2016 Business Goals

January is a time for resolutions.

But I prefer goals. I have never been good at making, and keeping resolutions. I do think it’s always a good idea to think about and reflect on the past year in order to evaluate, move forward, grow and adapt. Goals are a good way to do this.

2016 will be my first year as a business which makes this post hard to write. I can’t look back and see mistakes I made business wise, or areas I can improve on. Everything I did in 2015 was to go live as a business and I accomplished that.

Of course, there are about a million things I’d like to change on the creative side. I also have a few business goals I’d like to meet. Here are my goals for 2016. I tried to be specific and pick goals that are measurable, not just something like “get better”.

• Become more patient when shooting. I have a tendency to get to a scene, snap a few photos and head out. I may not always be getting the best shot. I need to take some time to look around, walk, get low (or high) and find the best shots.
• Learn lighting. I have a softbox and flash unit but don’t use them enough. My photography classes focused on natural light but off camera flash will help with my food photography and eventually portraits (if I go that way).
• Get more comfortable and use Photoshop more. I have pretty much mastered Lightroom but use Photoshop about one percent of the time. It is a powerful program and can only improve my work once I learn how to best use it. I will keep watching my videos and reading up on Photoshop.
• Blog at least twice a week. I have made an editorial schedule for 2016. I need to stick to it and get my posts out every week. Blogging can help me connect with people and let them get to know me and my art.
• Have my first sale, hopefully within my first month or quarter. I’d be happy either way. Beyond hapy.
• Read all of the books I have on photography/running a business. I bought several books around Black Friday and would like to read at least one per month.
• Be more active on social media and grow my following. I love social media and interacting with people. I think it’s a great way to meet new people, learn and grow.
• Grow my newsletter subscribers. I’m having fun coming up with monthly themes and want to share that with others. I love photography and art and want to see others love it too. You can sign up here, by the way. I email once a month and will throw in a couple of special emails throughout the year.
• Lastly, expand my product offering. I have plans for limited edition prints and specialty products but they take more time and energy to prep. I hope to have additional products by the last quarter of the year.

What are your goals for 2016, personal or business?