| |
| |
|
Small Business Information |
|
|
|
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
MORE RESOURCES:
Small-Business - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Six Essential Skills to Business Success! The following are six essential skills to business success. You may not have developed all of these skills, but like most things in life, you can by learning, practicing and determination. Is Your Business Property Safe and Secure? Security Professionals provide the products and services necessary to create a safe and secure workplace for you and your employees. Products such as lever hardware, panic and exit devices, desk locks and high security key control systems, as well as security boxes and safes, can help you protect your business and property. Three Big Barriers To Small Business Marketing Success When you feel like you're always busy working on your business, but not getting where you want to go, it can be frustrating trying to figure out how to get your marketing on track. It can easily become a "not seeing the forest for the trees" feeling. Making Your Purpose Your Business Step #2- Getting From Point A to Point B In my previous article, Step 1, your challenge for the month was to research where your passion lies. Based on your research you might have discovered that self investigation can lead us to two places; either we find out our answer or we realize we need to ask more questions to get that answer. Survival Tips For Your Small Business No matter type of business you operate you've got to know how to keep your business alive during economic recessions. Anytime the cash flow in a business, large or small, starts to tighten up, the money management of that business has to be run as a "tight ship. Are You a Small Business Casualty? When a person knows and knows not that he knows. Teach him. Power Tools for Business How do we keep track of our business deals?If you are only working with one or two deals, keeping track of them is a simple matter. However, most of us have far more than two deals on the plate and even more coming down the pipeline. 1-2-3 Steps To A Successful Joint Venture A successful joint venture marketing effort is the goal of many small businesses, and is a great way to increase market visibility and profits.Joint venture marketing is rising in popularity everyday, but it does take some skill, good planning and foresight to execute. Web Based CRM Systems: Get Mobile; Get Results Everyday more web based companies enter the business scene. The low initial investment, potentially high revenue, and convenience of owning and operating a business from your home PC or laptop is enticing an ever-increasing number of entrepreneurs to try their hand at e-business. Eight Key Steps to Selling Your Business and Cashing In This year, some 700,000 American businesses will be sold. Most will be small and mid-sized businesses like yours. Small Business 101: Deadly Ignorance American small business is again in transition. Many employees, now working from home, are no longer tied to a geographic office and the woes of commuting. Setting Up a Pressure Washer Rig to Clean Concrete Maximum efficiency in the cleaning industry is a key to survival and higher rates of income. The trailer or tuck unit needs to be set up so that you can use a garden hose and external water supply, because you never know when you are going to need one for concrete or other types of jobs. How To Write A Business Plan Writing a business plan is a fundamental step to ensuring your business has every chance of succeeding. Common statistics state that 9 out of 10 businesses fail on the first 5 years of operation, and of the remaining 10%, 90% fail in the following 5 years. Small Business Operators - 7 Reasons You Should Change Your Accountant A recent survey showed that only 28.7% of small business owners were happy with their accountant, and only half of those would recommend him to their friends because he was too busy already. Pressure Washing Companies; Pricing Dock and Deck Cleaning If you own a Pressure Washing Company and wish to get business at the local Marina there are a few things you should know. You need to be careful in bidding these types of jobs. Top 7 Small Business Tax Tips Here are seven ways for owners of small businesses to save money on their taxes.1. Restaurant Operators - What Skills do you Need A tongue-in-cheek look at the skills required to operate a restaurant but?on he whole they come pretty close to the truth.People Skills, You need to be good with people, because you will have different customers almost every day, you will have repeat customers who have higher expectations, a high-maintenance shift-based staff to manage, suppliers who won't always meet your expectations or time frames and creditors who want their money now. Small Business Franchise Opportunities Many businesses offer small business franchise opportunities. There are many things that are needed for a small business of this kind, but the rewards are great. Your Practice is Only as Valuable as Your Referral Base Many physical therapists in private practice have the appearance of a very successful business that is built on the backs of about four to five doctors. Now if anything would happen to any of these guys, the value of these practices would drop markedly. Franchisor Prospect Checklist Sample Form Due to the over regulation in the Franchising Industry and the litigation it is important to keep impeccable records. From the first phone call, email to the signing of the franchise agreement everything should be documented.
|
|
|
|
|
