The year is off to a fast start. In order to catch up, keep up, and thrive, it is important to reflect on what's happening in your own little world.
Going forward, on the last day of each month, or in the Sunday newsletter that most closely aligns with the end of the month, we are going to pose a few questions for you to answer.
In the 'What's in our journal' section, we'll answer these same questions as a team.
PRODUCTIVITY TIP
Let's get started:
- In what areas did you succeed?
- What are some of your favorite memories of January?
- In what ways did you fail?
- If you have regrets, what are they?
- What do you need more of?
WHAT'S IN OUR JOURNAL
In what areas did we succeed?
In January, we took an important step in diversifying our advertising channels. Over the past year, we've relied primarily on Facebook and Instagram to get the word out about our work. In January, we took a big swing and teamed up with Whalebone Magazine to form a partnership that will help tell our story, and reach a new audience.
What are some of our favorite memories of January?
Over the past year, the three of us have spent very little time together in person. In January, we got together and made a huge donation of journals and school supplies to four different schools in New York. Man, it felt good to be back together.
In what ways did we fail?
We'll be the first to admit that we did a really poor job of forecasting how much inventory we would need to keep up with a busy January. As a result, one of our best months ever has also been one of the most stressful, as inventory levels are low and shipping times to our customers are delayed.
4. If we had to name a few of our regrets, what are they?
If you recently received a Holiday post card in the mail from us, you might be wondering, "Why did they send these out in January?" Well, we didn't.. These postcards were sent out in early December, but given the delays at USPS, the delivery of these postcards did not go as planned, and we lost quite a bit of money and potential revenue in the process. If we could do it again, we'd send them even sooner, or, not send them at all.
5. What do we need more of?
Like most people, we need more human interaction. January was a cold, dark month in New York City, where face-to-face conversations were hard to come by. With that said, we want to hear from you.
- Tell us what you think of our products.
- Tell us about a retail shop near you that could be a good fit for our products.
- Tell us about how you are using our products.
- Tell us a name of a teacher in need of support.
We hope this exercise is a helpful way to recap the month of January and get you ready for the month ahead. Let us know what you thought of this week's newsletter by responding to this email.
Take care,
Mike, Pooja, and Alden