I have been doing a lot of thinking about 2008 in regards to my business. I am a bit ashamed to say, but my business was doing very pour at the beginning of 2008 and I did not have a good foundation set up for French Hill Country. I wasn’t heading downward, but I wasn’t going up either. 
I was slacking big time and it was not good. I rely heavily on my candle and soap silicone mold site for income and business was stagnant. I definitely had to get my rump into gear if I wanted to keep moving forward.
There were some things within myself that I had to work out and get “myself” out of my “own way” to a profitable business. I had to find my voice in the industry.
I had to figure out what was working for me and keep and get rid of what wasn’t. That sounds pretty easy enough, but is it?
It was easy to figure out what worked and make a self discovery list. What do you do after you figure things out? That was the hard part. Some habits and ways of working are very difficult to break.
What wasn’t working for me in 2008?
1. Not getting new molds up on site faster
2. Not coming up with new ideas
3. Not doing SEO
4. Not learning more about the candle and soap industry
5. Not interacting with more people
6. Procrastinating
7. Not getting out of my comfort zone
8. Not striving for more
9. Not taking my part in the industry seriously
10. Did not have a business plan together
I had to change if I wanted to survive and I did. I saw the results almost instantly. I changed my mind set and attitude. I embraced my mission of wanting to help people. I love helping people. Why would I stop? This is why I was having trouble moving forward. I was scared to give my customers what they wanted.
If fear is getting in the way, get rid of your fear!!
As you can imagine what started to work for me in 2008 was the exact opposite of what I was doing.
What started working in 2008?
1. Interacting with people
2. More blog posts
3. No more procrastination!!!
4. Got rid of my fear of helping people like I wanted
5. Making monthly goals
6. Had a detailed business plan written out
7. Constantly learning about the industry and foundational website information
8. Keeping in touch with readers more frequently
9. Got rid of my fear
10. Better customer service
What did not work for you in 2008? These are the energy wasters you need to cut out of your business life. What worked for you in 2008? These are the money and relationship makers to continue on in 2009.
After you figure out your list we will go over what you may need to add to your business for 2009.
Many Blessings,
Dawnaurora
