Summer is around the corner! While there can be a lot of anticipation for this season, we also have to focus in on how we can prep our business to be successful this summer. Summer for a lot of people can mean vacations, a slowdown in purchases, and people who are harder to reach via email. So, what are some ways that we can have a successful summer with our business? Let’s walk through some practical steps that you should be starting now. These steps are crucial in ensuring that this summer is both restful AND has a positive impact on your business.
Set a Weekly Schedule
Creating a routine for your week is important for the success of your business. Setting apart some time each day to focus on the important tasks, whether it be 10 minutes or a couple of hours, takes the pressure off a bit. Knowing that you have a set time allotted allows you to be present in the other parts of your day. You can go to the pool, play with your kids, take a nap, whatever it is, but you can fully enjoy it knowing that you have a schedule in place that allows you to accomplish everything that is needed to be done.
Plan out your Vacation Time
Summertime can be a great time to take a vacation alone or with loved ones. Taking time away is so important for you, both mentally and physically. Time away can quickly become a burden on you when you do not plan for it accordingly. Make sure you plan out your time away in advance so that you can make the adjustments that are needed in order to fully enjoy your break. Also, if you have team members, figure out what their vacation plans are. Make sure that you know when they’re out so that way you can plan accordingly.
Execute Summer Launches and Promotions
The summer months are a great time to launch new products and sales. In order to execute that, you’ll need to start your planning and promotions now. We buy for summer beginning in late spring. Figure out what you’re launching, and if it’s a product or a service, how are you going to be promoting it. Put that plan in place and set it up now.
Set up Evergreen Content
Evergreen content is great to have as residual income. It’s an easy way to create content once and reuse it as a revenue stream. It can be a little bit labor-intensive the first time, but after you have that completed, you have a product that requires minimal effort. Consider creating evergreen content now as a way to get residual income during the summer months and all year long.
Automate your Systems
Find some time in the upcoming weeks to create automated systems. This will allow you freedom in your days and weeks and will free up a lot of your mental space. There are so many great programs out there that allow you to create procedures that function on their own. Some tasks that you could automate include emails, social media posts, invoicing, etc.
Grow your Team
You don’t have to do it alone! Outsourcing some of your responsibilities can be huge for many reasons. Outsourcing allows you the freedom to put your time and energy where you want to. Maybe in the summertime, your kids are out of school and you need to cut down on work or maybe you have a 2-week vacation planned. When you have a team, you can delegate tasks where it is most beneficial and useful for you, guilt-free!
Use this Slower Season to Prep for your Busy Seasons
This season is usually known as a time when the business pressure is lowered. Many people aren’t looking to spend their resources on anything but vacations or fun. This may become a slower season for your business in a couple of areas. If so, use some of this spare time to prepare yourself for your busier season, whenever that may be. Use this as a time to reconnect with your past clients, reach out to them touch base, and see how they’re doing. Put your business in the front of their minds so if they’re thinking about utilizing your services, again, you’ve already created that touchpoint. It may seem like it won’t make that much of a difference now, but you will be thankful you set yourself up for success when things begin to pick up again.
Set up your Finances for Tax Season
This one may seem a bit silly since tax season is over in April. However, it is so important to stay on top of these things from day one of the new tax year. You can use this slower time of year to get ahead on getting those important files organized. Meet with a tax advisor who can help you figure out if your business is optimized the way that it should be. For example, in my business, I realized after I did my taxes this year, that I was not set up appropriately for the amount of revenue that I was bringing in. I met with my tax guy, we talked about the best way to reorganize my business. I am now set up better for this coming year and I’m not going to be hit with a huge tax bill.
Revisit your goals
Summer downtime is a great time to make sure that you’re still on track to meet your long-term and short-term business goals. Figure out what you can do during the summer months to reach or rearrange your goals. Maybe instead of doing real heavy client-facing work, you can do some more of that CEO, back-end work. Goals can be ever-changing based on you and your business’ needs.
Update your Social Media Profiles
This can be a good time to review your current social media presence. Is the information in your bio accurate? Do you have a current call to action? Maybe it is a good time to batch your content and create a base of content to post when things speed up again. Also, keep your audience in the loop. Let them know what your schedule is looking like so they can understand when you might be in and out of the office and what to expect from you this summer.
Update your skills
There’s nothing wrong with continued learning. Learn something new to help you perform your services or help you create new products better. I’m a big advocate of continued learning and the summer is a great time to take advantage of that. Maybe there’s a conference you can go to or a new certification you can achieve. Think about ways that you can update your skillset during the summer months.
While these steps may seem overwhelming, doing these things will be so helpful in setting up your business for success. I am a huge advocate of maintaining a great work-life balance and my hope is that you can use these tips to create a great, restful summer while still reaching your business goals.
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