2012 - Year in Review

Well, what a year! My focus for 'Green Gifts' shifted this year with the start of an online store. I had been paying fees on it for around 18 months, whilst doing research, but the delay was worthwhile--there are so many elements to running an online store, and I'm glad I considered them fully before embarking on it (a lot of time & money would have been wasted if I had just launched into it straight away).

On the whole, I just allowed the store to evolve as people made stationery requests for their special events/projects. Next year, I would like to introduce some more creative items to my store, as I have been neglecting this shockingly throughout 2012!

On the markets front, I have been surviving, just. Tourism in the Blue Mountains has dropped a little and tighter OHS regulations at the market I attend has affected sales too. Partially, I am responsible for a less-than-successful year at the markets, as I haven't been keeping up with stock levels on account of my online store. It's a balancing act and I hope to do it more effectively in 2013.

I am still loving this hobby business, which is gradually growing into something real. The appreciation and positivity received from customers this year has actually been very rewarding :) As such, I am not convinced that I'll ever fully return to my previous occupation...

'Ode' to Fiji