Every year for the past three years, I have wrapped up the year with a blog post reflecting on the best parts of the year and what that meant for my business. Although 2020 might have been vastly different than the past three years, I figured I would continue the tradition to focus on the good!
I released my first cosmetic product line.
If you haven’t heard by now (How have you not?! I can’t stop talking about it!) I released my first lip product line called EMERGE! This line has 8 lipsticks in two formulas and 8 lip glosses that are completely cruelty free and gluten free, with most also being vegan. They’re also all made in the USA. The name EMERGE was created with the intention of empowerment and coming into who you truly are – strong, beautiful, confident.
I started getting serious about my email newsletter.
Let’s take a trip down memory lane. Throughout the years, I’ve been on-again-off-again with my email marketing strategy. I’ve used platforms that were confusing and uninspiring, I didn’t know what to say or include in the emails, and it’s just been an overall frustrating process to get a handle on – that is, until now!
I finally found a platform that’s simple to use and creates beautiful emails called Flodesk. After finding the right host for me, it was time to get cracking! I started out by creating a simple monthly newsletter that includes highlighted content from the month, including blog posts and YouTube videos to check out, as well as a round up of what the month has in store. I’m looking to expand this even further in 2021, but I’m just proud to have finally found a groove when it comes to sending out valuable emails to my VIP newsletter subscribers!
I created my first online course.
When the initial shut down happened, I took a couple weeks to reflect on what this could mean for my business. After all, until this point I had been strictly a service-based business that required being hands on with people to survive. After taking these initial couple weeks to reflect and react, I decided to create my very first online course.
It’s a basic course in comparison to seasoned pros, because well, it was the first time I ever ventured down this road. I took it seriously and put up my umbrella lights, hit record, and talked all about the best techniques and products to successfully create the ideal, daily, natural makeup look. Looking back, this was definitely a lesson in how to go forward in the online course space – from where to host one to what camera to use. But I’m proud of the product I created that’s jam-packed with all the knowledge you need to create a beautiful, everyday look!
Check out the Natural Makeup Mastery Course!
I started an Etsy shop with my husband.
Another new and exciting venture I set out on this year was starting an Etsy shop with my husband! We created Good Feeling Apparel in July and ended the year by making 45 sales – not too shabby for our first 6 months! This is definitely a side hustle for us for now, as I am full time in this business and he works full time as well, but it’s been so much fun to work on! We love creating the designs for tshirts, coffee mugs, face masks, hats, and more and can’t wait to see what our best sellers will be in 2021!
I got back on my Pinterest game.
A couple years ago, I started getting really interested in using Pinterest as a tool for my business. After a while, I fell off the wagon. This year, I joined an amazing program called Pin Potential, which has really helped me grow my Pinterest platform, so more people find all I have to offer online. I highly recommend looking into this program if you’re a small business looking for a broader reach than what other social media platforms can give.
Although this year had real low points and we struggled financially as all small businesses did, I’m also thankful for it. Without being forced to take the detours life threw my way this year, I wouldn’t have grown as much both personally and professionally. I had extra time to work on myself and I found new ways to incorporate my passion for makeup and teaching in my business. With that being said, I am SO excited to see how 2021 unfolds…I have something very exciting in store in the first couple months alone!
Curious to see how this year compared to the last three years? Check out our past “Reflecting On” blog posts!
*This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission, at no extra cost to you, if you make a purchase using these links.