my blog, make a purchase, or follow me on social media. Your support is greatly appreciated in whatever form.

If you have any questions, please use the comment section below or one of my social media channels. If you have any ideas or feedback, please share them in the comments below.

Until Next Time…

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The Many Hats of a Mum and Small Business Owner

by with No Comment Behind the Scenes

Running a Small Business is No Small Feat

And it can be hard to juggle that and be a parent. So, for fun, I drew up an infographic of most of the hats I have to wear daily.

It may be hard, and sometimes you have to wear multiple hats at the same time, but it is worth it when that sale comes in while I collect my son from school.

Conclusion

Which hat is your favourite? Do you agree with it? Did I miss something?

Let me know in the comments below.

Panda Motion Designs gets a Facelift

by with No Comment Behind the Scenes

A Spring Clean

Happy Spring Time! It’s that time of year that many do the big spring clean. For many it can be a refresh of their wardrobe, a lick of paint in the house or giving the car a good clean. For me it means a review of my business brand.

And that’s what I did. I had been using this branding since 2021, when I started this little business (See my shops 4th Birthday Blog) and for this reason, it needed an update.

The Logo

I wanted to keep several things: Round shape, the Panda Character, Green colour.

The round shape makes it look nicer on social media profile icons as the most of them are round. For obvious reasons, the word ‘panda,’ needed to see it. The green colour would offer a colour that would stand-out more, compared to the usual black and white associated with panda’s.

I took to Pinterest and created a collage of colours that I loved and other Panda logo icons for inspiration.

I made 6 different variations of the logo. Picked my favourite 3. Refined them a bit more, including the font style. Selected it down to 2 designs and see how they work with the colours I was considering.

Many Colours…

I browsed Pinterest for branding colour inspiration.

As mentioned ealrier, the primary colour needed to continue to be green and to have a suitable colour that contrasts well with the green so things can be readable.

A good ‘highlight’ colour was required. Something I could use to emphasise something or to jump out a bit more on social media.

I found several colour palettes that I liked and worked out which ones would be best for myself and brand. As you can see I combined colours from 3 different palettes and felt like I have a branding colour palette that I think would work.

The next stage was to see how it would work with my final 2 logo designs and see which worked best

After exploring the colours, I decided that the logo on the left worked well like this, and I chose this as my new branding.

A Varity of Variations

A colour logo won’t always work, so I needed to create different versions of the logo that I could use when required. Finally, everything was ready to use.

I have already started using it on social media and my Etsy shop and I am getting some nice feedback about it. The website will soon display the new logo. I hope my web developer (aka my lovely, sexy husband) will soon find the time to help me do this.

So, what do you think? Are you starting out on your logo and branding journey for your new shop? Or possibly thinking of a rebrand? If you are, I hope this article helped you.

Feel free to comment below or follow me on social media.

Until next time, have a great day.

Panda Motion Designs Shop Turns 4!

by with No Comment Behind the Scenes
Photo by American Heritage Chocolate on Unsplash

Happy Birthday Panda Motion Designs!

Four Years ago, on the 23rd March, I opened Panda Motion Designs on Etsy. I even made my first sale within a few hours of going live.

I honestly never thought I would run my business, let alone be selling for 4 years!.

How it Started

Before Panda Motion Designs became a shop it was the business name I was using as a Audio/Visual Designer Contractor. I specialised in creating onboarding and knowledge sharing videos for clients, mostly for banks and financial sector.

I then got pregnant, and as a contractor/self-employed person, I didn’t receive maternity leave, so I had to quit working entirely. And during my last few months of working and pregnancy, Covid hit and ended up locked up safe at home.

I wanted to return to work to help pay some income into the household. So, about a year after I gave birth, I decided I wanted to return to part-time work around childcare. However, most of my clients changed their structures and leadership during Covid-19 and they basically told me I was not required and part-time was not acceptable or offered the flexibility to work around childcare.

It was devastating. Feeling useless and I fell into depression. I cried a lot, wandering what to go and where to go for work. I had a few leads but all fell through when they discovered I had a young child. No one wanted to actually offer the flexibility they were advertising on job descriptions. Then one day, my husband had an idea.

