At the beginning of each month, I’ll be sharing an in-depth post about my blog and business goals for the month. I’ve done similar “monthly goals” posts in the past, but plan to pack this new series with more of a punch, by including the strategies and tools that helped me reach certain goals. I’m really excited to share a fresh take on my entrepreneurial journey and hopefully add a little inspiration to yours, too! Today, I have seven lofty blog and business goals I’m currently working toward this May. I hope you enjoy ’em!

1. Grow TNC’s newsletter to 4,000 subscribers.

When I started our newsletter over a year ago, it puttered along with a few hundred subscribers and very inconsistent newsletter emails. I didn’t really know how to use my newsletter effectively, nor did I see its importance. In the past few months, things have shifted, and I’m finally understanding the benefits of an engaged and growing newsletter list.

So far, in 2015, we’ve increased our amount of newsletter subscribers by more than 1,000 people. And in April 2015 alone, our list increased by a whopping 23%. Now, we have about 3,200 people subscribed to our newsletter. Long story short, I hope to grow this number to 4,000 by the end of the month. If we can swing it, it will be our biggest newsletter growth in a single month. I’m confident we can and look forward to sharing our strategies and tips with you in the future, too.

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2. Prepare a kick-ass presentation for Alt Summit. I’m speaking!

Back in February, I made it one of my goals to be accepted as a speaker at Alt Summit, which is one of the most esteemed conferences for bloggers, designers, and creative entrepreneurs. I’m very excited and humbled that I was selected to speak! The conference is in early June, so I hope to spend a good chunk of time creating a memorable and useful presentation.

You can read about the most inspiring tips I learned after attending last year’s Alt Summit in this post.

3. Publish an eBook.

I have about a zillion eBook ideas I’d like to tackle one day, but after talking to a blogger friend about a specific problem he’s having, I think I know what I’ll write first. It’s simple and shouldn’t take too long, which is why I think it will be a great, first book to work on. Plus, I think it will help a lot of people.

4. Read a business book and a book for pleasure.

I’ve come to realize that the best thing to do when I’m feeling uninspired is to shut off my computer and turn on my Kindle. Books clear my mind, teach me new things, and help me think in fresh, unique ways. Unfortunately, I’ve barely read since last year. Yikes! I even wrote this post with all the books I planned to read this year and have only managed to finish one (Mindy Kaling’s Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?).

My friend recently lent me The First Phone Call From Heaven, which I just started, but I’d love to add a business book to the mix, too. Any that you found particularly helpful or interesting? I’d love to hear!

5. Launch my blog coaching program.

I am the worst at marketing my services. But I’m grateful that I haven’t really needed to. Most new clients find me through this blog, previous client referrals, or on Google and I haven’t had to worry about promoting myself in other ways. But BUT one thing that needs some TLC in the “hey I also do this other cool thing!” department are my blog consultations. I’ve worked with more than a dozen bloggers doing consultations, averaging only about two per month, but I know there’s potential to help a lot MORE bloggers and make this service a central part of my business, rather than a side project that few people know about.

In wanting to amp up my consultations, I also decided to change their structure. I’m excited to share more about this very soon!

6. Share my “living room reveal.”

I’ve never really had a “living room” before. The closest thing was probably a tiny couch I inherited from a retired English teacher I’d never met while living in Japan. While I love interior styling, it never made sense to invest in my home when I moved every year or so. Now, however, I love where I live and I’m finally ready to make my apartment feel like a “home.”

First on my list was my living room, which was completely bare when I moved in. Over the past couple months, I’ve worked with some awesome home decor and furniture brands to make it all come to life. I can’t wait to share the final outcome later this month!

7. Finish up the final touches on TNC’s new design!

I plan to share more about our new design soon, so hang tight! But until then, you may have noticed that we’re rockin’ a new layout over here. In order to view it, I recommend clearing your browser’s cache, as we’ve noticed that not everything will appear updated until you do. BUT I’m totally loving the new look of our blog and design studio.

Now, however, I need to clean things up, like finish my new portfolio section, re-launch my blog consultations, and edit the outdated “services” page for the design studio. One thing I did manage to do? Update our “About” page. I’m diggin’ it. What do you think?

I’d love to hear what your goals are for May! What are you working toward, friend?