Not to totally bum you out but we only have one full week (and a few extra days) left in the month of July. After the feeling of disappoint pass, brought on by the fact that summer is the best season, I got to thinking about the “summer slowdown”; business seems to simmer a bit, more time is spent updating Facebook, and your Instagram feed is full of colleagues at the beach rather than at networking events.
While we all wish we could approach summer with the same listless, freeing excitement that we did when we were kids, as business owners, we are still responsible for the grow of our businesses and for our own livelihoods. Bummer, I know.
So why not take advantage of the generally slower-paced summer months to do things for your business that you normally just can’t manage to find the time for? With that in mind, here are…
6 Ways to Use the Summer Slowdown to Grow Your Fashion Business
Review Your Goals
We’ve talked a lot about setting goals in business and how to make sure that you’re spending time each week working on tasks that will help you reach these larger goals. What when was the last time you reviewed your goals? As time passes and you learn more about not only your customers but yourself, businesses can shift, taking those earl-stage goals with them. Take the time to review what you originally set out to do and update, if necessary.
Review Your Strategies
How have your social media efforts been working? Your press pitching? What about retailers, are they responding? Take some time to really review your strategies and decide what’s working and what’s not. Tweak the things that don’t seem to be performing and come up with some fresh, exciting new ideas.
Update Your Website
When was the last time you updated the content on your website? I’m not talking about an expensive redesign, I’m talking about something as simple as new “about” page language, a fresh image on the homepage, linking up your newest social media platforms, or a helpful FAQ section. Depending on your budget, a fun summer photo shoot or new blog template are also great ideas. Give your website a little face lift.
Get Yourself Organized
So midsummer is one of the best times of the year to catch up on the business house keeping that you want to do, you just usually don’t have time for. Get yourself organized by updating and reworking your task list, creating email folders, straightening up your studio, and going through all the bookmarked articles on your browser that you haven’t read yet.
Join a Networking Group
While a lot of business people are vacationing, just as many are still plugging away full steam with their businesses. This is a perfect time to seek out a new networking group or meetup and hit up a few of their get-togethers. The smaller turnout makes it possible to make a stronger connection with the people who are there.
Take Some Time to Enjoy Every Minute!
Yes, staying on top of your game is important. But so is letting loose sometimes. It’s OK if you close your computer at 2 of Friday to go enjoy the beautiful weather; or don’t work this coming weekend to go to the beach. While you business will only survive with your hard work, it also needs your creativity and productivity to thrive. To do these things well, you need a little R&R sometimes to reboot!