New Year’s Resolutions

On this very last day of 2018, I wanted to share some of my New Year’s resolutions as well as some general concepts I would like to follow in 2019. Maybe they are better off being called goals.  Hopefully, you too will reflect on the past year and see what improvements you want to make and what underlying themes you want to abide by for your own sake in the new year. Here we go:

• Create another Tales Of A Fourth Generation Textile Executive blog book. Use the proceeds to support Scott’s free sewing machine giveaway.  
• Continue to give away free sewing machines and build upon the over 125 machines given away in about a year and a half.  

• Go back to the Social Media Examiner Conference in San Diego. Hopefully, I will pick up some tips that are as invaluable as the ones that I picked up the last time I attended this conference.  For example, recall that this is where I learned the importance of video in social media. The key point was that 80% of what we consume on social media in 2020 would be video. Hence my big push into video in 2018 and going forward.   
• Take better photos and become more active on Instagram.

• Start a Jaftex shop owner only Facebook page and cater even more to shop owner needs. Listen to shop owner comments and concerns. Offer them special insights for being a follower and help to bridge the gap between us, the fabric manufacturer, and resellers. 
• Challenge shop owners to create more live video content and maximize the potential of social media as a free venue for marketing, merchandising, selling and advertising.  
• Continue to push the #sewrevolution agenda and help to grow the number of quilters in the US and around the world…especially younger quilters.
• Go to more shops and film live videos to help them gain exposure and sell more products like what was done at The Old Country Store in Lancaster, PA. 
• Continue to spread the love of fabric by giving away lots of freebies to loyal fans and those who are less fortunate.

• Offering more contests for shop owners and consumers like the Jaftex Facebook Live Video Challenge and the #scottsentme challenge.
• Having another Uncle Scott’s Channukah/Christmas giveaway which this year included 19 days of fabric gifts to people who gave the best answers to certain questions that I posed each day.
• Get ahead on my blog posts so I am not always doing them last minute on Sunday night before they are posted on Monday. This will allow me to have more time with my family on Sundays. Moreover, by getting ahead, I will be able to have my graphics team create better graphics for each post so it isn’t all last minute and the images look cohesive.
• Continue to share my fabric journey and allow consumers and shop owners to see what goes on behind the scenes and in the trenches.

These are some of my personal, non-work, goals:

• Stop procrastinating.
• Drink more water.  
• Eat less red meat.
• Play more tennis.
• Eat more fruit.
• Walking more and sitting less.

The thing is with goals is that you need to be realistic and practical. It takes baby steps to make a change. Gradual changes are better than fast and extreme. Don’t think you are going to lose 50 pounds in one day. Don’t think that you are going to become a professional quilter in a month. Don’t think you are going to become a marathon runner overnight. Base your expectations on reality and not fantasy because all that does is set you up for failure. Goals are meant to be achievable.

Don’t set too many goals because that can also be overwhelming and will just set you up for failure. In this case, you will end up abandoning all your goals. Pick a few of the most important and focus on them. A couple of years ago I set out to stop drinking soda and I think it has been about 4 years since I had soda. Stay focused on the end goal and you can definitely make changes that stick. Don’t forget to share your goals with friends and family so they too can help you be successful.

Good luck to you all! Thanks for your continued support of me and my fabric companies. To 2019! Cheers!