It’s that time of the year again, where I pause and reflect about my small business journey. Every year I set time aside to evaluate every aspect of my business including an evaluation of :

• What products do I want to continue selling (or not…..)

• What should I personally make in house versus outsourcing

• What new products do I want to create?

• What existing products no longer serve me?

• How can I improve my offering - better pricing, more sustainable?

• How can I give back?

In 2020 my goals were vastly different from 2019 and again in 2022 my goals will not look the same. Here’s are a few highlights, some of which were successful and others not…

What products do I want to continue selling (or not…..)

My small “Trail Bag” has been a hit but only at in person markets. Having this listed as a regular feature and certainly offering for wholesale has not proven to be successful. I had at one point, offered a BYOB - Build Your Own Bag offering which would allow folks to customize their own bag. I still LOVE the idea of this and really enjoy working on custom projects, so perhaps I will reintroduce this but more as just a simple listing to purchase a custom bag whether it’s a trail bag or a tote bag.

What new products do I want to create?

Swedish Dishcloths were a failure-not because folks do not want these but because I have not been able to figure out a way in which to print these. I struggle with getting a solid, consistent print if doing it myself and if I outsource the printing, then it becomes a financial issue. How do I make these an affordble option for folks and still cover my investment?

I also want to get back to printing “flat surfaces” such as napkins, tea towels and placemats. These products are actually where my printing journey began - over time this evolved into other more complicated and thus more expensive products (both in materials and labor) I would love to reintroduce a range of table linens in all new patterns/colors. Ideally I would like to produce these on natural linen fabric which would be dyed to match my range of mineral dyed bandanas. Definitely a long range goal for 2022

What should I personally make in house versus outsourcing

Last year I not only outsourced a portion of my sewing tasks but also some screen printing. Wholesale demand made keeping these functions completely in house impractical. There is only so much one person can do and fortunately for me, both Joanna (sewer) and Dave/Rotana (screen printers) do a far better job than I do! I will continue to rely on both these partners in the coming year to ensure continued growth.

What existing products no longer serve me?

Fabric storage bins have been a slow seller since I introduced them and most sales come from my wholesale accounts. I will likely discontinue these in 2022. Although the construction is easy, I have to source a heavier weight cotton canvas that I do not use on any other product in my range. This makes purchasing volume less effective.

The Leaf ink color which is used on Fabric Bins, Utensil Wraps and Bucket Hats will be discontinued in 2022.

How can I improve my offering - better pricing, more sustainable?

Bamboo Utensil Wraps have proven popular but a redesign is in order. The actual fabric wrapper is too time consuming to construct so in 2022, I will be working with Joanna to simply how these are made.

I recently introduced Triangle Lavender Sachets to my Wellness range, which are made entirely of my fabric remnants. As with everything we make, I am always looking for ways in which to make the most of my own hand printed fabrics.

How can I give back?

New for 2022, I have partnered with One Tree Planted as a means to expand our sustainability initiatives. One Tree Planted community funds the planting of trees to help businesses offset their carbon footprint and combat the effects of climate change. Sarah Bertochi - Hanmade will plant a tree for EVERY order placed, this includes not only all online purchases but sales made at in person and popup events as well as wholesale.