2017 Achievements<\/h2>\n
Wearing my web developer hat, I’ve completed some dull-but-necessary tech projects:<\/p>\n
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- Added a privacy policy page<\/a> to comply with privacy and disclosure requirements.<\/li>\n
- Converted PlanetJune to HTTPS (so you can tell I’m 100% trustworthy by the green padlock in your browser’s address bar).<\/li>\n
- Added credit card processing in my shop (finally!) so you aren’t required to use PayPal any more.<\/li>\n
- Updated my shop to also allow payment in Canadian dollars, and to prepare for the sales taxes I’m going to need to start collecting from Canadians from today onwards.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Wearing my designer hat, I’ve been splitting myself in two this year, and squirrelling away half my new designs so I’ll have some new releases to get PlanetJune through the lean winter months while I can’t create new patterns! Despite that, I’ve had some strong pattern releases this year and made some good decisions that have helped PlanetJune to keep growing. <\/p>\n
![\"2017](\"\/blog\/images\/2017roundup.jpg\")
<\/p>\nI’ve always said that quality is more important than quantity, so I’m not disappointed in my 10 new patterns (plus one re-release) this year – especially as so many of my latest patterns include multiple designs. Count up all the different options here and you’ll see I actually have 25 new pieces you can crochet – that’s not a bad number at all!<\/p>\n
And, despite my thumb injury, I added a few new helpful crochet tutorials<\/a>:<\/p>\n
![\"2017](\"\/blog\/images\/2017roundup_tutorials.jpg\")
<\/p>\nPlanning for the move hasn’t left much time for creative pursuits this year, but I always try to keep some time free for crafting and personal development:<\/p>\n
![\"2017](\"\/blog\/images\/2017roundup_crafts.jpg\")
<\/p>\nI’m still knitting sweaters<\/a>, I’ve played around a bit with needlefelting<\/a>, and I’ve also started to teach myself Japanese (although I’ve let that slide a bit over the last couple of months – my brain has been fully occupied with more pressing matters!)<\/p>\n
Lessons Learnt<\/h2>\n
Although this year has been anything but easy, I got through it and now I’m at the point where I’ve accomplished the move, and have the next 3 months of PlanetJune designs ready to publish! All this has proved to me that I can still be strong when I need to be, and that simplifying things is the key to dealing with major challenges. I’ll try to remember these lessons when things get overwhelming in future:<\/p>\n
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- Don’t be afraid to make big decisions if they’ll bring you closer to your dream job\/life\/situation.<\/li>\n
- Know that even the best plans need to adapt to changing circumstances.<\/li>\n
- Keep moving forwards, even if you’re sometimes moving at a crawl.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
I think these wise words can apply to anything<\/strong> you’re trying to do – especially a goal that feels like it may be a bit too ambitious or unattainable.<\/p>\n
Looking Forward<\/h2>\n
It’s tempting to think that, now my move home is complete, I should be able to plunge right back into working hard for PlanetJune, to make up for lost time and get business booming, but the reality of a sustainable one-person business is that you have to balance building the business<\/em> with caring for the person behind the business<\/em>.<\/p>\n