3 Strategies to Survive a Slow Summer

Too many entrepreneurs let the long, hot, lazy, hazy days of summer get them down when it feels like business is slowing down and it’s just so much easier to take a midday nap.

While it’s true that many industries report lower engagement, sales and traffic during the summer months, that means that now is a great time to get some stuff done for the months ahead. Here are my top 3 ideas for making the most of a quiet time.

1. Plan your launch – recently I was talking with a colleague who was flabbergasted that we were already in launch planning for November. The fact is, those highly successful launches that you watch and wonder ‘how do they do that all?’ don’t get done in a weekend or even a month. It takes a lot of planning. So even if you don’t have all the dates sorted out yet, there’s plenty that you can do to prepare for a launch. Start here.

2. Spring clean your files – I’ll be honest, the concept of Spring Cleaning is mostly theoretical in my house but if there’s one area where we could all use some help it’s our online homes. There are probably a hundred files in your downloads folder or on your desktop, right? How many emails are in your inbox? When was the last time you sorted out everything in Dropbox? Pick just one of these areas and use your quiet days to get organized and ahead of the curve.

3. Take a break – seriously. Take some time off. If your business is somewhat seasonal and now is not your busy time then it just makes sense to enjoy the downtime and have some time off. You’re more likely to come back refreshed and ready to tackle the world when you’ve rested and taken care of yourself. It doesn’t mean that your business should shut down, stop marketing or leave your clients high and dry, but being able to entrust routine tasks with your team feels amazing.

Ask yourself: Is your business slower in the summer time? For our friends in the Southern Hemisphere, how can you incorporate these tips when it heats up in your area?