” Make New Year’s goals. Dig within, and discover what you would like to have happen in your life this year…The new year stands before us, like a chapter in a book, waiting to be written. We can help write that story by setting goals.” – Melody Beattie
I cannot believe that we are into the second week of 2019! First, I would like to take a moment to thank everyone who has read this blog since I launched it in late-November. I originally planned to launch this site in early 2018, but it took longer than I anticipated to bring it together. However, I feel like it came together at the perfect time. November and December were “test months,” they allowed me to find my groove, and as the new year starts I am excited about where it’s going.
Last week, I spent time setting new intentions/ goals or 2019. Last year was the first year I sat down and wrote out goals for the year. It was so much fun to go back and read them this year. I actually accomplished a lot and stayed on track without even realizing it. I am now a big fan of setting intentions and goals for the year. Are you a new year goal setter?
Today, I am doing a quick recap of 2018 and sharing my 2019 goals with you. At the end, I ask that you help me by filling out the reader survey. This will help me serve you better by writing content that you are passionate about reading.
Now, let’s look back at 2018.
A recap of 2018
A few key moments of 2018
- May 2018-began renting my house on AirBnB
- October 2018- left a job that I was no longer passionate about to pursue blogging and design again **
- November 2018-started this blog
2018 was a very exciting year for me! It started off slow with a lot of planning, but no action. However, in May, I feel like I finally hit my stride when I put my house for rent on AirBnB. Many people think that I am crazy for renting out my personal home, but to be honest I wanted to share it with others. For years, I would host friends and family, each time they would mention how much they enjoyed being in the house and how comfortable it felt. As a result, I wanted to share that experience with others.
At first, I planned to simply transform my guest room into a single room for rent. However, the house took off when I listed it in early June. At that time, I decided to rent the whole house when I saw the need for full-house rentals in Fayetteville, WV. I am happy to say, the house was booked from mid-June through the end of November (tourist season). The positive feedback from my guests really inspired me to start my blogging and design work again**.
Hosting an AirBnB is such a positive experience. Immediately, I fell in love with it. I have fun preparing the house for guests, and am always excited to share my home with them. This year, AirBnB reminded me of how much I enjoy running a business and I how much I love design. Design and entrepreneurship is where I flourish, I had forgotten that. Blogging has helped me remember how much I enjoy building a community of design lovers and how much I like inspiring others through blogging.
In June, I began working on building the blog and writing content. It wasn’t until the end of November that I finally published the first post. It took a lot of courage to hit publish on the first few, but I am so happy I did. Several readers have reached out since then to say they have been inspired through this little “home” on the web. This leads me to share the 5 most popular posts of 2018 (based on views and traffic):
- Simple, Stylish Christmas Decorating Ideas for 2018
- Before and After Stunning House Makeover
- Absolutely the Best Peanut Butter Fudge Recipe
- How to Make a House Cozy in 4 Steps
- Festive Christmas house tour
To all of my readers and AirBnB guests, I truly appreciate your support thus far and look forward to building a community here around design and home life. Again, I am excited about where 2019 is going to take me and am so thankful for your support in 2018. As we move into 2019, I have big goals for this blog, AirBnB and my interior/graphic design business and I’m thrilled to share those with you
All in all, 2018 started off slow, but little by little all of the pieces came together as the year came to a close. And now, I am even more eager to see what is in store for 2019!
**For those of you who are new here, I am not new to blogging or design. I had an interior design/DIY blog called The Mustard Ceiling and a graphic/web design business from 2011-2015. In 2015, I gave up my blog and design business to open a restaurant with two friends. The business was successful, but the partnership took a turn for the worst, we closed the restaurant in February, 2017.
What is in store for 2019?
2018 was a strong set-up for 2019. I have been working behind the scenes and have settled into a place where I can grow in 2019. Many long hours have gone into getting to this point. Now, the blog is up and running, and I am finding my groove again with blogging. My design business website is close to launching (launch is planned for mid-January) and I am organized in my business. It is time to grow. With that being said, I want to share the mission of Elizabeth Morton Creative blog with you.
Elizabeth Morton Creative blog is an online media site dedicated to helping others design a life they love at home. I will do so by sharing home decor projects, design resources, recipes, organizational strategies and general wellness tips. It is my goal to inspire others through creativity at home and in the kitchen.
With over a decade of experience in the design industry and in business, my goal is to inspire others to live a life they love, and to try new creative ideas. I will accomplish this by sharing DIY projects, interior design tips, recipe, general lifestyle/blogging tips and holistic wellness tips. My goal is to provide women (and fellas) with a combination of top quality, actionable tips, education and design solutions to design a life they love, at home..
I will do so by blogging about:
- Interior Design:
- simple DIY projects,
- paint color choices,
- shopping guides, resources
- latest interior design trends, etc.
- Recipes: healthy, whole food recipes that are easy to make and enjoyable for the whole family, using local ingredients when possible.
- Organization:
- organizing the home
- weekly Meal prep
- shopping resources for organizing solutions
- Gardening
My value promise and unique offerings include: A lifestyle blog offering high quality content with freebies on interior design advice, recipes, organizational and healthy living tips.
- I will keep readers up to date on what is working in my life and what is not working.
- I will provide a community where other women (and men) can gather and connect together. Creating an inspirational environment for the “Hear, See, Do” model of learning.
- I will share the importance of healthy living and creativity.
- I will share resources from other bloggers and creatives who have inspired me to expand my creativity.
- shop: I will share products that I love through affiliate links, making sure that each item is something that I love and want to share with my readers.
- I will create solid business relationships with other brands, helping to promote their products with my readers as I see the opportunity.
Goals for this blog | 2019
Goal 1: Build a community on the blog.
- Set an intention for each post that is published on the blog.
- Post to the blog 3 times per week.
- New posts to be published: Monday, Wednesday and Friday each week.
- Work with 3 brand partners this year. Prepare the platform to work with more brand partners next year.
- Increase blog traffic by20% each month. Do this by being active across social media channels, producing quality content and using SEO on each post published.
- Attend a minimum of 1 networking event this year for bloggers.
Goal 2: Focus on building a community through Social Media (beginning February 1).
- Increase social media accounts by a minimum of 15% each month.
- Network through FB groups, Instagram, Instagram stories, Pinterest and Tailwind tribes a minimum of 3 times per week. Be supportive, answer questions and give advice when it is helpful.
- Actively post helpful tips, tricks and hacks on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook 5 times per week. Monday-Friday.
Goal 3: Education
- Continue to learn efficient blogging, social media and design strategies, and systems to become a better blogger and designer.
- Courses I plan to take this year:
- The Pinterest Lab with Jenna Kutcher
- Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing course
- Free Hubspot Academy Marketing courses
- Learn how to serve my readers through email.
- Courses I plan to take this year:
Goal 4: Ways that you can help
- Fill out the reader survey below, so that I can best serve my readers.
- Introduce yourself and share your blog, and social media links in the comments below. I would love to start following you, and we can start building a community.
- Share Elizabeth Morton Creative blog with your friends, family, social media community (everyone you know!)
- Follow me on social media (click the link below to follow)
Now that I have shared my mission statement and goals with you, I would love to hear your feedback. What would you like to read about here at Elizabeth Morton Creative blog? At the end of the day, it is my goal to serve you and provide you with high-quality information and actionable steps that you can implement in your life.
Below is a survey, I would be very appreciative if you could take a few moments to fill it out. I will read every response and take it into consideration throughout the year as I produce content. Thank you for being a part of this journey and I look forward to seeing what 2019 brings!
WE LOVE FEEDBACK!
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