Etsy Insights: Setting Your 2026 Shop Goals With Confidence | Etsy Success

WonderLightJewelry · 2026-02-11T18:03:52.568745Z

Hi everyone! I’m Cat Hutchings, and I’ve been selling on Etsy for about 15 years. I run two shops: WonderLight Jewelry and MoonLight Supplies. One thing I didn’t use intentionally early on — but now rely on — is goal setting. That’s why I’m so excited to share the framework I’ve developed over the years to help you set meaningful, attainable goals for the year ahead.In this post you’ll find a quick overview to help you get started, and be sure to watch my recent workshop on the Etsy Success YouTube channel for the full breakdown, along with examples from my own small business journey. Let’s get started! 1. Reflect before planning.Before setting new goals, it’s important to look back. Not to judge yourself, just to gather information! Wins and challenges both matter. To get started, write down three wins from the past year and one main blocker that slowed your growth. I recommend spending time in your Etsy Stats to look for patterns in listings, traffic, and performance to help inform this process. Remember, these learnings are not just about revenue! If you’re new to using Etsy Stats, you can find your personalized insights page by visiting Shop Manager > Stats in the sidebar. 2. Choose one area to focus on.Instead of trying to fix everything, pick one growth lever to prioritize informed by last year’s learnings.The growth levers are visibility, conversion, product innovation, customer experience, marketing, or operations.3. Set one clear, realistic goal.Vague goals like “grow my shop” are hard to act on. SMART goals (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound) make progress clearer.4. Break it into quarters.Instead of tackling a full year at once, break your goal into quarterly focus points. One main focus per quarter is enough. This also helps you plan around seasonality and busy periods.5. Plan for roadblocks.Common roadblocks include time, capacity, skill gaps, and mindset. Identifying one likely obstacle in advance — and deciding how you’ll respond — makes it much easier to stay on track.If you want the full walkthrough, examples, and guided exercises, you can watch the complete workshop here.What’s your SMART goal for the year ahead? Let us know below!

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Etsy Insights: Setting Your 2026 Shop Goals With Confidence | Etsy Success | Etsy Community