As a homeschooling mom and solopreneur, finding time to get everything organized for the month can take some time. I set aside the 1st of the month to do this (or as close to it as I can get). It usually takes me 1-2 hours. However, this month it is taking a bit longer than usual because of our recent move. There are a number of new activities to research and decide which ones will make the cut and get added to our family and my business calendar.

Many businesses don’t make it to year 2. In fact, about 20% of businesses fail in the first year reported Fundera. The numbers increase for years 2, 5, and 10 to 30%, 50%, and 70% respectively. Reports from Shopify show very similar numbers for e-commerce businesses started in 2016. I’m guessing the numbers will be even higher for the last two years, unfortunately.

There are many factors that contribute to business success and failure. Being an expert in your field, doing market research, having adequate cash flow to cover expenses, successful marketing efforts, and good partnerships will help you beat the odds.

According to Investopedia, the best ways to avoid failing in business include setting goals, accurate research, loving the work, and not quitting.

I’ve struggled with paralyzing fear in some way or another my whole life. But I’m standing here today on the other side. I am no longer a fear-filled person.

How you may ask?

Sign me up for this magic pill!!!

Well, let’s take a little journey. It will take slightly longer than swallowing a pill (but a heck of a lot cheaper). It will take less time than to drink a cup of coffee, so go ahead and grab one and start reading!

I have several memories of fear paralyzing me. One of my earliest happened while in gymnastics. I was on the top bar of the uneven parallel bars. I was eight or nine years old.

Squarespace has been busy this year. They've added 12 updates big and small to the lineup. In this post, I'll provide a quick look at them and how to find them, plus some quick tips to help you get started using them.

Chouteau County Library desired an updated website that showcased the three branches, digital resource, and their upcoming events. Their current site was several years old and was not mobile-friendly and difficult to update. Check out the full blog to see our final design!

The Columbus Center in Great Falls is one of the city’s most beloved buildings. Originally home to the city hospital, the iconic 7-story building now houses over 150 small businesses. The stunning front door caught my eye. Read the full blog to discover the inspired color palette.

Squarespace continues to roll out new features. Today I wanted to focus on those related to video. Specifically, we’ll be diving into Hosted Background Videos and the new Video Pages. If you’re interested in my roundup of all of the updates from last fall and winter with examples of how I’ve implemented several of them

Last month I mentioned that February seemed like a bit of a ”Groundhog’s Day” from last year. Well, my March was pretty much like last year too. I had the same scary news plus having the flu run through our household did quite a number on my ambitions.

Squarespace has been busy lately. Starting at the tail end of June and going through Q3 and Q4 they rolled out an impressive number of updates, 11 in fact. If you’re interested in my roundup of all of the updates with examples of how I’ve implemented several of them on our Sisu Site Shop website check out this post: Squarespace New Features Roundup: Fall & Winter 2021-22. Today, I wanted to take a deep dive into one of these new features, Auto Layouts.

I accomplished quite a bit in February despite illness running through our house and am excited to be here another month to keep at it. I started out in February writing a series on goals for your life and your business.

Squarespace has been busy lately publishing updates to their website builder and other platforms. They’ve released an impressive 11 updates over the last 8 months. I’m excited to share an overview of all of the updates with examples of how I’ve implemented several of them on our Sisu Site Shop website. 

Big news this week from my favorite CRM (Customer Relationship Management) Platform, Dubsado. In conjunction with their annual birthday sale, #6 this year, they announced a new starter plan, have several new training webinars and a big giveaway!

Once I’ve reviewed my goals from the prior year and established the bigger picture of my life goals for the new year, the final step is to focus on my business goals. For 2022, my business is still a part-time endeavor and because of my rebrand from Thorpe & Co. to Sisu Site Shop, I will continue to focus on systems set-up and growth. 

I start thinking of goals in December and start a note in my Notes App on my phone. You just need to have a go-to place that is handy and available when an idea strikes. Next year, I hope to spend the 1st week of the month reviewing the current year's goals. I evaluate what worked well and what did not. I also consider if the goals I didn’t get to at all will stay on the list or I will let them go and move on. I also want to set aside a few brainstorming sessions to bring together all the dreaming and review.

Last year’s goal planning and executing was cut short for me. Perhaps yours was too? My hope is you had a stellar year of course, but if things were not quite as you’d hoped, know that you are not alone. I pray you can have the courage to continue as little steps add up to so much, especially when we look back from the other side.

If you’ve recently started a side hustle, are in the beginning stages of developing your business, or are several years in, you need to set some actionable and measurable goals. This will help you to have a plan to move forward and can provide some parameters on which steps or actions to focus on first.

2020 What a year! This was the first time I have taken the lead as Director for a business. While this is still a part-time endeavor, I’m building slowly for now but aiming big in the future.

Wedgewood Cove desired an updated website that showcased the golf course, restaurant, events venue, pro shop, and real estate opportunities. Their current site was over eleven years old and was not mobile-friendly and difficult to update.

After looking at inspirations websites and delving into their ideal client profile and goals, we very quickly found our design direction. We updated the look from mauve and textured grey to crisp and clean white with black and golden accents.

Sing Down the Moon is the third book I’ve read by Scott O’Dell. He is a masterful storyteller of shorter, historically-based books which often feature native peoples as the main characters. He uses beautiful settings into which he crafts his stories. They are full of trial and hardship, often include a journey with unexpected twists, but generally, resolve to a happy ending amidst the given circumstances. Last year I read, Island of the Blue Dolphin, set on an island far off the California Coast, and The Black Peal set on East Baja and Vermillion Sea between the Peninsula and Mainland Mexico.