The new year is finally here. For me, January 1st is just another day on the calendar. It gives me the green light to finish up my books and begin to file my taxes (I’m sure you’re looking forward to that too 
). 2011 was a great year for us – our sales grew, we launched a new product, and I picked up a full-time job to pay off my student loans and have some spending money – it’s been quite the balancing act since June!
Tiny goals for a tiny company
With 2012 ready to whiz by, I need to come at it more prepared than ever. That means goals – not resolutions – that I need to achieve. I’m going to share with you my goals for 2012 for Green Mountain Mustard.
1. Grow sales by 25%
This may seem like a large number, but when you’re a microscopic company, 25% is not only acheivable, but it’s cause for celebration – like, a cake and ice cream kind of celebration. We’re hoping to do this by gaining more traction with Whole Foods. I would love to be in the Northeast Region – that’s 28 stores! We’ll also be adding more craft fairs and holiday shows for 2012. This may mean heading into NH and MA a bit more (Wahoo for out-of-staters!)
2. Launch 2 New Products
With the recent launch of our Barn Burner Mustard, new products have proven to make you guys smile. I want to launch a new flavor of mustard and maybe a non-mustard related product. If you want to recommended a flavor, I’m all ears – just shoot me an e-mail. I’m not going to share what’s on our R&D list quite yet, but you may be in for some surprises come later in the year.
3. Create Wedding Gifts for 5 weddings
This has been under the radar for 2011, but we actually launched a custom label wedding gifts program where you can get your very own label on a mustard shot. It’s economical. It’s Vermont. And well, it’s an alternative to maple syrup. I did custom label mustard shots for a co-workers wedding in October and they were a huge hit! Getting married in 2012? We’d love to give your guests mustard!
There you have it – my 3 resolutions for 2012. I have a few smaller ones, but those may come later when I do my half-year resolutions (ok – those don’t exist). What are your New Year’s Resolutions?