MY BUSINESS IN 2016

This past year was one of those years where I felt like nothing came easily, but so much fruit came out of my hard work. It almost felt like every day I was thrown a curve ball or pitched a fast ball, and each time I stepped up to the plate, swung my bat as hard as I could and, by the grace of God, I scored a lot.

I wanted to share the areas in which my business grew this year with you because I think there are some key tools and nuggets of wisdom that helped make them successful. I'm going to break everything down into multiple blog posts though because there is simply too much to say for it all to fit. I'll share a new post a day for the next week or so. Be sure to check back and read the next.

2016 ACCOMPLISHMENTS

1. More than doubled my Instagram account from 4,000 to 10,800
2. Grew my Pinterest account by 37,000 people
3. Published by top magazines & companies (Rue Mag, Lonny Mag, Domino Mag, One Kings Lane, Anthropologie, Martha Stewart, Adore, Elle Decor)
4. Most partnerships to date. To name a few: The Home Depot, Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Gold Peak Tea, Fisher Price, Hudson Jeans, Coleman, Living Spaces, World Market, Decorist. See my collaborations page for more.
5. Hired an assistant, photographer, intern and babysitter regularly
6. Spoke at the most conferences to date (Alt Summit, Mom 2.0 Summit, Haven Conference, BlogHer Food).  I will be headed to Alt Summit again in 2017.
7. Launched my online Pinterest classes for passive income
8. Began Pinterest account management for Chatbooks and Guesterly, and will be taking on more.
9. Decorated six rooms (master, girl room, nursery, guest room 1, guest room 2, living room)
10. Managed to continue to raise two children, have a marriage and friendships

What helped me accomplish all of this? 

I don't say this to sound trite, but I truly believe what I have been given comes from God. In particular, I think the wisdom in knowing which business partnerships were wise and unwise, as well as which people to hire were guided by Him. Some people say they go with their "gut." For me, I do the same, but I believe it's a spiritual "knowing" deep within my gut. 

I also put in a lot of elbow grease and found some insanely great business tools to help me, and I would love to share them with you in the days that follow. Starting with Instagram...

Photo by Katie Jameson

FASHION APPS TO DOWNLOAD NOW

How many hours a day do you think you spend on your phone? Eeek, if you're anything like me, probably a scary amount. Running a business that depends so heavily on social media and the internet I definitely rack up the hours. I've got countless apps to make life easier, plus a few for leisure, but lately I made it a point to make my iPhone a little more fashionable. (With apps, that is.) Fashion has always been one of my biggest passions and although I'm getting more and more into the lifestyle sector of blogging, fashion will always be a part of my everyday life. These apps are my go-to's for staying updated in the world of fashion and cultivating my closet. 

Vogue Runway

Free in the App Store, the Vogue Runway app is the ultimate high fashion archive. Photos from designer’s shows are uploaded almost real-time, so you can always head here to see what’s fresh off the runways. (Download this before “fashion month” in February and you’ll never miss a show.) This app is especially fun because the archives date back to 1991, feelin’ like a flashback anyone??

Tip: This app is Pinterest friendly, so pin straight from the app to give your feed some high fashion flair.

The Hunt

You’re scrolling through Instagram and see a pair of heels. Not just any heels, THE heels. You know, the heels of your dreams that you’ve been searching for endlessly. Only it’s not on a blogger’s account, not linked, and you have no idea where these beauties came from. The Hunt begins. Open this app, post a pic of the mysterious heels and wait for the community of fashion fiends to lead you in the right direction. Seriously, this app is amazing.

FAD - The Ultimate Fashion Dictionary

Pay $3.99 in the App Store and never wonder what an epaulet or lettuce hem is again. This app is the perfect investment if you're looking to improve your fashion literacy as it covers all types of fabrics, garments, cuts, and even provides information on designers. You'll be amazed at the phrases you didn't even know you didn't know! 

Stylebook

If you're an organization guru, this app is for you. Stylebook is essentially a virtual closet, allowing you to easily see what items you have and put together new outfits. These "outfits" can then be saved and placed on the in-app calendar, so you have record of what you wore each day. The $3.99 download fee is worth never having to wrack your brain to remember what you wore last time you saw your in-laws or had brunch with the girls. 

While there are countless fashion-related apps out there, these are just a few of my favorites. I'd love to know what your favorites are, too! Drop me a note in the comments.