Well, I can’t believe July is over. It FLEW by. It was a half &half goal completion list for me.
(one of my distractions...)
Here’s what was planned for July from the Modish Monthly Goals meetup & my recap –
1. Print out business cards / stationery – Designed & ready to go, but waiting for final decision w/ busi. partner
2. Continue w/ lawyer/CPA to get situated to sell things on Etsy, craft fairs – continuing, not completed… want to focus on CPA for next month to figure out tax info…any suggestions for where to look for a great CPA in the Chicago area? I heard the Freelancer’s Union was a good place to start searching…
3. Decide on product lineup for Etsy store – got ideas down, waiting for final decision w/ busi. partner. I think a big “general business meeting” will finalize up some details to move forward.
4. Design packaging for products – got thoughts / $ comparisons, waiting for … see above
5. Meet with potential client for business card/stationery ideas (continuation from last month…) – done, now will work on designs / follow up meeting in Aug!
All in all, its half and half. Not too great, but hey, its summer and having a friend in town kept me occupied…
So, whats next for August?
1. General Business meeting – finalize details for busi. cards, stationery, product lineup & packaging
2. CPA – get tax info / financial benefits to understand how best to move forward (& not get into any trouble w/ the IRS!)
3. Follow up meeting w/ busi. card/stationery client
4. Research – postage/freight, returns/shop policies
5. Buying Day – this is kind of incorporated into the General Busi. Mtg, a general buying of supplies to get moving on the stock to create inventory and stationery things . This is my fun / inspirational goal to get things moving in the right direction, without being too “business-y”
6. New paper feature on the blog – this is another fun goal to keep updated on whats new in the paper world and inspiration for new creative projects. This should be a pretty easy goal!
How did everyone else do? I hope it was a great July goals month for everyone at the Modish Monthly Goals!!
Owl and Bunny Blog 
Posted by Laura on July 31, 2009 at 8:35 pm
Hey Deb, sounds interesting…working with someone else. Good to have some fun goals! I think to accomplish anything during the summer period is great! Good luck with August.
Posted by modish on July 31, 2009 at 10:59 pm
Hi Deb! I think you accomplished a lot! Some of your July goals were kind of large- like “design product packaging” and “decide on product line for etsy” and you could probably break them into smaller, bite sized steps perhaps. Good luck for Aug! And glad to have you participating!
-jena
Posted by Melanie on August 1, 2009 at 12:19 am
Sounds like you’re really getting all of your ducks in a row before launching. Good job and good luck!
Posted by Andrea on August 1, 2009 at 4:08 am
Hi Deb,
Sounds like you got a lot done even if it was half…
I am working on the same thing as your August #4 goal myself…Can be tricky.
Good luck with August!
🙂
Andrea
Posted by Cyn on August 1, 2009 at 1:27 pm
I like your paper feature, Deb! And everything else sounds great – you’re moving steadily in the direction you want to go. Good luck this month!
Posted by Laura. on August 1, 2009 at 3:00 pm
woo! this looks like a great list, it reminds me that i need to do research in the area of postage and packaging. ugh. i hope august is a good one for you!
Posted by candiedfabrics on August 1, 2009 at 3:02 pm
Looks like you’re doing lots of legwork up front – good for you…I got started “a$$ over teakettle” and have had to spend some extra money & time redoing things that weren’t right the 1st (or 2nds) time!
Posted by SillyLittleLady on August 1, 2009 at 5:25 pm
Sounds like you are definitely getting all the legal issues situated, congrats on that! Great list, I’m sure august will be very successful for you 🙂
Posted by Deb on August 3, 2009 at 2:54 pm
thanks for all the feedback guys! its great to hear from others going through / having been through the same steps!! i appreciate the ideas, especially breaking down the big goals into bite sized pieces (thanks jena!)
good luck to everyone this month 🙂
Posted by Liz on August 3, 2009 at 4:24 pm
Great list Deb, and wow on all the things you got done in July. Here’s to a great August for all of us!
Posted by My @ tha Hotness on August 5, 2009 at 2:35 pm
Sounds like you did a great job for last month. I probably should schedule a sit down with a CPA. Best of luck on your August goals.
Posted by Christina on August 6, 2009 at 12:58 am
Good luck! I can’t wait to see how your biz cards turn out. I just ordered mine.
I’m trying to get my financial ducks in order right now… is a CPA necessary? Are taxes really that complicated? Yikes!
Posted by Deb on August 6, 2009 at 2:57 pm
Hi Christina! Im not sure if a CPA is necessary… but, I’m not that great at doing math-y things, and my sis is my partner for the biz, so it gets a little more complicated, i think… Mainly, its to get a good start on feedback and a focus to point us in the right direction for the taxes, financial stuff that we need to keep track of on the math side of the creative biz. It may end up not being necessary to have one to start, but being new, i think its helpful to get good feedback. There’s a ton of creative biz books, which are really helpful too!! As a novice, I like the idea of a recommendation for making sure we’re going in the right way…. (i guess im just nervous about keeping all the math things in check for a LONG time!!)
hope things go well for you on the financial side, i’d love to hear your experience! 🙂
Posted by andothersuchthings on August 11, 2009 at 3:41 pm
I’m a freelancers Union member and find them really helpful. You could also contact your local Score group– http://www.score.org/ Something I’ve been meaning to do…:) Good luck this month!
Posted by Deb on August 12, 2009 at 3:33 pm
Thanks for your tips about score & the freelancers union!