The Maker's Yearbook
Grow your sales and profits by doing lessThis system has helped thousands of artists and makers to focus, prioritise, and get things done
The Maker’s Yearbook
Grow your sales and your profits by doing less
This system has helped thousands of artists and makers to focus, prioritise, and get things done
The Maker’s Yearbook
A 2023 Goal Setting Workbook and Planner
For Artists, Makers + Handmade Business Owners
Get the system that has helped thousands of makers to focus, prioritise and get things done.
Being busy doesn’t mean you’re growing your business.
If you’re not spending your time on the right things, you can work all the hours you can spare, but your business won’t grow.
But because maker businesses are all different, the “right” things are different for everyone.
Maybe you want to build a business empire, or help your partner quit their awful job, or maybe you just want to be creative and get paid for it.
Whatever you want, one thing’s for certain. It’s tough to stay focused on what’s most important when you’re in the day to day work of running your business.
You’re being pulled in so many directions by other people’s opinions, your own self doubt, and the need to make a profit before your partner/mother/nosey neighbour starts giving you a hard time, and there’s no boss to tell you what to work on next.
Without a flexible and effective system for managing your day to day work it’s easy to end up in the doom spiral of procrastination and self sabotage – forever checking emails, orders, social media and the news….over and over and over again.
THE DOOM SPIRAL OF PROCRASTINATION AND SELF SABOTAGE
But when you’ve got a healthy and flexible system for managing your work and getting the important jobs done, you are able to FINALLY….
Have a clear enough head to figure out who your ideal customer is and what they want to buy from you, so you can make work that is easy to sell
Revive that dying Instagram account and start growing an engaged audience of new followers.
Make decisions more easily because you know what you’re working towards, and you’re no longer scared of making a mistake.
Spend time with your friends and family without always feeling like there’s something else you should be doing.
Make sales more easily and consistently, even when you’re not working.
Sounds pretty good, doesn’t it? Isn’t THIS what you hoped your maker business would be? And it can be.
So how do you find the right system for YOU and the unique things you want for your business and life? Do you have to design it yourself?
You could. But it’s a lot of work, and a lot of potential for procrasti-planning, rather than working on the things that will bring you sales and income right now.
Or you could let me do that work for you.
The Maker’s Yearbook is the system that I built for myself when I I was in your shoes – running around and doing all of the things, struggling to focus and stay motivated, feeling overwhelmed and behind ALL THE TIME.
I designed it because things had to change. Things like:
➡️ Starting on the most important work around 3pm and working until midnight, after almost a full day of the doom spiral
➡️ Always overestimating what I could get done in a day
➡️ Repeating the same mistakes over and over again
➡️ Trying to do everything….all at the same time
➡️ Working myself to exhaustion but somehow never having time for marketing or creating new work
➡️ Feeling like I could never sell enough or find enough customers to make an income
The Maker’s Yearbook will help you to do more, by trying to do less.
It sounds counterintuitive …but hear me out.
Managing your time as a solo business owner is about two things:
1️⃣ Managing distractions
2️⃣ Managing your mindset and motivation
The Maker’s Yearbook isn’t just a basic planner where you write lists and things to do.
Yearbook users are growing their sales, growing their social media following, creating new products that sell better, managing commissions and wholesale orders better, and enjoying the good feelings that come with seeing your business succeeding.
How?
It’s not because the yearbook tells them how to do any of those things. It’s not a book on sales and marketing.
It’s because the yearbook helps them to manage distractions and manage their mindset and motivation.
It reduces the options available each day and that mental space allows them to show up and do their best each day.
That changes everything.
The first year I used the Maker’s Yearbook I boldly wrote that I wanted to double my income.
I was shocked when I actually did.
I can’t believe how the Maker’s Yearbook has helped me grow my Etsy business.
The first year I used the Maker’s Yearbook was in 2020. I boldly wrote that I wanted to double my income. I was shocked when I actually did.
I don’t fill in every box faithfully, but the little that I do spend time on each week helps me generate ideas and solutions on how I can help my business grow.
I definitely recommend this planner for any creative small business owner.
It helped me revive my dying Instagram account and is now steadily growing new followers each day, just shy of 10k.
Before I invested in The Maker’s Yearbook I was a little lost in what I should track or how to even start making progress on my never ending to-do lists!
Since using it I have launched a new shop and got over £1,000 in sales. Have launched several successful Kickstarters and have another one planned! It helped me revive my dying Instagram account and is now steadily growing new followers each day, just shy of 10k.
I work just 10 hours a week and I doubled my list, followers and revenue, as well as making and keeping on top of orders.
The Maker’s Yearbook transformed the way I work on my business and I am now able to focus on priorities instead of “all the things”.
It is so thoughtfully structured and laid out that it takes all the thinking and overwhelm away as I already worked out my priorities and focus on that. One step at a time.