Panda Motion is Reborn

My wonderful husband was sad and upset to see me struggle. But watching me draw and be creative with our son, he thought it was a great idea to sell my designs onto products such as mugs, coasters, etc. He did all the research into Sublimation and how it works and how to make sales on Etsy and showed it all to me.

To be honest, I was apprehensive. I tried this before in the past and failed miserably. It can be such a personal thing to sell your pictures, paintings etc. to the world. I eventually came around to the idea and got all the equipment and stock needed to start my own little business..

Panda Motion Designs was reborn as a online store.

4 years later, 1,860+ sales and a new website later I am still here.

I have had some ups and downs with it all. But at least I am feeling like I am contributing to the household in some small way. Enough to treat my son to an extra slice of cake and new clothes.

I am so appreciative of the opportunity to do this as well as all of the amazing customers who have bought from me and left me lovely reviews. Thankful for all the supportive people I have met and chat to on Instagram and Threads. It’s been an interesting journey so far, and can’t wait to see what happens next.

Many Happy Returns to Panda Motion Designs!

Important Customer Update – US Tariffs

by with No Comment Behind the Scenes

Happy March and Welcome Back to my Small Business Blog and online shop.

It’s been a slow couple of months no thanks to GPSR and cost of living but I plug on. The one thing I need to keep an eye on while running a business is the frequent changes to tax and customs charges. Which is almost a full-time job, let alone any other job a small business owner needs to do.

The most recent update is the 25% tariff fees on certain products that were introduced by the current US government on 12th March 2025. So let’s take a look at it and what it could mean to myself, fellow small businesses and US customers.

What Is It?

“The US tariffs of up to 25% will apply on industrial-grade steel and aluminium, other steel and aluminium semifinished and finished products, and also their derivative commercial products” Source

On March 12th 2025, the USA imposed a tariff on all imports of aluminium and steel products. This particular tariff is world wide (not just to Canada, Mexico and China like other tariffs that have recently been introduced).

This means that any product sold that is made from aluminium or steel that is sent to the USA will have an additional charge put on them at US customs. I’m not sure about items marked as “Gift” on customs paperwork if they are exempt or not.

Will it Affect Me?

If you live outside the USA, then no. It is only for imports going into the USA. If you sell aluminium and steel based products to US customers or buy steel or aluminium from outside the US then it will affect you.

How Will It Affect Me?

In a nutshell, US buyers will be charged 25% by US Customs. Unlike how it is reported by some, the seller will not be footing the bill for these tariffs/charges. It is even within Etsy terms and conditions that the customer is responsible for paying any customs charges/tariffs

It will mean delays to customers receiving their item due to customs awaiting the additional charges to be paid. And customers being unhappy because they were unaware of these additional charges.

How Will it Affect Small/Micro Businesses?

This could have an affect on businesses. Especially those who are run by one or 2 people, like myself at Panda Motion Designs.

The sellers will not be charged the 25%, but buyers will be put off buying items from outside the USA due to the tariffs. And of course there will be customers who were unaware of the charges and will not pay it or they expect the seller to pay it. Resulting in the item potentially being returned to the seller due to unpaid fees, resulting in loss of income.

What is key here is to have good communication with the buyer. Letting them know about these charges they could receive early on in the order process so they could make a decision to continue or not. I already have a text template ready to send to a USA customer when an order comes in.

Which Panda Motion Designs products are affected?

This will affect my A5/A6 aluminium signs, aluminium bookmarks and the stainless steel water bottles.

Since the tariff covers industrial-grade, semi-finished and finished steel and aluminium products the items I have listed above will receive a 25% tariff charge at US Customs.

It will only be a couple of additional dollars required for US customers to pay. It will still be off putting for many. And since my most popular products are the aluminium signs I am expecting to see a reduction in sales sadly. I have read that the UK government are in talks with the US government to reduce or remove this tariff from UK products but it may be a while before that happens (if it does)

Conclusion

In conclusion, another set back for many small businesses. Especially those that are run by only 1 or 2 people like myself.

What’s the point? Well the aim is to promote US based steel and aluminium productions/sales. Wither you agree with this or not. It is here and it’s important to clearly communicate things between the customer and buyer to avoid confusion and anger.

I plan on messaging customers as soon as possible once an order is placed and I see it is going to the US and begin the conversation early as long as the tariffs are in place. Who knows what will happen later on down the line, will just have to wait and watch.

