Don't look at the screen like that. I'm about to get real real with you.
So, what had happened was..
I got busy. No, but for real I got distracted. I didn't have a plan and I got focused on the next shiny thing as most of us do. Here is my list of goals for 2023:
Make $35k from SSNW(Social Senpai Network)
File for LLC
Copywrite/Trademark SSNW
Post 1 Video a Month
5k on TikTok
5k on IG
2.5k on youtube
Host Monthly Meetups
Attend Anime Houston Con - I actually did this one!
A lot has happened this year because I dropped my Social Senpai Network digital marketing agency for Creative Mompreneur Studio (I will tell the story of why I did this in a different blog) which I then dropped again. Due to there being a business Creative Mompreneur that was already trademarked. I didn't want to encounter any legal repercussions so I brainstormed a new business name.
I'll break down the name, FEM stands for female, it stands for Female Entrepreneur Movement, and Funnel & Email Marketing. I help female entrepreneurs build their communities and grow their email list in just six months without being defeated by their "mommy mindset". Now, let's get back into it...
At the beginning of 2023, my mother bought me a new bullet journal. Side Note: I seldom finish filling up journals or planners. As I am typing this I have about 20 pages left. Not that just filling it up is important it is that I committed to this planner ALL year long.
When I set up my journal I made a section to write out my year goals and my quarterly goals. Only Q1 has something written but everything else is blank. It's hard for a lot of us in business to determine and define what goals we should focus on. Like, what goal is actually going to move the needle for our personal or professional lives?
I didn't follow through!
Now don't get me wrong I know all the steps of setting goals. I use the SMART method, Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound. I'll give an example using a goal from my list.
Goal: Make 35K
S: make 35K a year = 2.9K a month, you could break this down even more by dividing by the products or services you are selling to know how much you need to sell each month and even each day.
M: Check in on sales every two weeks, along with where is the traffic to your site coming from, and what are the buying behaviors(what are they buying, are they repeat customers, do they only buy when there is a sale?)
A: Reflect on your breakdown so far and does this seem achievable based on your last year's data
R: How does this play into your long-term success and goals? I have a 5-year plan to buy an office space and a portion of my revenue will go towards saving to buy a space.
T: I will start my marketing efforts in January and by the end of January next year I will have made 35K.
If you haven't used this method I suggest it.
I also will simply break my goals down into smaller tasks, and assign dates for them to be completed. Along with setting dates for me to assess my progress. This is where my problem came in! I knew what I wanted and I broke down the goals into smaller tasks, I had the strategy for social media and the whole nine. What was the issue then?
I didn't follow though!!
Change of Plans
My plans changed. From my pregnancy to the change of business and my change in what type of content I wanted to put out.
I got caught up with client work and family, I also was pregnant this year and had my son this November. So things were very slow for me during the second half of the year. Also, my direction for my business changed since I reevaluated and rebranded my business.
I went from focusing on TikTok and Instagram to building on Twitter(X) and LinkedIn. I already had a strong community of people on X and felt comfortable being on the platform. I saw that TikTok was not producing the client base I was targeting but I also did some self-reflection.
Twitter has long-form written and audio content which I have been growing more fond of. The same with LinkedIn. I was getting burnt out on video content. I don't mind being on video but it wasn't for me anymore. I announced my transition on TikTok and bounced!
This Worked Out in My Favor
I had a plan at the beginning of the year to form an llc for my Social Senpai Network and do the trademarking and copywriting and all that good stuff. Well, I'm glad that I didn't because even though I loved what I was doing with Social Senpai Networking, it wasn't my passion.
My passion is working with female entrepreneurs more specifically mother entrepreneurs because I've come a long way in my journey. I want to show that they can do it as well.
So that worked out in my favor not doing that because that would have been quite a bit of money being spent. Talking about spending, I wanted to spend time recording YouTube videos but I didn't because I have a fear of YouTube.
No honestly, I don't mind being on camera and I like talking however, I was so in my head that I never started. Also at the beginning of 2023 we spent almost 5 months in a hotel because our house was flooded!
I look back and think about how I should have gotten out of my head and used that time to create some great content about life with four kids and a husband in a hotel. All while running a business and doing all the mommy things. Those months were kinda crazy.
Here We Are Now
Without carrying it on too long because there is so much more to talk about just know that I didn't do all those things but I have seen myself grow so much from the decision to move back to Twitter(X) and focus more on LinkedIn. I'm learning myself and I'm bettering how I work.
I talk about this a lot and it's because I've seen the change in myself. I want others to know that sometimes all it takes is to be super honest with yourself about what you want to do and how you can do it or how you can't do it.
I do want to celebrate that I did one of the goals on my list and that was to attend Anime Houston Con. I went there and worked as a volunteer and I loved it. It was so much fun. I wasn't able to stay on "vacation" like I did last year but it was still awesome and I met so many great people.
This was a real honest look at myself and how I set my goals really high. I didn't follow the S.M.A.R.T. goals layout. As well as I did so much adjusting and changing in my business that I am paying for it by having to rebuild my brand on Twitter all over again. I knew what I was doing but if I don't push harder these next two months... I don't even wanna think that way.
So, here we are now. The end of 2023 and I have a whole new set of goals for the next year with more realistic expectations and I'm going to be pushing harder than ever to make them happen. My biggest goal is to establish the FEMFoundation community on femway.net.
Community is so important. Not having one can cause you to go off and forget what's important but having the right one can propel you forward into the greatest experiences you would have never believed you have. Let's build that community together, be the leaders, and inspire other female entrepreneurs to do the same.
The FEMFoundation Community is waiting for you, join us in the forums so we can discuss the next FEM X FEM Virtual Meet Up.
Much Love & Many Blessings,
Jessica Tapia
Owner
FEMWay Marketing
Comments