About that plan...

So... the masterplan.

Last time I talked about targets, since then I have been doing more thinking... a business plan written out neatly on a sheet will not work for me. So instead a lot of my planning is going to end up on this blog. It's no good if I write a beautiful plan and then stick it in a file and never look at it again, my plan needs to be ever evolving and changing as I find my feet... after all it is my plan... it's not like anyone else needs to look at it.

So the targets I set for myself were:
100 designs on Inkmeup on Folksy by mid September
50 designs on feltmeup on Folksy by End of September
50 Feltanomicon designs by End of September

Now I have targets, I need to think about how I will achieve these targets and what that will look like and how long in real terms this will take.

100 designs on Inkmeup Folksy
Currently I am at around 40 or so listings on folksy, now 100 may seem like a jump but I do have 125 items on etsy and in my Inkmeup file cabinet I have multiples of those prints. So this is possibly the most achievable of my tasks as the stock is already there, I simply need to go thru draw by draw, take and Inventory and list the prints.Along with this I am also aiming for at least 1 new Inkmeup design/product a month and as each design generally spawns 3-4 different products this will help towards the target. I have an insane amount of ideas so I am going to put aside some time each week to brainstorm and write them down, so I shall start keeping sketchbooks again. I also Have some new product ideas... but they are in development and super top secret so far!

50 designs on Feltmeup Folksy
This one requires a little more thought for me, first I need to establish what my 50 best selling designs are on Etsy, then I need to make them. The folksy felt total is around 20 at the moment... I know a lot of sellers will list the same item in multiple places and then if they sell it they make it on demand, this approach won't work for me as I prefer to have the item in stock so I can post immediately, it helps keep my work load manageable... and reduces my stress level.
To achieve this I am now making at least 2 of each bird when I make them (except new designs) this should increase my productivity (in theory). I am actively thinking about what I need to make rather than just waking up and thinking "I feel like making owls today" mostly cos I always feel like making owls!

50 designs on Feltanomicon on Etsy
This one is the hardest, I love feltanomicon, it's my playground... there is some mad stuff in my head and a love of the Science Fiction and Fantasy genre fuels it quite a lot, I have some great ideas (I think they are great!) and need to start running feltanomicon more like a business and less like a playground... sure I still need somewhere to go wild but I plan on giving a whole day to feltanomicon each week to build up my stock. So really one of my targets is to play more!

In addition to my original plan/targets I have set myself the task of contacting 1 gallery or shop or magazine a week. This means trawling thru my inboxes on folksy, etsy and my email to find all those people who contacted me with trade enquiries in the past... there were a lot an because of my job I said no but now I have the time and the motivation to say yes. I am compiling a wholesale price list too... because you need to have one!

It's still very big and scary but I'm getting there... in the past month I have had a super experience with 2 galleries, which has been extremely encouraging. I'm hoping soon it all becomes less scary!!!

So... here's to planning the plan and working on the plan and achieving the plan!