I only have 10 hours max per week to spend on my business. Despite that, in the last year I doubled my list, followers and revenue as well as making and keeping on top of orders etc. And that is down to the Yearbook because I have been focused on one goal (to grow my audience).
So what is the Maker’s Yearbook?
The Maker’s Yearbook is a planner and goal setting workbook designed especially for artists, makers and handmade business owners.
Instead of managing your time, which fluctuates so much, it encourages you to cultivate a collection of quick and easy “good habits” that help you to better manage your focus and your priorities.
This makes you more resilient to interruptions and more able to make progress even amongst the chaos.
It’s simple. Deceptively so. It seems repetitive. A bit boring.
But it works. And it’s achievable in just a few minutes a day.
What’s inside the book?
Click or tap on the images to enlarge them
full 2022 review section
Get clear on everything you learned and everything that challenged you, so that you can use that knowledge in 2023.
2023 Goal Setting Worksheets
We’ll look at what these goals add to your business and what you need to make them a reality.
your two strategies to grow your biz in 2023
Stick to these two strategies in 2023 and you’ll see consistent growth in your maker business.
Guidance on planning out your year
Starting to think annually can help you to manage the busy times and to rest and prepare in the quiet times.
social media and sales tracker
Track your sales, expenses, profit, and customer growth and you’ll see if you’re working on the right things.
social media + email marketing plans
Plan out the themes for your social media posts and customer emails.
monthly action plans
Set yourself one main focus for the month and break it down into manageable chunks of time.
month end reviews
Reflect back on what happened, what you did, what you learned and what you earned.
blog post prompts
Blog posts don’t have to be so difficult. Stick to a few themes and spend less time writing.
2023 year-at-a-glance calendar
For a high level view, fill in the yearly planner with your 2023 events.
Monthly + Week to View Planner Spreads
The Maker’s Yearbook contains both month to view and week to view planning spreads.
Monthly + Week to View Planner Spreads
The Maker’s Yearbook contains both month to view and week to view planning spreads.
Join the thousands of makers who have used this planner system to go from unfocused, chaotic & frustrated to intentional, consistent & productive.
About Nicola
I’m Nicola Taylor and when I left my job as a stockbroker to start a business as a fine art photographer, I had no idea what I was getting into.
I was so frustrated and embarrassed that I couldn’t make it work and it was mostly because I couldn’t get myself to work.
Procrastination, freezing up, fear of failure, fear of success, imposter syndrome. I’ve been through them all.
It took a while, but I realised that to be successful as a small business owner, I needed to work in a very different way than I had when I worked for someone else.
And so the Maker’s Yearbook was born. It was the system I used to get myself together and it took me from struggling and confused with my fine art photography business, to solidly profitable.
The Maker’s Yearbook is now available as a digital download.
You can print it at home or use on your tablet with your favourite note taking app
Print out at home or use with goodnotes on your tablet
THE PDF DOWNLOAD
PDF download of the 256 page Planner
£19.50
Plus VAT
What's inside the book?
Click or tap on the images to enlarge them
full 2022 review section
Get clear on everything you learned and everything that challenged you, so that you can use that knowledge in 2023.
2023 Goal Setting Worksheets
We'll look at what these goals add to your business and what you need to make them a reality.
your two strategies to grow your biz in 2023
Stick to these two strategies in 2022 and you'll see consistent growth in your maker business.
Guidance on planning out your year
Starting to think annually can help you to manage the busy times and to rest and prepare in the quiet times.
social media and sales tracker
Track your sales, expenses, profit, and customer growth and you'll see if you're working on the right things.
social media + email marketing plans
Plan out the themes for your social media posts and customer emails.
monthly action plans
Set yourself one main focus for the month and break it down into manageable chunks of time.
month end reviews
Reflect back on what happened, what you did, what you learned and what you earned.
blog post prompts
Blog posts don't have to be so difficult. Stick to a few themes and spend less time writing.
2023 year-at-a-glance calendar
For a high level view, fill in the yearly planner with your 2023 events.
Monthly + Week to View Planner Spreads
The Maker's Yearbook contains both month to view and week to view planning spreads.
Monthly + Week to View Planner Spreads
The Maker's Yearbook contains both month to view and week to view planning spreads.
The PDF version (£19.50)
Please note that these calculations are approximate and you will be charged in GBP at the current exchange rate.
You are purchasing a PDF download and no product will be shipped to you.
Please note that you are purchasing the PDF download of the Maker's Yearbook.
This is a digital product that will be emailed to you for you to either use electronically, or print out yourself.
BECAUSE IT IS DELIVERED TO YOU IMMEDIATELY, THIS VERSION OF THE YEARBOOK IS NON REFUNDABLE, so please make sure that this is the version you intended to order.
