My Business in 2012

2012 was my most successful business year to date but there was a lot of blood, sweat, and heartache that went into it. Literally.

Along the way I learned a lot of things that have shaped my view of my business and industry and have lead me to an interesting crossroad. I have a lot of decisions ahead of me but in the meantime, here are some of my ups & downs from last year.

1. There are major reasons why the USPS is suffering. I had 5 different orders lost, damaged, or seriously delayed because of the postal system. 
2. 2 of those 5 order were part of my 5 most expensive orders.
3. 1 of those was for a celebrity client that resulted in $1500 of product "disappearing" and an extensive insurance claim being filed.
4. I drive way more for my "home" business than I ever realized. I actually clocked almost 3000 miles last year.
5. Developing a relationship with a printer and outsourcing most of my printing was one of my best decision all year.
6. Next to the US, Australia is my largest selling country (at 10 orders) but the headache to ship there is threatening to outweigh the added income.
7. California was my most popular sales state at 33 sales with Texas, New York, Illinois, and Florida finishing out the top 5.
8. I sold orders in 27 states and 10 countries that consisted of the US, UK, Germany, Australia, Sweden, Canada, Ireland, Malaysia, Russia, and Italy.
9. I sold the most orders in January and April at 20 and 17 respectively.
10. My most profitable months were September, April, and June in that order.
11. I sold and completed 53 sample orders, 15 of those resulted in full suite sales.
12. I sold a total of 25 full suites, so 60% of my orders were from sample sales and 40% just from online pictures.
13. My sales numbers drastically dropped when I stopped personally offering sample sales to interested customers.
14. My overall stress level dropped when I set the monthly limit of 2 suites per month.
15. For the first time ever, I actually put my shop on vacation mode starting the first week of December. To be at a point where all my current clients were addressed and satisfied and I didn't have to worry about taking on new ones was freeing and relaxing.
16. I am entering the new year with a vision of change and new perspective.

I might add more as I remember things or as I come across new stats during tax time. I enjoyed compiling this list because it is a nice reference and reminder for me of the accomplishments and struggles of last year.