10 Filler Activities for the Summer Business Slowdown

Summer is a time for the outdoors, for that well-deserved vacation, and with everyone out and about, it's also a time that you may notice a slowdown in demand for your products and services. So what can you do during this summer slowdown? Well, it's a great time to do the work that otherwise never gets done during the busy business year.

Here are 10 filler activities you can do while waiting for business to pick up:

(1) Write a bunch of ads, 3-liners, 4-liners, all the different formats you'll need to submit to ezines. Have a bunch to choose from, and have them ready to go so anytime you need an ad to submit, you've got a selection to pick from.

(2) If you've been publishing an ezine for some length of time now, consider giving it a breath of fresh air. Refresh old columns, inject some new content, give your formatting a new look, play around with fonts and colors, and see if you can't come up with a friendlier, more readable, more exciting ezine.

(3) Take a long hard look at your website. If you've had the same design for ages, maybe it's time to consider a facelift. While some may argue that it's unwise to change a look-and-feel that your customers have come to identify with your business, I tend to think that an all-too-familiar website can get old and boring. Not much of an incentive to returning visitors.

I'm not saying to change your design every six months, but I think a year or two would be a nice length of time to be thinking about rejuvenating your website and making it more exciting for your visitors to come back. Keep logos and navigation intact so visitors won't have to waste time learning where everything is again.

(4) Take some time out to 'meet' other netpreneurs and do some networking, both offline and online. You can either join a discussion forum or group, or set up your own (but only if you think you will have the time to manage it when summer's over and the real work begins). Networking's a great way to find out what's new, what others are doing, and what you can offer.

(5) Clean up your hard disk. You'll be surprised at what sort of junk lives in your hard disk. If you're like me, you've probably collected tons of just-in-case stuff that are just laying there waiting for the twelfth of never. Use this downtime to trash useless files, and get the useable ones organized into folders. Give these folders meaningful names so you can easily locate stuff when you need them.

(6) In a dilemma as to what files to delete permanently, and what to keep just-in-case? Back up the just-in-case files to a CD, label it and stash it away. Then delete those files off your hard disk. Now you have an archive of just-in-case files in offline storage, not taking up valuable disk space. This takes some sorting out but it's well worth the effort.

(7) Okay, let's be honest, when was the last time you defragmented your hard disk? Can't remember? And you're wondering why your PC is dragging its feet when you're in hurry? Well, guess what, it's time to do a defrag. The last defrag I did took hours, and that's because I hadn't done one in ages. If this sounds like you, I suggest you start one up just before you head out to that pool party, and by the time you get back, you should have a nice neat disk all ready to sprint into action.

(8) One major word of caution: Before you start any kind of spring-cleaning on your PC, do a backup! The reason why I'm emphasizing this is that I've been caught without a backup before and it "sure ain't where you wanna be at". At any rate, backups should be a regular thing you do, not just a summertime activity. But hey, if you've got some time on your hands this summer, by all means, do a full backup of your hard disk.

(9) Get your mailbox organized. With the amount of email we get these days, your mailbox can get pretty messy over a period of time. So while your business day's not as hectic as usual during summer, create new folders, label them meaningfully, and organize your mail where they belong. If you run several businesses, or are a member of co-ops or affiliate programs, this is a definite must-do! Once you've got your folders in place, it's easy to drag and drop your email to the appropriate folder as they come in.

(10) Okay, now that you're done with the online housekeeping, how about some offline tidying-up around your work area or home office? Get your paperwork organized into folders. Labeling them in big letters; or better yet, color-coding them makes them easier to find. Keep current folders within reach. Everything else gets stashed away into boxes out of sight until you need them.

Whatever you're doing this summer, have fun.

© 2004 Kit Lum

About The Author

Kit Lum publishes Go Get Global Ezine which features advertising services, and business and cultural resources to help small and home-based businesses grow globally. Get more FREE tips like these at http://www.Go-GetGlobal.com

editor@go-getglobal.com

---

If You Want Business - Be Consistent

Why does consistency in the message have an effect on... Read More

Franchises: How to Find the Best Franchise Opportunity for You

If you are looking for a franchise opportunity, the choice... Read More

Small Business Operators - 7 Reasons You Should Change Your Accountant

A recent survey showed that only 28.7% of small business... Read More

Business Debt Collection Letter Writing Secrets

Debt collection letters--an overview"Debt collection letter" in the singular may... Read More

Increase the Wealth in Your Community

Many of us have noticed how some nearby communities seem... Read More

How to Promote Your Business by Entering Contests

You are probably hard at work promoting your business (and... Read More

Selling Your Business, Entrepreneurs Role

$elling $elling $ellingWhat makes a great sales person? Well, the... Read More

Mobile Detailing Environmental Concern in the Deep South

Macon, GA goes after garage-gas station conversion detail/hand car washes... Read More

Tell Me The Reasons Why I Should Believe You?

Have you ever heard the phrase, 'PREPONDERANCE OF PROOF'?I recently... Read More

The Workers? Compensation Situation in this Country is Nuts, Arnold in CA Takes Action

The Workers' Compensation situation in this country is unbelievable. Why,... Read More

5 Small Business Management Questions to Help Choose Marketing Programs

As small business managers, we juggle limited resources in a... Read More

Small Does Not Mean Invisible!

Running a business on the net these days can be... Read More

Why Does a Business Fail and What Can You Do to Stop It?

I believe the number one reason why a business will... Read More

How to Use Graphs and Charts in Your Business Plan

Many people ask how many graphs or charts they should... Read More

Getting Behind in Your Work? You Need a Virtual Assistant!

If you don't know what a Virtual Assistant (or VA)... Read More

The Triple A Way to Spark Your Companys Profits

Winning small and home based businesses today must continually shake... Read More

Want to Grow Your Business? Make an Irresistible Offer

My clients and many of my readers are small and... Read More

Mobile Detailing Expansion Considerations

Expanding your business requires you to take a good hard... Read More

Build Credibility with Expertise

As an Investment Representative you've worked hard to build trust... Read More

How to Promote Yourself to Small Business Riches

You've heard it before; we're living in an information age.... Read More

Why Do Most Online Small Businesses Fail?

Search Engines account for almost 90% of all web traffic!In... Read More

FTC Franchise Rule if Enacted will Trigger Hardship for Private Sector

The FTC Franchise Rule maybe changed, as the Federal trade... Read More

The Skills Gap: It Pays to Use Experts

By outsourcing to skilled professionals you'll be able to grow... Read More

But This Is Just My Opinion

Hi, Charles...here, Your Cap and t-shirt guy From Texas. How... Read More

Collect that Debt - Your Business Depends on it

The efficiency of debt collection is the difference between a... Read More

Mission Statements: More Important Than You Thought

If an organization lacks a mission statement, it is worthwhile... Read More

Sexual Harassment - Its just not on!

Sexual Harassment is a disturbing part of employment life in... Read More

The More you GIVE the More you GET

Why give freebies?We have all seen freebies at trade shows... Read More

Encouraging Your Customers to Pay On Time

Nothing can drive a business down faster than customers who... Read More

20 Great Ways to Market Your Business Locally

Whether your target audience is in your neighborhood or across... Read More

How To Select a Franchise

Here are some useful tips on how to select a... Read More

Five Facts and One Motivating Factor Behind a Successful Home Business

All legitimate home business entrepreneurs insist and announce loud and... Read More

Politics, Environmental Rules, and Mobile Car Washes

During the California Recall Election, I was very interested. Without... Read More