I’m not sure about you, but it has taken me a while to shake the holiday hangover this year. There is a part of me that is sad that the magic of the holiday season is over, and another part that is rejuvenated by the fresh start that a New Year brings.
When I dive into goal planning for a New Year, I always find it helpful to start by reflecting on the previous year. There were opportunities that came my way that I never could have expected or dreamed (hello TV appearances and a Good Housekeeping feature!) and certain aspects of my business that I have decided are no longer a strategic fit for the future of One Stylish Party (like on-site installations and wholesale).
It was a year of growth, a year of learning and a year that brought about a lot of personal reflection after both of my boys started school full-time in the fall. For some reason, the transition of having a normal full-time schedule to dedicate to my business really got to me and the pressure to do more, and be more, felt like it was all consuming. But rather than dwelling on the fear of failure, I channeled all of my energy into things I could control, like fulfilling orders, connecting with my customers, creating unique content and going after media opportunities that I had never gone after before.
2018 BY THE NUMBERS
- 23,000+ social media followers
- 6 print features
- 4 online features
- 2 TV appearances
- 900+ orders
- 22% increase in revenue
- 10K average monthly blog viewers
- 443K average monthly Pinterest viewers
My professional background is in public relations and marketing, so securing press for my business has been a top priority and main focus since the very beginning. However, the landscape of social media and blogging is constantly changing and evolving, and after a big wakeup call, I realized that it was imperative to have more control over my content on a site that I own, rather than relying on other lifestyle blogs, social media accounts and online media sites to keep my content published forever. In 2018, I honed in on what type of press I wanted for my business and made a big shift in my media and content creation strategy. I still sought out impactful and meaningful media opportunities, and then focused the rest of my time on creating MORE exclusive content for One Stylish Party.
I also can’t talk about last year without mentioning the One Stylish Party online party boutique. I added an extensive range of color ways to our collection of balloon garland kits, confetti balloon sets and party confetti in 2018. The balloon garland trend continued to go strong and my assistant and I processed more orders than 900 orders this year!
2018 also brought about more brand partnerships than ever before! I had the opportunity to work with so many amazing brands that I once only dreamed of partnering with, such as Michaels, Heinen’s, Things Remembered, Black Twine, Casamigos, Sugarfina, Now Resorts & Spas, Cupcake Wines and more.
I’m so incredibly grateful for this space to share my passions with others and I am more motivated than ever to keep the momentum going in 2019. While I don’t believe in making New Year’s resolutions, I do believe in setting goals and picking a word of the year. My word for 2019 is Cultivate, which in its simplest terms means to foster growth by labor and attention. I truly believe in the saying that everything is earned, nothing is given. So my hope for 2019 is to keep working hard, to seek out educational opportunities, to step outside my comfort zone with new and different projects, to be kind to others and to eliminate distractions that deter from my goals.
Thanks for following along my journey as a creative business owner. I hope you all have a great start to the New Year!
Photography: Brittany Gidley Photography, Venue: The Plum.
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