Sunday, December 31, 2017

2017 Year in Review!

2017 Year in Review!


It's become a tradition now for me to look back on the year and record some of my milestones with my business...here's what happened with Paintertainment in 2017!

Last January I decided to tackle some of the most mind-numbing frustrations of being a small business owner, and started taking a series of business finance courses online, as well as Quickbooks classes! Thank goodness for my phone which enabled me to watch courses while on the treadmill! I also started up my 365 day personal painting challenge, where I vowed to post a painting on my blog every single day of the year that corresponds to whatever holiday was that day! I also began a major renovation of my store (located in my basement!), making it much more inviting and easy to shop for local artists who shop Paintertainment in person!
In April I launched the first ever issue of Wet Paint Magazine! Creating a face and body art magazine is something I've been wanting to do for many years, and 2017 felt like the right time.  
In May I had my first chance to create balloon pillars! I made some giant robot pillars which was super fun!
In August I enjoyed my 5th year at the Carver County Fair! I also released the fall issue of Wet Paint Magazine, the 2nd issue!
In September we released a brand new set of Halloween themed photo prop boards!
In October I had the pleasure of speaking at the MN Professional Family Entertainer & Artists' Business Conference! I also LOVED painting this fun Nightmare Before Christmas baby bump!
In November I had a wonderful time painting another beautiful baby bump with a butterfly princess design, and corresponding face painting. I also completed the first volume of Wet Paint Magazine with the release of our winter issue!
In December I completed 365 days of posts for my personal challenge!! I also had fun painting a Christmas sweater on my son Sam, which I used on my Christmas cards and also entered in Paintopia's "Christmas Jumper" competition.

Here are a few of my blog articles added in 2017:
5 Steps to set yourself up for success in paint challenges
Do you still LOVE your job?
So you've been asked to work for EXPOSURE
Affordable Halloween Face Paint for DIY'ers

So What does 2018 hold?

I don't really set any "official" goals because I'm constantly coming up with goals that I'm striving towards, but here are some of my ideas that I think will come to fruition in 2018.
I gave it a good run, using Quickbooks for years, but even after all of this education I still despise it. So, this year I'm hoping to move on to new, better, more intuitive accounting software! Ugh, boring news, but an essential part of business ownership!
While I've loved posting a painting every day in 2017, I did notice that it left me less time to work on other things like new YouTube tutorials, blog articles, and that new book I'm still trying to complete! So, I plan to work on more of those things in 2018!

I'm also SUPER thrilled to be invited back to teach again at the Jamvention in Belgium!! They will be celebrating their 10th anniversary so it's gonna be BIG...I can't wait!! Stay tuned for more on what I'll be teaching as the Jamvention draws nearer!
I have more adventures coming in 2018 that I'll unveil as the year unfolds! Thanks for following me this past year...I hope to bring you plenty of great new inspiration, education and anything else I can come up with in the new year!!
Happy new year and happy painting!

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