Every year I like to write an honest post about my vision for the year ahead for my business, in a really open and transparent way (but without giving all my secrets and surprises away before I've developed them!). This January I have found myself feeling so different from how I usually feel at this time of year, so I want to share that first, just in case you are also a small business owner and can relate.

The way of the world right now has left me feeling emotionally exhausted and questioning so many things that normally wouldn’t bother me at all. There is so much in the news about the ‘death of small businesses’ and I simply refuse to let that be the case for mine! I will just have to become like the ‘stationery cockroach’ that rises up from the ashes and continues to thrive!

I feel like the keyword for us all right now is ‘flexibility’ which, to be honest, is something that is a must-have skill as a business owner anyway (along with the ability to look amazing wearing all the hats!). So, with flexibility at the forefront of my mind as I look ahead to 2023 for Leaf Lane Studio, I have come up with a (very) rough plan. 

I started by identifying my weaknesses and main business concerns, which are:

• Significant price increases in manufacturing costs

• General price increases across other products, packaging, and postage

• Financial tracking and awareness (not my strong point!)

As you can see, finances are a big theme here. Some of this I can control, such as becoming more disciplined in how I look at my business finances and tracking things a little better. To be honest, since I’ve been a part of Jenny Pace’s business membership I have felt more supported with this, as it is something we actively look at each month, but I do have room for improvement and started on the right foot by opening a business savings account this week (pats self on back).

Financials to one side… let’s move on to the more fun stuff!

MAKING SOME CHANGES IN 2023 | PRINT TO ORDER

One of the things I would like to change is to not have as much stock sitting about for long periods of time. I’m mostly referring to greeting cards and art prints here because I have to get a relatively large quantity produced at any one time from my manufacturer to keep the cost per unit low. With this in mind, I made a rather jazzy purchase at the end of last year, and invested in a decent printer to help me be able to print to order!

This is such an exciting thing for me because I will now be able to design anything my heart desires and pop it up for sale. I have been longing to try new styles, be more playful with colour, and generally have more fun and freedom in what I create. Prior to my new printer, if I created a print and wanted to offer it in a few sizes, I couldn’t afford to get 20+ of each size printed, only to see them sitting in my studio whilst waiting for their ‘forever home’. Now I will be able to print up to A3 and offer heaps of designs!

It has been a similar story with greeting cards. I will be able to continue to get popular cards printed professionally, whilst being able to offer lots of other designs, even with personalisation options, on a ‘printed to order’ basis. The quality of the print will still be high and I will source gorgeous, FSC-approved card stocks, so I am giving you the usual quality you have come to expect from Leaf Lane Studio’s greeting cards, but you will have so many more choices.

This will also be fab news for wholesale as I will have a huge catalogue of cards and prints soon! Hoorah!

SURFACE PATTERN DESIGN

For a few years, a big goal of mine has been to create nature-inspired patterns that could be used on things like fabric or wallpaper. Obviously, I already create patterns to use on my notebooks, planner pads, and other pieces of stationery, but I am looking to create a more detailed and intentional range of patterns that would look pretty on a variety of surfaces, including homeware and even children’s bedrooms/playrooms.

I have a few existing designs that I plan on re-drawing with a few changes here and there, that I think will work beautifully for children, so watch this space for that.

AIR-DRY CLAY PIECES

The love for my cute air-dry clay trinket dishes and little bowls was amazing last year. If you missed it, then this year is your moment to grab some unique pieces that are all made by me, from scratch. I don’t use any fancy methods, I just use my hands to form whatever shape I am trying to create. One of the things I love most about these cute dishes and trays is that you can see they are handmade. They have their own personality and that is what makes them special.

As much as creating these one-off pieces is a time-consuming thing, it is a labour of love and something that brings me so much joy, which is why I continue to do it.

Keep an eye on my Instagram to see behind the scenes of creating these or watch my studio vlogs from last spring to see the process unfold!

STATIONERY COLLECTIONS

There will, of course, be new collections hitting the website this year, but I may not commit to as many new pieces as usual just because of the finances, but I could be tempted to do a design and offer it up as a pre-launch to see the interest before I order it. That is something that I usually do with larger, more pricey pieces (like my stationery advent calendar from 2021). I have lots of ideas and so things could (and probably will) change at the drop of a hat!

I am always keen to hear from you guys when it comes to what you would like to see, so let me know. Some of the feedback I have already received from people on Instagram is that you would like more chunky notebooks (after the success of the colourful florals one). I am a big fan of really thick notebooks too and would not only like to release more like the one I already have available, but also a ring-bound one that is super-duper thick.

The other things people have requested have been art prints (coming soon!) and more positive/uplifting postcards and greeting cards (also coming soon!). There is also a lot of you asking for planner pads that have several columns for each family member.

Let me know if you can think of anything else you would like to see, I am always open to your thoughts and love to hear your feedback.

PLANNING FOR A PLANNER

I will preface this (before some of you get too excited!) with this: this is something I will be sketching out and researching this year, ready to put plans in action next year.

I have wanted to create a planner for a long time. I am a big fan of planners, I’m sure that won’t come as a shock to you, but I want it to be the planner of dreams (already setting myself up for major stress here!). For me, a planner doesn’t have to be overly complex when it comes to the actual daily pages, but it does need to have lots of other things to make it magical and something you want to use.

I also have one very random thing that I adore about my current diary (by Moleskine), which is that the page thickness is so perfect. I love a ‘lived-in’ feel to my diary/planner, meaning that I like the sound of the pages when they have been well written on. There is something wonderful to me about that, if you ‘get it’ then please comment below and let me know I am not crazy. The only issue with that is that more inky pens can bleed through, which is something I pride myself on not happening with my current planner pads and to-do lists.

I am going to spend the best part of a year working out the most significant things I would want, and then reach out to you guys for your thoughts and go from there. It’s a big, big thing to take on, but what a wonderful thing to accomplish!

So, there we are, a brain dump in the form of a blog post!

Are you a business owner? If so, what are your big goals for the year? I would love to know. If you aren’t then let me know what some of your personal goals are in the comments!