2017. This year holds so much weight for me personally because it’s kind of a big year…I’ll turn 30 in July and I’ll also celebrate the TEN year anniversary of when I started dating John in the Fall. It’s Lucy’s ten year birthday in February (how is my baby so old??!?) and it’s also the ten year anniversary of when I moved out on my own from my parent’s house and in my mind, officially became an adult. It’s pretty much  the ten year anniversary of what I feel was one of two of the most pivotal years of my life to date!

So, this year, I think I want to focus on building out my long term business goals a little more. What is my vision for my future? What would I like my life to look like in the next ten years? It’s kind of scary to think about my vision for the next decade, but, I kind of take solace in the fact that you never really know what the future holds. For instance, I never would have imagined ten years ago that in 2017 I would have been a wedding photographer for almost six years and that I’d have been married to John for nearly as long! So many amazing things are ahead in our futures, just hidden from us until we get there. So while I want to plan for the long term, I also realize that you can only plan so much because you’ve also got to let life take you where it wants to!

Here are my goals for this year:

• Meet my 2017 booking goal and book half of my 2018 goal
  Pretty much speaks for itself, doesn’t it? I think it’s important to have booking goals based on the income I want and the amount of work I’d like to take on this year. If you haven’t made a booking goal based on actual numbers rather than what you think sounds good, now would be a great time to work on that!
• Strive for authenticity.
  I’ve felt for some time now that there’s a lot of fake-ness in the wedding industry. So many people feel like they have to hold up a certain facade in order to seem successful or to be popular. I really value authenticity, so I want to be sure that everything I’m doing in the business this year is something that’s really true to who I am (and who my business is!) at the core.
• Look for ways to be more strategic with my business income.
  So many of us as small business owners fail to look for the big picture and think like CFOs. I want to strategize my income this year in a way that sets me up for success in the future! Maybe there are things I’m spending on now that are not super efficient. Or there are better solutions and I just haven’t found them yet! I’d like to let my money work harder for me, so I don’t have to!
• Start a retirement fund.
  Speaking of letting my money work for me…I’ve been self employed for almost FIVE years now and I’ve yet to set up a retirement fund for myself. It’s been one of those things that I say I’ll do tomorrow…which becomes next month, then next year…and finally I wake up nearly five years into running my business full time and I STILL haven’t done it! No excuses this year…I’m turning 30!!!
• Blog 3x per week
  I let the blog slide a little bit last year because I couldn’t tell if it was making a difference or not…and I really just needed a break after blogging five days a week for four years! I’m committed to this blog though, because it’s done really great things for my business over the years. It is, after all, a free way to market and advertise, and what’s better when it comes to marketing than FREE?? The only thing it really needs is a bit of love and care, so I’m going to re-commit myself to it for 2017!
• Start a monthly duty day
  This one has also been on my list for years! I was so inspired by Katelyn James’ idea of having one day a month set aside for random menial tasks that just need to be done and knocking them all out in one day. BUT…I never went ahead and actually implemented my own! I’m realizing that this would be so helpful in getting through some of the tasks that are never as fun, like tracking mileage and shipping packages!
• Create an inventory list for all of the packing/packaging supplies I use regularly
  One thing that was frustrating last year was constantly running out of packaging supplies. Whether it was notecards, envelopes, boxes, etc, I felt like I was always having to wait to send things because I was out of something. I think creating an inventory list would help me out a lot, because I’d be able to go through on a bi-weekly (or somewhat regular) basis and see what I’m getting low on so I can do a re-order once a month or so.
• Utilize Instagram more efficiently
  This year I’d really like to become more intentional with how I utilize my Instagram for my business. I’ve been somewhat attempting to do so in the past, with using hashtags and trying to curate my feed, but I think I need to sit down and overhaul how I do things and really look at what exactly I want to accomplish with my account and how I think I can do that.
• Be more of a source of encouragement for others
  Have you ever noticed yourself thinking encouraging things when you see other people, either in real life, or on social media? I do it all the time…at the gym, out in public, of course on Facebook and Instagram. I’ll see someone who is doing a great job, or who looks like they could use some kind words and I’ll think it to myself without actually approaching that person. I think it’s because I’m more of an introvert than not, but I’d like to make it a point to reach out to more people to encourage them this year.

Personal

• Create 2-3 more home videos
  I’ve discovered I have a love for putting together little videos! It started with my Hawaii video at the end of 2015 but has grown into a fun little hobby. I hope to make a few more of these this year!
• Finish my 30 Before 30
  Kind of speaks for itself…if you haven’t heard about my 30 Before 30, read more here!
• Spartan Trifecta
  Last year I ran a Spartan Sprint and enjoyed it so much! It definitely gives me something to work towards in the gym every day and I find that I am so much more productive fitness wise if I have a specific goal (like running a marathon or deadlifting x amount) so I think this will be really good for me! Plus the bragging rights are pretty enticing ????
• Eat more vegetables
  I want to take care of my body better in order to keep it healthy for racing and lifting weights and shooting weddings, so I think this is a necessary goal!