Goal setting for 2021 with Anna Brightman of UpCircle
14/1/2021
Looking back on 2020, it’s fair to say that it was a rollercoaster for absolutely all of us. Many take the start of a new year as a signal to shoot for self-improvement and new year’s resolutions. Instead, we asked Anna Brightman, co-founder of UpCircle Beauty, to shed some light on how goal setting might be a better, more gentle approach for 2021.
Here, Anna reveals her thoughts on how she reaches her goals and what you too can do to reach yours.
Goal setting
Goal setting looks completely different for every individual! Whether it’s journaling once a week or having a plan for where you want to be five years from now. How you set your goals is unique to you, and only you know what works and motivates you. My best piece of advice for when it comes to goal setting is to not feel obliged to take onboard everyone’s advice. No one knows your business, your personality or your life like you do, so trust your instinct. There’s no harm in listening, but you don’t have to take everyone’s advice and run with it!
Allowing “fails” in pursuit of your goals
I think it is SO important to show that it is not always a smooth road and that we all have failures along the way. It’s so easy to look at a brand or person’s Instagram feed and assume that everything is perfect, but that is not reality! Things go wrong all the time and that’s not something to feel bad about, it’s inevitable – it’s all about how you deal with it and move forwards.
For example – we were told that a product of ours was going to be on national TV and all got extremely excited. It was a morning talk show and the journalist pitched our best-selling product to the presenters. Both presenters absolutely hated the smell and that was that. They literally said “I don’t like it” and “I am not into that.” I would be lying if I said that we weren’t initially gutted by the brutal (and incredibly public) dismissal of the brand we’ve built from scratch, but we know that these setbacks are all part of life’s lessons – so we dust ourselves off and keep on keeping on!
Rather than trying to pretend it hadn’t happened I posted the clip on our Instagram just to demonstrate that things can and will go wrong, and that’s okay!
2020 presented UpCircle with new challenges that we could not have foreseen as the outbreak of Covid-19 meant that many industries closed down. Because of our circular economy ethos, we rely on the functioning of other industries to get the ingredients that we reuse. Having coffee shops shut for months presented supply chain issues for us, but we managed to come out the other side standing strong!
Our true entrepreneurial spirit has really been put to the test! But, we’ve become pretty good at dusting off our shoulders and thinking outside the box. It’s this sort of attitude that keeps us surging ahead – no matter how big the obstacles!
Maintaining balance to help you reach your goals
It’s important to figure out your non-negotiables so that you can make sure you’re ticking the self-care boxes that you, as an individual, need. For me, time with my friends and family is crucial to my happiness so I always try to weave my work life around that. William and I work together to ensure that we support each other so that our personal lives and our out of work priorities are unaffected – it’s one of the major perks of owning a business with a family member.
I live next to a park, so when I get in I like to go for a jog around the park just to unwind. Running allows me time to think – and makes me feel amazing when I’m done! It’s my favourite form of exercise (although I am also partial to a spin class too!)
Setting goals as a woman that enable you to empower other women and build a network of support
I am a part of several female founder networks, which I enjoy being involved in. It’s great to see women supporting women. That said, I would love it if more men got involved with supporting women in business too! For example, every single International Women’s Day event I’ve ever been involved in has been run and attended by women…
I co-founded my brand alongside my brother. We have separate, clearly defined roles but we run the business as an equal partnership. I find continually that people view him as the true “CEO” which is obviously frustrating. When someone calls and asks for the “person in charge” and are met with a female voice, I have been shocked at how frequently that results in me being asked to take a message before my brother is available. This only makes me even more passionate about using my platform to hopefully inspire young girls.
As a female founder a goal of mine is to speak purely on female-focussed issues once a week. I’ve given careers lectures in girls’ schools, I offer mentorship to teenage girls looking to start their own business, and have done many podcast episodes as a guest speaker, often on the subject of female empowerment or women in business.
The beauty industry that I DON’T want to be a part of can make women feel insecure, intimidated or like they are not good enough. My goal is for my brand to represent skincare for all and for our products to make people feel confident. We are body positive, gender neutral, represent all ages and encourage diversity in all forms. Our products are modelled by real customers, family and friends and I am passionate about using authentic visuals that are never photoshopped. We stand for authentic, real beauty in its many forms!
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