Please note that the printed version of the 2023 Maker's Yearbook is now sold out and we will not be receiving any more copies.
The printed book is now sold out for 2023. We will not be RECEIVING any more copies
THE PRINTED BOOK
Spiral bound, hard cover, printed book
What's inside the book?
Click or tap on the images to enlarge them
full 2022 review section
Get clear on everything you learned and everything that challenged you, so that you can use that knowledge in 2023.
2023 Goal Setting Worksheets
We'll look at what these goals add to your business and what you need to make them a reality.
your two strategies to grow your biz in 2023
Stick to these two strategies in 2022 and you'll see consistent growth in your maker business.
Guidance on planning out your year
Starting to think annually can help you to manage the busy times and to rest and prepare in the quiet times.
social media and sales tracker
Track your sales, expenses, profit, and customer growth and you'll see if you're working on the right things.
social media + email marketing plans
Plan out the themes for your social media posts and customer emails.
monthly action plans
Set yourself one main focus for the month and break it down into manageable chunks of time.
month end reviews
Reflect back on what happened, what you did, what you learned and what you earned.
blog post prompts
Blog posts don't have to be so difficult. Stick to a few themes and spend less time writing.
2023 year-at-a-glance calendar
For a high level view, fill in the yearly planner with your 2023 events.
Monthly + Week to View Planner Spreads
The Maker's Yearbook contains both month to view and week to view planning spreads.
Monthly + Week to View Planner Spreads
The Maker's Yearbook contains both month to view and week to view planning spreads.
£32
Plus VAT + Shipping
The Printed Book (£32)
Please note that these calculations are approximate and you will be charged in GBP at the current exchange rate.
Availability of the printed book and the pdf version
Each year we produce one print run of a limited number of copies of the printed book.
For the 2023 year the full print run has sold out (yay!)
If you’re waiting for your book, all orders have now been shipped. If you haven’t received your tracking information, please contact support@makersbusinesstoolkit.com
The PDF version is available throughout the year.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will the Maker's Yearbook help me if I'm not a maker?
It definitely can, although there may be some content in the 2023 planning section that doesn’t apply to you – things like art and craft fairs and approaching shops and galleries.
The focus on setting monthly goals, creating an action plan, scheduling it in and then reviewing your progress is something that will help any small business.
But the way we manage daily work is quite different from regular planners. Because makers tend to have unpredictable and inconsistent daily schedules, the yearbook is designed to allow them to flexibly manage their tasks.
If you run a business that has set hours and needs to schedule lots of appointments and meetings then the Maker’s Yearbook probably won’t be a good fit for that.
But if you don’t have anyone else setting a working schedule for you, and you sometimes struggle to get started, or to know what you should be working on, then the yearbook can definitely help with that.
what is the return policy for the maker's yearbook?
THE PDF VERSION.
As the print-at-home version is delivered immediately, as a digital download, it is non-refundable.
Will I be able to order the printed book later in the year?
Unfortunately, no.
All copies of the printed book have now been sold and we will not be receiving any more copies of the 2023 yearbook
Do I really need to spend this much on a diary?
No.
But the Maker’s Yearbook isn’t really a diary. It’s a tool to help you work differently so that you can get your business off the ground and making you money. Writing down lists and to-do’s won’t get you there unless you figure out how to work each day.
If you’ve already got that under control, you’ve got a good time management and organisation system, and you’re just looking for somewhere to write appointments and jot things down then there are definitely cheaper options out there.
But here’s what an ordinary diary can’t help you with:
- Figuring out what to do first on the never ending to do list of the million different things that you could do, or should do, or but never seem to actually get done.
- Managing the self doubt, anxiety and imposter syndrome that stops you from even starting the things you think would be the way out of this cycle.
- Handling the constant interruptions – whether it’s from friends and family, or just your own thoughts.
- Stopping the distraction circle of doom – Facebook, Instagram, News, Email, Facebook, Instagram ….
Putting a stop to this requires you to battle your own self doubt, and to stay focused on tasks that will make you feel uncomfortable, in order to ultimately get what you want.
The yearbook has helped a lot of makers to do that and it does usually end up with you making more than £30 in extra sales.
I'm an artist or maker but I don't have a business. Is this for me?
It really depends on whether you intend to start a business in the near future, or not.
The Maker’s Yearbook is a business planner so it focuses on business goals and business activities. If you haven’t set up your business yet but you intend to do it soon, then the Maker’s Yearbook can help you to work on some of those tasks.
If you’re just looking to get more organised with your studio practice or want to spend more time making, while the planner sections of the Maker’s Yearbook can help with that, a large part of the book will not be relevant to you so other planners may provide better value.
Can I print the digital book at a5 size to fit an existing planner?
