How these entrepreneurs plan to reach their 2022 goals

For many business owners, a new year brings a new set of goals for the months ahead. We asked ambitious members of our retailer and brand community what they hope to achieve in the coming year—and more importantly, how they plan to tackle those goals. From customer education to new product lines and trade shows, here are the Faire community’s plans to achieve their biggest 2022 goals. 

Connecting with new audiences 

At U.K. stationery brand The Completist, there are two major goals for 2022: accelerate growth and expand their international audience. To achieve these goals, co-founders Marko and Jana plan to focus on expanding their reach, both domestically and internationally. The husband-and-wife duo are already off to a strong start—they’re moving into a larger studio space this February to begin their expansion. “The new space will allow us to take on more staff and increase our product range,” Jana said. “We’ll also be able to keep more stock to meet demand.” They will be opening their first physical store at the front of the studio, appealing to more customers at home. 

In addition, the company plans to increase its international reach by leveraging trade shows and Faire’s global wholesale platform. “We’d love to be stocked in all 50 states by the end of 2022,” Jana said. “Trade shows are great for getting in front of new people. We’ve also found Faire to be key in reaching new markets, especially markets that are underrepresented for us.”

LSW London—maker of Faire’s popular 2021 product, LSW Mind Cards—has similar plans for the coming year. The company will also begin the year moving into a larger office space to allow for fast growth. In addition to the move, they hope to continue reaching a wider global audience. “In 2021, we went from 30 stockists in the U.K. to 500 stockists around the world,” Founder and Creative Director, Lili Sinclair-Williams said. “This year, we want to grow our distribution network to have over 1,000 stockists.” 

To achieve this goal, the company will use Faire’s global marketplace to connect to new customers. “We see Faire as vital to our ambitious growth strategy, particularly in the North American and European markets. Faire has allowed us to discover so many wonderful independent shops around the world already, and we can’t wait to meet more this year.” 

Exploring new product lines 

For Nicole Alesi, founder and owner of stationery brand Nicole Marie Paperie, 2022 is all about broadening her product line. “My big goal is to introduce at least 3 to 4 new products. I’d love to see where else I can communicate my designs—journals, tote bags, home goods…anything is possible!” To tackle her goals, Nicole is keeping it simple—take it one step at a time. “In the past, I would get overwhelmed by stacking the plate. This year, it’s all about going back to basics and having fun.” 

Emma Pearce, founder and owner of Sister Paper Co., also plans to use this year to expand her product range. Above all else, her goal is to grow while staying true to her company values. “I want to keep the focus on sustainability, representation, and creative authenticity,” she said. For Emma, the way to achieve this success is through putting trust in herself. “One of the hardest parts of running your own brand is mindset. There’ve been times where I’ve doubted myself, but the times where I’ve trusted my gut and put myself out there have been the most rewarding for my business. I’m going into 2022 reminding myself to tackle any challenges with outrageous bravery.” 

Strengthening existing relationships 

In addition to growing their audience in 2022, handcrafted accessories brand Royce New York also plans to focus on improving retention and relationships amongst their existing audience. “The adage that it’s cheaper to keep customers than attempt to attain new ones couldn’t be more true,” Co-owner Will Bauer said. Due to the pandemic, the company spent last year operating their growing business with fewer employees, spreading their customer service capabilities thin. In 2022, they plan to change that. “With more staff now available, we are more primed to handle the influx of the business headed our way, with the attention to detail and care that our clients deserve.”

Educating and innovating around customer values

At the Leicestershire, U.K.-based pop-up store The Big Gift Company, owner Leonie Morley plans to build on last year’s success by carefully selecting independent brands with unique values and stories for her store. “Last year, we found our customers were making more conscious purchases,” Leonie said. “They want to know where their product is from and who made it. This year, we’re planning to source our suppliers in a more curated way.” Leonie hopes to build strong relationships with each brand and educate customers on where their goods are coming from. 

Zero-waste clothing and accessories brand By The Sea Organics knows first-hand the importance of showing customers where their products come from. The eco-friendly company has appealed to values-based customers since its founding in 2007, and to achieve their ongoing goal of reducing plastic waste on the planet, they plan to spend this year focused on teaching consumers the importance of sustainable products.  

“We want to educate our audience that buying quality over quantity is a mindset of sustainability,” founder Kathryn Letson said. “We’re ramping up our consumer education with new campaigns throughout the year that are informative and inspiring. They’ll launch on our social media platforms and our websites, showing eco-friendly product swaps and ideas to make the home more sustainable.” The brand also plans to create new and innovative products that inspire consumers to stop buying plastic. 

For organic candy brand California Gummy Bears, innovation is the key to success. In addition to expanding awareness about their vegan and plant-based products, CEO and founder Jeffrey Postlethwaite hopes to spend 2022 developing and innovating more sustainable packaging and shipping solutions. “There are some very exciting things happening in this space,” Jeffrey said. “Last year, we achieved our mission to create gummy bears that can withstand extreme temperatures without melting, eliminating the need for insulated foil packaging. Now, we’re excited to continue exploring and bringing eco-friendly solutions to the market in conjunction with more delicious products.”