Summer can be an odd time of year. While most us look forward to the better weather, festivals, school holidays and potentially some time off, it can be a rather frustrating time for businesses with many reporting that they find themselves in a quiet period; be it the company B2C (business to customer) or B2B (business to business), and of course dependent on the industry you work in.
However, just because the workload has slowed down externally such as less sales or low footfall, it doesn’t mean it has to internally. Take this opportunity to be productive as you can, in turn keeping those motivation levels high to carry you through the season.
Summer can be a great time to step back and have a think about all those little housekeeping jobs you’ve been meaning to get around to doing, such as having a good old tidy out of the office or shop. Or have you a ‘to-do’ list of ideas to develop your business but have just got caught up in the day-to-day running of it. Now’s the time to start scoring some of those off.
At Yellow Bird Digital, we find it useful during these periods to review the business such as our original goals and visions. Looking at what we’ve achieved so far, what we haven’t, and what we would still like to, say by the end of the year. There’s no harm in revaluating and rewriting those new year resolutions and planning how you will achieve them. You might find different tasks are now a priority to ones your originally thought.
Why not get creative? These could be little things such as updating your website, hosting an event or even just updating any marketing or promotional material. You now have more brain space for this! Or why not concentrate on your own personal development? Delve into your sector and see if there is more you can learn. This could take the form of attending networking events and connecting with local and likeminded contacts who can help build awareness of your brand or you can potentially collaborate with in the future. Alternatively use summer to boost your skillset (this can be via online webinars or seminars), or perhaps it’s time to start that handy ‘how to’ business book you promised you would read.
We hate to use the dreaded ‘A’ word, but now is a great time to stay on top of your admin. From invoices, paperwork, emails – offline and online. Take this time to organise it all and archive anything you no longer need. Cliché as it sounds, a tidy and clear desk (be it desktop), is a happy desk.
Finally, don’t feel guilty about taking a break. Just because you are a bit quieter doesn’t mean you shouldn’t enjoy spending some time with family and friends. Or why not organise that staff outing that the team keep talking about. Use this time to gain a bit of perspective and recharge you (and your staff’s) batteries before the next ‘rushed off your feet’ moment.