The Maker’s Yearbook Review

At the beginning of December I made an impulse purchase. I think I might have been scrolling Instagram. I’m telling you friends – Instagram marketing works. Videos showing you the inside of the book work. I really need to learn how to market on Instagram – which means I really need to get better at styling my products for photography. Although – does she really have a cup of coffee sit-in non a furry blanket there? Do any of you do that?

The Maker’s Yearbook

I must have gone back to it three or four times and finally took a good look and then took the plunge. I didn’t spring for the hard copy, just the PDF files since I wanted it…. NOW! and it would ship from England. Not cheap. $24 USD for the PDF print at home planner. 

I’m telling you – this planner has already been WORTH. EVERY. PENNY!!!

It is a book that asks you questions to analyze what you have done with your business over the past year (and month) and then helps you plan for the next year/month going forward. The first chapter alone set me off with questions that I think about for  second once in a while but really got interested in. the only way I could answer some of them was to finish out my accounting for the year. Understand this – I love/hate accounting with a passion. I usually wait until the last minute before taxes than scramble and do the whole year’s worth. It’s a terrible system. It does not work well. 

These questions however were so  interesting to me that I spent a full week and a half drilling down into the numbers. I even pulled out my taxes for the past ten years and created a spreadsheet to compare all of them and see how my business has grown – or not. I parsed out all the numbers for my sales. Then I figured out how much of my sales came from live and how much from my online shop. Then I figured out what percentage of my income came from teaching live vs. online. You get the picture. Nicola Taylor – you have performed a miracle.

The Year in Review Section:
Highs and Lows: Proudest Moments, Toughest Lessons, A-Ha moments, Strengths and Weaknesses
Business + Life review: questions about work life balance
Sales + Profits: These questions really sent me off into the numbers
Customers + Followers
Product Range
Shops + Galleries
Craft Fairs + Art Markets: (which I used to track my live teaching gigs.)
Planning Forward Section:
Dreams, Why do I want to do this, Biggest steps toward goals, Vision planning,
Lots of growth strategy planning
Monthly:
Most Important Goal,steps, time for yourself, financials

 

Just for reference and comparison… this is my previous “planner.” Actually more of a “thinking” book. No real organization to speak of but that’s how my brain works. Take a look below at my actual Calendar. And this is what is on there for my “month off.”  Hmmmm. Maybe all the numbers were interesting because I actually had a month off and time to just think about these things. I think November and December need to always be “months off.”

Whatever. I’m SURE that I will continue to use both my Thinking Book and my mobile calendar to keep myself functioning, but I am adding in The Maker’s Yearbook for sure! Let me know if you end up getting one and think it’s helpful. What would you add to it?