Business Journal: a place to celebrate wins & reflect - 36th Edition

December’s highlights included spending time with family in Colorado, launching our new Artist Trade Program, booking some exciting trips for 2023, lots of reflection, and some fun new designs.

The Big Wins

• Launched the Artist Trade Program to enable artists and creatives to trade their art and services for support building their brand from Lettering Works. Trade requests from artists will be accepted on a rolling basis throughout 2023. You can learn more about the program and submit an artist trade request here.

• Reflected extra on 2022 which helped me realize just how much I’ve accomplished and gave me some new insights for goal setting in 2023.

General Updates + Accomplishments:

• Booked flights to Mexico City, Port Royal, SC, and Italy for 2023! I am looking forward to some fun adventures next year (and escaping the Chicago winter for a bit)! I am also confirmed as a speaker for the Business of Art Conference in Peoria happening on February 11th.

• Joined the Lifestyle Business League. I most appreciate that their definition of a lifestyle business incorporates profitability, values-aligned autonomy, growing intentionally, doing business differently, and leaving a legacy. I am excited to have found community with these motivated and successful business owners.

• Enjoyed(?) the transition to winter in Chicago. I’m not one for freezing temperatures but I do enjoy the coziness of our favorite local restaurants, including Lonesome Rose, Bungalow by Middlebrow, Lula Cafe, and Gretel.

• Kicked off some branding work with Always on Q, which is an exploration in doing larger trade agreements with fellow creatives. We’ve been working on Quinessa’s strategic brand direction in exchange for her closet refresh and styling services.

• Took a trip to Arvada, Colorado to visit family and celebrate the holidays. Highlights of the trip included getting third place at a local trivia night, a hike at Red Rocks, a family game night, and lots of delicious food.

• Sent a small handful of proposals for new projects. My focus is shifting to larger branding and custom merchandise projects after much of this year focused on wholesale. I am excited to get going with some new projects as well as new opportunities with the Artist Trade Program.

• Reimagined three LGBTQ+ designs in Spanish plus I created some other miscellaneous personal artwork. These new designs will be added to the shop early next year. Two of these designs will be handed out as stickers and buttons at an event in Ecuador in January.

December was filled with a good amount of family and friend time, lots of reflection on 2022, and a bit of work too. If you’d like to get the ball rolling on a 2023 project, reach out today for best availability.

In January, I’m most looking forward to offering my favorite “On Brand in 2023” sessions and continuing to plan for another successful year in business. You can schedule your session now if you’d like to get strategic together about building and growing your brand and business in 2023. This is perfect for those who haven’t made time to reflect on 2022 or those who want to dive deeper into completed reflections to ensure you are working smarter not harder in the new year.

Thank you for being here, for supporting me, and for following along with my entrepreneurial journey.

PS - Have a project you’d like to chat about? Send me the details now to ensure your project gets on my calendar in 2023. Bring on all the logos, branded merchandise, + brand identity projects… let’s make some beautiful + impactful things together.