Hey friend! Around this time last year I wrote this blog post that included my 10 Business Goals For 2021. Now is when I check in to see how I did on those goals and set 10 new ones for the year ahead. Let’s dive in!

To start, I’m going to review my 10 goals from 2021 and see how I did on each one.

1. Be consistent in my blogging: Could be better. I have a LOT of half-written or near-finished blog posts that are sitting on my WordPress account or Google Drive right now. I’m extremely behind. A lot of this has to do with fear and not being confident in my writing. But I’m writing a blog, not a book, and an imperfect post that is finished beats a perfect post that never sees the light of day!
2. Start specializing in seniors: Not good. I had a few senior sessions to start building my portfolio but have not done much to advertise I’m taking senior clients.
3. Reach 1,000 followers on Instagram: Hahahah, not even close.
4. Be better about my time management: Yes! I did a LOT better with this in just the past six months. It’s not perfect and I’ll always be working to make it better. But I’ve seen a lot of improvement.
5. Make at least five $1,000 sales on wall portraits: Didn’t happen. I completely changed my business model and I’m not sad about it.
6. Purchase a new laptop: I did something even BETTER and bought a DESKTOP. It has been a GAME CHANGER.
7. Purchase the 35mm 1.4 lens: Yes!
8. Start streamlining my client services through Honeybook: It took me a little while but yes, I’m there! And I LOVE Honeybook! If you’re unsure about what all the hype is about (like me), just bite the bullet and give it a try. It’s the best thing since French toast.
9. Start collaborating with other small business owners: I did not make much progress on this.
10. Pursue being an educator: Unfortunately not a lot of progress has been made here.

Looking over my list, I can see that I accomplished about half my goals, a few of them changed, and others were a little BIGGER than I anticipated. Thinking about this past year with the ups and downs of the pandemic, I don’t feel disappointed with where I landed on my goals. I work full time at a school and run my photography business on evenings and weekends. Sure I have summers off. But working double time during the school year is exhausting and having some time to rest and reset over the summer is really nice. So ultimately I’m not upset about where I landed on these goals at the end of the year. I’m grateful for how far I’ve come and hopeful that I’ll propel even farther in 2022! With that said, I’m now going to share my 10 Business Goals for 2022!

1. Go full time in my business! I have wanted to do this for over a year now but didn’t feel confident or close enough to make the transition. I’ve decided there’s no more waiting! (Well, a little bit of waiting.) My plan is to jump in after this school year ends. If you’re a parent or student from my school reading this, I’m sorry. It’s been a joy working at MdTL for four whole years. Your children mean the WORLD to me but it’s my time to move on and work on making my own dreams come true. I’ll be on the sub list, don’t worry. 🙂
2. Invest in a website designer. This is a big one, a BIG investment. I believe it’s a worthwhile investment and that I’m almost ready for it. I know that it will support me in expanding my business and also help make everything about my brand truly represent ME.
3. Grow my social media following (IG) significantly, 5,000 + followers! This means being PRESENT more often on my IG, including stories, posts, ESPECIALLY reels. I really want to get into reels but I’ve barely dipped my toes thus far and know I’m going to have to dive in eventually.
4. Hone in on my email marketing. Revamp it and serve my subscribers! As of now, I’ve only sent one. single. email. to my email list. This next year I want to grow my subscribers and learn how to serve them.
5. Be consistent in my blogging, at least 1x a week. I know this may be hard to accomplish for the first chunk of the year because I’m still working an additional full time job. But once summer hits, I want to be CONSISTENT.
6. Purchase the 85mm 1.2 lens. Simple and to the point!
7. Pursue being an educator – small steps. I.e. freebies, blog posts, inspiration and motivation! This entwines a bit with my social media and email marketing content. I want to create educational freebies for families, couples, and other photographers that include tips for posing, preparing for a family session, how to feel more comfortable when you’re in front of the camera, etc. I also want to create more content that builds others up, especially small business owners! 
8. Attend a photography conference!  Last year I invested in photography mentors and it transformed my business in a super short period of time. This year I want to continue to invest in mentors AND attend at least one conference! Connecting on social media is great, don’t get me wrong. But I want to connect with other photographers face to face! Obviously whether or not this happens depends a lot on future COVID-19 circumstances. I’m crossing my fingers that we will be able to do things safely in person once again this summer!
9. Focus on my health. I would call myself a generally healthy person to begin with. However, I have fallen out of my regular workout schedule in the past six months because I’ve been busier and more focused on my business! Therefore, I want to be more mindful about what I’m putting into my body: less sugar, less booze, more veggies, more water, vitamin supplements, etc. The goal is to make small lifestyle shifts that become a habit over time.
10. Create a budget and stick to it. I’ve always been pretty good at saving money, but not so good at planning the exact amount I want to save or determining what I want to save it for. My goal is to be more intentional about thinking ahead about where I want to spend my money, how much I need to make that happen, and map out how much I need to set aside each month to reach that number.

Okay, those last two are more personal than business related, but it’s all super important! Feeling better in your body directly impacts your mental health and productivity in your business. In relation to a healthy mind and body, I want to mention something I’m really excited about using this year. It’s called the Elegant Excellence Journal created by Hilary Rushford. I have been following Hilary for over a year now and listen to her You’re Welcome podcast. I can’t say how much I love having Hilary in my ear when I’m driving to and from work. She’s intelligent, honest, inclusive, and truly authentic. Definitely check her out and see if her energy jives with you. And if it doesn’t, that’s okay! Not everyone is for anyone. The thing I’m super excited about is this journal. It is filled with quotes and writing prompts to help you slow down and be more intentional in your life. As I write this, I’m at the very beginning of the journal. But looking ahead, I am super stoked to see how my life transforms six months to a year from now. I obviously want to grow and advance my career, but not to the detriment of my relationships or physical and mental health. Knowing I have a tool to help me dream big, set goals, track those goals, and continuously check in has got me excited! So I wanted to share that with you in this here blog post. 🙂

I would love to hear about your goals, dreams, or resolutions, big or small! Simply putting it out into the universe is the first step towards making it happen. Please believe me when I say that you, my friend, can do it. You just have to start.

With love and gratitude,

Skyler

Now enjoy this super close up image of my face where you can see my pores and everything! #stillbeautiful 🙂

If you enjoyed this post, you may also love:

How I Started My Business

Kroschel Family in Northern Minnesota

Sunset Family Session at Rodeo Beach