By Denise Alison L ike most small and medium sized businesses, ours has cycles. At times we’re very busy with lots of client projects, and at other times that work slows down a bit. The slowest time for us in terms of client work is in the summer. Nothing new seems to happen, just some carry over from projects started in late spring. If your business is anything like ours, sometimes it can feel like nothing is happening during the summer: all of your clients, partners, and employees seem to be on vacation, and there is a giant tumbleweed following you around. However, the interesting thing is that we always end up being super busy in the summertime focusing on actions we can take to grow our business. Want to take advantage of some of the extra time you have on your hands? Take action with one (or more) of the fol- lowing 7 Ways to Take Advantage of Slow Times in Your Business:
CHECK IN ON YOUR FINANCES
To do this, ask yourself these questions: • How are you doing sales-wise? • What about expenses? How do these numbers compare to last year? • What can you do to improve these numbers?
PROFESSIONAL/PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
Read a book, take a class, or read some blogs to improve your skills in a specific area of your business. I would recom- mend this even in your busy times.
TAKE A VACATION
If this is routinely a slow time for you, take a vacation! It will give you a much-needed break from working hard the rest of the year. You’ll have the opportunity to recharge your batter- ies and will come back to work with a fresh perspective!
MAKE A PLAN TO GROW YOUR BUSINESS
To do this, ask yourself these questions: • What do you want to achieve? • What actions do you need to take to get there?
If you already have a plan in place, revisit it and assess how you are doing, this is a great time to tweak your strategy to finish off 2018 strong.
PLAN OUT YOUR YEAR
Make a list of goals you want to accomplish in the coming year or targets for the second half of the year. Set dates and deadlines and plan what will be done when to get you where you want to be. NAIL YOUR CUSTOMER ATTRACTION STATE- MENT
Who really benefits from what you are offering? What problem are you solving for people?
Take this time to make sure you are very clear on these things as it will help with meeting your adjusted goals
PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT
This is a great time to develop that product you’ve been thinking about. There are fewer distractions and you have more time to focus on the product or new service.
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JULY 2018 • SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE
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