How To Set Business Goals For Your Craft Business
Writing Business Goals

Whenever you start a craft business, it's always important to set goals. Goal-setting is the foundation of staying focused and achieving a plan. Without goals, your craft business will flounder at some point. The goals don't have to be extravagant and you shouldn't beat yourself up if you don't meet them. Instead, just focus on setting a plan for yourself to help you as you start your craft business.

As for the actual goals themselves, there are a variety of goals you can set for yourself in any area. It doesn't just have to be about money, though that's important because you do want to at least break even with what you've invested in the form of time and supplies.

It is important to be reasonable when setting goals. While it never hurts to set very high goals, you should also be realistic about meeting them. Chronicle your journey to reach the right results. If you exceed your goals in a given week, ask yourself what you did right. On the contrary, if your goals don't pan out one week, analyze what you did and how you could improve it.

So when you are ready to set goals for your business, be sure to keep the following goals in mind.

  • Time dedicated to business - Decide how much time you will dedicate to your business each week. This will ultimately play a large role in determining how much money you make. In addition to deciding how much time you will spend on your business, also make sure to set-aside that time on your schedule just as you would an important appointment. You will be surprised how the day can slip away without a plan.
  • Outlets for business - Decide how you will distribute your product. Will you make a website? Sell it at community events, a farmer's market or local stores? Where are other successful craft makers selling items in your city?
  • Financial goals - Don't belittle your business goals whatever they may be. If you truly love your product and have a passion to see it succeed, the sky is the limit. Of course, not everyone will be a millionaire, but you can certainly make a living from your craft with time and dedication. Set realistic financial goals, keeping in mind that most businesses lose money in the early stages.Don't forget to account for the money and material that you invest into the product. Also don't forget to count your time as your time you invest in your product is valuable. Three hours spent making a piece that sells for $5 isn't productive.
  • Contacts. At the end of the day sales is a numbers game. If you are selling one-to-one, the more people that you try to sell to, the more likely you are to make a sale. You can make it a goal to tell a certain number of people about your business each day, and some of those people may just result in a sale.
  • Marketing - Develop marketing tools for your website, such as social media pages, business cards and a webpage. Start with the the method that will help you reach the most clients.
  • Product development - While you may have an idea of a suite of products to make, it can be difficult to develop a whole product line when just starting out. Set timelines for when you will roll out additional products.

Take time to make the goals above and in the end you will succeed!