I will update on this blog if their are any changes. Please feel free to comment below or follow me on social media for updates.

The Road to Success – My 2025 Business Goals

by with No Comment Behind the Scenes
Photo by Mark Basarab on Unsplash

Happy New Year

Hello 2025. Now that the Christmas cheese coma is over, and I have watched enough Wallace and Gromit to quote it word for word; it’s time to set my sights on the upcoming year.

My business journey, so far, has had its ups and downs. But with every up and down a lesson is learned. And these lessons will help me plan my business goals for the year ahead.

Why not read my 2024 year review blog post?

Grab a cuppa, get under a blanket and dunk that biscuit and let’s dive into my 2025 business goals.

Financial Goals:

Just like any small/micro business I want to increase my income for this year. As I mentioned in my year in review post, 2024 was not the greatest so far since I opened my Etsy shop. So, to try and improve it this year I plan to invest a little more in advertising. Mostly Etsy ads supported with well planned social media captions and images. Possibly push a bit more on Pintrest and Threads.

I also plan to invest in more varied products and designs. Now that our laser cutter is up and running we have started offering laser cut products, I want to look into this more in 2025.

By improving reach I am hoping for more sales.

Lifestyle Goals:

Now that my son has started school I have had more time to work on my small business.This has resulted in me being able to spend more time with him around the school days and not have to worry about prepping for social media or trying to get an order out on time. It has been quite freeing.

The one thing I am going to be changing is having some “me time” this is time just for me during the week. No business work, no school admin, no listening to demands of a 4 year old. Just something for me. Being a mum is 24/7 and with running a micro business as well it can all be very mentally draining and it was feeling like I was getting that time to be me.

Taking time out to be me is a goal for me this year.

Impact Goals:

Since my website was launched last year I have seen an increase in traffic, mostly via the blog page. My most popular blog post being my experience of GPSR and the changes I needed to make to my delivery options. Followed by some of my tutorial pages.

I plan to continue with this but into how to run a micro/small business from home and bring updates that would affect other fellow businesses.

I love being creative. Just this weekend I made my son a pizza with toppings out of a cardboard box so he can make himself a ninja turtle pizza.

Creative Goals:

I love being creative. Just this weekend I made my son a pizza with toppings out of a cardboard box so he can make himself a ninja turtle pizza.

I wish to continue to refine and experiment more with digital illustration and design for 2025. I often find this quite relaxing to chill and let a design flow naturally without much of a plan. Improve my knowledge of Adobe Illustrator so I can get the most out of it.

I also have 2 books about drawing everyday and I hope to get back into those as well.

Optimization Goals:

I feel I have improved with SEO and listing optimisation since last year but still something that requires refinement.

I regularly update my listing SEO and images to keep on trend and up to date but finding the right words can be difficult. Even using EHunt was helpful. I still feel this is something I need to remain on top of. Especially with my blog and finding the right keywords so I can be found in search engines.

Also using social media stats to work out the best time to post in order to reach more potential customers will also be a part of my goal.

Reputation Goals:

I am going to take some time in the first quarter of 2025 to review my branding and refine it more. I have been consistent with my branding this year but feel it needs a slight change to keep it fresh and interesting. It’s not going to be a big change but enough to keep it creative throughout the year without being boring and to just give it a spring clean.

Maybe add some more animations along the way as well.

Other Goals:

Last year I wanted to be in front of the camera a bit more on social media. Although that is still a goal, I feel this has been covered in an earlier point above. This year I want to be more engaged with other fellow small businesses and have met some really lovely people. I want to focus on expanding this, sharing, commenting and discussing more to build on good relationships and help buy from small businesses more often and encourage new customers to engage with my profile.

Conclusion

So, that is my business plan for 2025. Some of these are going to be more difficult than others and some I may not complete. I look forward to finding out how things work out. I invite you to share yours or link to your business plans in the comments below.

Let’s all support one another and make 2025 the year of small/micro businesses.

Thank you if you have visited my website to read my blog, buy from me or follow me on social media. Your support is greatly appreciated in whatever form.

If you have any questions please use the comment section below or use one of my social media channels. If you have any goal recommendations to make; then please comment below.

Until Next Time…