Starting Small
expanding the work without expanding the workload
Today I’ve been reviewing my January and February numbers and thinking about ways to broaden what I offer.
In January, the top of my funnel grew and my shop sales were almost double what I sold online in December. Website traffic dipped and my Klaviyo list did not lead to many direct sales.
February sales are about 14% higher so far, despite a decline of 10-12% in social reach during the same period. I’m selling a few more things to people who I know personally this month, and these sales have had a higher average order value, which suggests the outreach is building visibility and trust.
It’s not clear whether the dips in traffic and reach will translate into other problems down the road. For now, scheduling posts and posting more frequently on Instagram is working, but it’s going to take some time to build up to my current goal of reaching 50,000 unique accounts per month.
I’m looking for other ways to give my business a sturdier foundation without adding a lot of labor to my task list. As the only maker in my business, there are only so many new products and paintings I can produce.
I am considering a couple of strategies that have a lighter lift per sale. One is to host workshops. Another is to start building a library of digital resources to sell for passive income.
Aside from the numbers, I’m all the more inspired to start the workshops/gatherings piece after conversations with friends about the value of building in-person community. I hope these ease the isolation that I sometimes feel while also strengthening relationships between attendees. I’m expecting to roll out a few offerings that foster creative togetherness in the coming weeks.
These events will require effort each time, so I also want to explore the second strategy of building the digital resource library.
When I’m brainstorming like this, it can be a slippery slope from imagining a simple one-page PDF to a complex creative framework, or even a whole school (I’ve already built so much of this, but only in my mind).
Sometimes when I am dreaming up something new I start with a doable idea that swells to its most robust and complex potential. B
efore I know it, I’m overwhelmed and paralyzed. A gentle reframe helps me remember that starting with something small and then iterating and expanding slowly is probably more realistic.
I’m planning a creative workshop/meetup in the next month or so, along with a resource PDF lead magnet as a first effort in digital downloads.
The creative meetup will likely be collage themed. It’s playful, quick, and satisfying. In the future, maybe I will offer other classes, but for now this feels within reach.
I’m still turning over ideas for the PDF topic. I have two categories of ideas: resources and prompts. Resource ideas include color mixing, my favorite art supplies, books for creative practice, affirmations for creative exploration. Prompt ideas include art journaling, painting, collaging, poetry and more. I’ll be sitting with these ideas and trying to pin something down on paper soon.
I’ll let you know what I choose. Thanks for being here!