Thoughts And Goals Heading Into 2017
I'm thinking of January as a time to reflect, evaluate, and goal-set for the upcoming year of business. How I'd like to change and grow are both part of today's post. I thought I'd share 3 business goals and 3 personal goals...so here goes!
3 Business Goals:
Goal 1: Continue making the experience each of my wedding clients deeper and better. I'm putting myself in their shoes and asking: how can I fully serve each bride and groom on their wedding day? How can I make their day (and the time leading up to it) go more smoothly in ways above and beyond my duties as a photographer? One practical way I'm doing this is by adding an assistant to each of my packages in 2017. Because of this, I'll have the chance to do things like take more candids as my assistant holds the checklist of family photos, sets up my light stand for the reception, and helps my brides cary their dresses!
Goal 2: Book at least 15 weddings! I have been a gradual-but-steady-growth kind of business. I adored each of my couples last year and I'm SO excited about the friends of past clients, new faces, and old friends whose weddings I'm already booked to document in 2017. I am working hard this winter to book all the way up to my goal of at least 15 weddings this year!
Goal 3: Explore and scout for new engagement session locations in Maryland! I love when my couples invite me into their homes or neighborhoods for engagement photos, but if they'd rather go on an adventure to somewhere new, I like to have specific streets, neighborhoods, and parks ready to suggest to them. Maryland is very diverse with lakes, the bay, the coast, Baltimore city, fields, and farmland, so there's plenty to explore!
3 Personal Goals:
Goal 1: Eat more whole foods. I've always had a pretty fast metabolism, but even if they don't make me gain much weight, sugar and junk foods do make me feel pretty terrible. I'm trying to put my all-day feelings and health above my temporary cravings for foods like cheese (I love cheese and want to put it on everything!), chocolate treats (like Lindt balls), and tortilla chips. Just being real here. ;) None of those things are bad in moderation, but when I'm working from home each day, it's way too easy to eat pasta with cheese or toasted nachos every day. I do love cooking, and I'm trying to experiment with new recipes to add to my repertoire of meat-and-veggie-based meals! A current favorite is soup - it's so easy to make and eat leftover, and there are endless varieties.
Goal 2: Finish our tiny home! I haven't talked about this huge personal project much on this blog because I've been writing about it over here. My husband Tom and I have been building our on-wheels tiny home with our own hands and with help from our families since March. I cannot wait to live in it for at least a couple years once it's done! We already live in a tiny apartment just outside of Baltimore, so downsizing to this space will be only be going from 400sqft to 150sqft. Wish us luck, and follow our new home's instagram here!
Goal 3: Visit our out-of-town family as much as possible. With tiny home work taking up every single weekend that I wasn't shooting a wedding in 2016, I'm so excited to be freed up on some weekends to spend time with Tom and my family members. All of our grandparents are within driving distance and they each live in pretty cool small towns, and we have siblings in Boston and Seattle, so many weekend adventures will definitely be happening after wintertime!If you're still here, then definitely take this opportunity to sign up for my newsletter before the very first edition goes out![et_bloom_inline optin_id=optin_1]
