Hi everyone! Thanks for joining me today. Today I will be sharing ways to use the Bullet Journal in a small business and I invited a friend to share her ideas with us!
In January, I had the opportunity to share how to use the Bullet Journal system in a couple of workshops we held at one of my shops, Wilderlove in Greenwood, Delaware. Over 35 women were in attendance and they were able to learn how to use the Bullet Journal system to help them accomplish the tasks they needed to do.
One of those wonderful women was this young lady who is a fellow vendor at Wilderlove. Her name is Kanina and if you ask her how to pronounce it, she quickly tells you ‘like the number nine’ Ka-nine-a! She creates mostly fabric and knitted/crocheted items for various uses. She has the cutest little pen holder made specifically for the Bullet Journal and of course I custom ordered one to match my journal and business colors 🙂 Such a sweetheart too!! She shared so many ideas with us at the workshops that I asked her for an interview discussing how she uses the BuJo system for her business.
Here we go!
Hi Kanina! Tell us a bit about yourself and your business:
My name is Kanina Miller, and my business name is The Yarn Nomad. Much of what I do is make things with yarn, though that is not the only material that I love using. I have sewn/fabric products, as well as jewelry. My dream is to support artisans around the world by using their yarn to make my products. And to also sell their finished projects as well. (I already have a bag maker in Thailand that I work with and LOVE her products!) My business is a few years old and started at a time when I couldn’t do very much at all due to health problems that had me spending most of my time at home. But I could make things! Being able to crochet and be creative became a sort of lifeline for me and gave me a purpose during “the dark days.”
How long have you used the BuJo system for planning? How is this system working for you and your business?
I started using a bullet journal last year. My “business bestie” had started using one and gifted a journal to me, in hopes that it would be helpful to me. After several months, I started to see the value to my day-to-day life that a bujo could be and I started pinning all the things and then started doing layouts. It was slow going for me, but over time I have begun depending on it for helping keep me motivated and organized.
What are a few specific ways you use your BuJo to manage your business?
When it comes to my business, I use my bujo in several ways. I use it to keep my orders list accurate, which is very important for custom order businesses. I used to rely on post-it’s for so much of this, but things would get missed. I also use it to keep track of things that I have made and that have sold well in the past, and are on my “make again” list. And I use those same “‘make again” pages to keep track of new ideas and things I want to make next.
I rely heavily on my weekly layouts to keep me making things each week. Typically on Sundays I sit down and look over the following week. I make a list of any orders I need to get done, and then any other projects that I want to work on. And then throughout the week I assign those tasks to a certain day and get to work. It helps keep me focused, and allows me to have a to-do list, but also keeps my schedule flexible for things like being aunty or getting coffee with a friend.
Show us one of the most useful business layouts in your BuJo and tell us how you use it
One of my most important layouts are my “make and remake” pages. And yes, there are several! I use these for a running list of my ideas. New and old. I have lists of things that I have the supplies on hand to make, so on those days when I’m not sure what to do or make or work on, I can go to that list and see what makes me excited to work on something! Then I gather those supplies and get my hands busy!
I also have ideas listed out based on what they are/how they are made. It looks something like:fabric, yarn, jewelry, etc. And beyond that, there are also “themes” like: ‘menagerie’ (my little crocheted stuffed animals) ‘oily swag’ (anything used with oils or by/for fellow essential oilers.)
I feel like this ideas list works closely with another really important layout for my business: my orders tracker. I have long needed a really good layout for this, and have recently (finally) gotten what I think will keep orders organized for me. I made this up based on information I need throughout the whole process of working on custom orders.
The post-it note with the key can be moved from one order page to the next. And this goes hand-in hand with my shopping list pages:
Again, post-it notes! This page can be used over and over, and the post-its can be changed out as needed
The easiest part of using a bujo for me is that everything is right in one book/journal. (The index makes that even easier…when I remember to use it!) The hardest part, as with so many things in life, is consistently using it! It seems like I would remember this, sometimes I just forget that it’s there. Or I get caught up in busyness and don’t remember that I have this tool that helps to keep me a little more grounded.
Where can we find you online or on social media?
I am on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest under the name The Yarn Nomad. I also have a website: www.theyarnnomad.com
Thanks so much Kanina! We appreciate all of your ideas!
Be sure to check her out online!
Thanks so much for joining us for this interview! I am crazy about my Bullet Journal and it has been a life-saver for my small business as well. If you use a BuJo, let us know in the comments section – I would love to know how this system has helped you to get your life organized as well as if you use it for your business! We will certainly talk more about this subject in the future!