We do not recommend this unless you are very confident with your ability to resize two sided documents.
We cannot offer any technical support for this.
What is VAT and how much will I pay?
VAT is a type of sales tax.
Whether you pay it, and how much you will pay depends on where you are located in the world.
UK customers
You will be charged VAT at the UK rate of 20%
EU customers
The PDF version of the Maker’s Yearbook is a digital download. If you are located in the EU, you will be charged the VAT rate in your local country, unless you enter a valid VAT number at checkout.
Customers from the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Norway or Switzerland
You will not pay any VAT on the PDF version of the Maker’s Yearbook.
I have more questions, who can I contact?
Send your questions to support@makersbusinesstoolkit.com and we’ll sort you out.
This is my 1st year with the book and I so wish I had invested sooner
Since purchasing the Yearbook I have managed to stay more focused on the things that I used to push to one side. I now focus on my top 3 tasks firsts, get them done and then I can concentrate on the creating.
I started seeing results in around 2 -3 months. My Instagram following has had a consistent growth pattern, despite all of the platforms changes, but my main focus has been on developing more saleable products that people need, and I am definitely seeing results.
This is my 1st year with the book and I so wish I had invested sooner, much sooner. It’s definitely for me, made working on the ‘businessy stuff’ much easier, more rewarding and dare I say a little more enjoyable too! Results all round I would say.
I was lost and floating as a business woman before I found the Maker’s Yearbook
I feel like I say this every year, but I was lost and floating as a business woman before I found the Maker’s Yearbook.
In art school we weren’t taught how to do the business side of things, just the creative side, so I didn’t have any systems or structures to help keep my maker business organised or growing.
The Maker’s Yearbook changed all that.
Its monthly goal setting and review sheets, the daily accountability and the new ‘brain dump’ at the start of the month have become staples in my business admin flow and have helped this maker become a much more organized and focused business woman
I have successfully launched several new product lines to capitalise on my most popular existing products
As the only person in my company, I struggle with prioritising because there’s always WAY more to do than I actually have time to get done!
The Maker’s Yearbook has helped change my mindset so that I am focusing on the right things, and I have successfully launched several new product lines to capitalise on my most popular existing products (instead of just throwing all sorts at the wall and seeing what stuck, as I was doing before!)
Before I bought it, I was worried about whether I really needed it (I had just bought a 2022 planner!) but it’s been totally invaluable to me.
I noticed my bookings were more manageable as I was planning ahead and being ready for requests as I was completing a baseline for my business on a more regular basis.
Before buying The Maker’s Yearbook, I was sceptical that this investment would be a good one for my business.
However, it has helped me to keep on track & stay focussed (which, let’s face it, is a struggle on the more challenging days.
The daily “three things to do” prompts help me with a first pick of the day. As they link into from the monthly goals, I know that I keep moving forward by doing these first.
After about 6 months I noticed my bookings were more manageable as I was planning ahead, being ready for requests as I was completing a baseline for my business on a more regular basis.
There might be other planners out there, but this is one is the best one I have used that is specifically made for makers!
This will be my third year using the Maker’s Yearbook. I am an organized person but could never manage to keep track of EVERYTHING each month.
Having one place to keep up with everything in one book is a must!
Plus, the monthly checklists in emails help me stay more focused and plan ahead rather than scrambling at the last minute! Plus, I save the prior yearbook to help identify what worked, what didn’t, and how far we have come with the business.
The book is always well made with beautiful designs and quotes. I now do a better of job of goal setting and tracking profit every month. It definitely helps me focus on small wins to create overall growth for my business.
There might be other planners out there, but this is one is the best one I have used that is specifically made for makers!
It has been the best investment I’ve made in a really long time, and it is worth every penny.
The Maker’s Yearbook has helped me organise and plan the tasks I need to do for my business, and even everyday life tasks, specially during periods when getting up in the morning is a big challenge.
The habit of setting 3 most important tasks for the day has made a particular difference to my being able to stay consistent, and it has even help with my mental health.
It surprised me because it sounds so simple, but it has helped me so much!
In general all the systems and advice in The Maker’s Yearbook help me to device and stick to a plan for my life and business, and most importantly to find my way back to it after the periods when my chronic illness just takes over.
If you’re on the fence about buying The Maker’s Yearbook I’d say definitely go for it! It has been the best investment I’ve made in a really long time, and it is worth every penny.
DISCLAIMER: This page includes testimonials and real world examples of other people’s experiences with The Maker’s Yearbook. These are for the purpose of illustration only. The testimonials, examples and photos used are of actual customers and the results they personally achieved. They are not intended to represent or guarantee that current or future customers will achieve the same or similar results; rather these testimonials represent what is possible for illustrative purposes only. Nothing on this page should be interpreted as a promise or guarantee that you will achieve any results at all.
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