It took me a decade to actually switch off
Hi Reader,
Back in my corporate days, I used to dread the summer months.
While everything slowed down for the company, it was the time that I had to double down and do the annual forecasting and planning for the coming year (our business planning and annual budget forecasting was presented to HQ in September 😰).
And to be honest, I didn't have kids at the time, so my husband and I enjoyed a noise-free airplane ride for a holiday break in September (I know what you're thinking, I'm judging my old self too)…
When I decided to start something on my own, I vowed to create a lifestyle business that gave me my summer back. And not just any type of summer, but one that was quiet, email free and definitely technology free.
What a short-lived dream that was!
Because as entrepreneurs (and I am a Gen-X ‘er who grew on over-productive use-every-minute mentality), my laptop and phone were glued to me during my vacations.
As a business owner, switching off is not in our vocabulary. How can we? We wear so many shoes in our businesses (people rarely wear hats these days, so as a woman, I relate to my many shoes for each occasion obsession lol).
It took me a decade to finally do it. Yes, a decade of being in business.
Last year, I went on vacation to Europe tech-free and this year, my family flew-in for my birthday month, and I was disconnected for a month.
In the social media streets, this might sound like a simple and an attainable thing, but the reality is, unless you build a business with systems and your business model is designed for it, it is not an easy feat to disconnect completely.
My business model is very lean (I do not have any full-time employees on my payroll), and work with contractors from around the world. Not all business models are the same. And for many, it is a solo-preneurship for a good number of years in the beginning - IYKYK!
While I enjoy the disconnect - because it is amazing time spent with family and friends - I particularly love it because it is when the creative juices start flowing.
Our creativity comes from living, not consuming. From connecting and experiencing, not following and copying. From looking at our business at a time of complete relaxation, and not from the lens of constraint and pressure.
While my vacations are now planned, there was a time in my journey when business was slow, (or even close to none).
I just didn't know what to do with myself.
For many years, those slow seasons were honestly wasted on trying to find ways to get business (totally unplanned and un-strategic .. and had desperate vibes to be honest), until I learnt to relook at those unwanted slow-downs.
Slow seasons that used to give me another layer of stress, is now looked at as a slow down for a purpose.
I'm writing this because you might be dreading a slow season in your entrepreneur journey, or you're now experiencing a slow-down coming into September, or you're at a stage in your business where work is low and it has been slow for a while and there isn't much to do.
Instead of wasting this time (that you'll miss, trust me), here is what I'd do, if I was forced into a slow season (or slow sales) that I didn't want:
RESEARCH
Before you come at me, just give me a minute to explain. In my years of having my own business and consulting for business owners, more time than none, customer research is something that always comes up because we're living in a very voletile time.
Social media algorithm keeps changing its focus or algorithms, the economy is having its own experiences (thanks to the political climate), our customers’ beaviours and buying decisions are changing, becoming more discerning and in some cases slow.
Use this time to go over the basics: what is your ideal customer's buying habits and decisions now? how are they talking about their problem?
What are they feeling? What are they currently prioritizing?
How would they describe their situation? What's this indicision costing them (literally and figuratively)?
This type of research is always important, especially that it will affect everything that comes next👇🏼
QUICK CASH
If you need cash-in as soon as possible, to atleast cover necessities, the research will help you tackle the quick-cash-injection to-do list:
- Start connecting with warm leads that you're aware of on your social media and in your network, or on your email list
- Connect with close-contacts in your network and check for collaborative-projects or if you can do them a service as a supplier
- Offer an “accessible” version of your main high-ticket offer (I prefer giving a new low-ticket offer versus a discount)
- Offer a masterclass or a workshop priced as an easy ’yes’ that could introduce warm audience on your social media/email list to your high-ticket offers
- Collaborate with an expert in a complementing industry - and together offer a low-ticket workshop or packaged service
CONTENT PLAN
Re-look at the ways you're using content marketing to connect with your ideal clients. Are you using a layered approach where you retain your audience from social media and into a community or platform you own (such as an email list or a free private community)?
In slow-seasons, you have the time - and the creative bandwidth - to experiment on social media, connect with your audience and grow your your email list.
You also have time to strategize your content strategy:
- Plan and batch create/schedule weekly long-form content. You aim is to build connection and trust through long form, and invite them to join your email list.
- Create a system that helps you become consistent in weekly short-form content creation, making your ideation to publishing smooth. Short form is great for awareness and discoverability. Similarly, make sure your conent invites your audience to join your email list.
- You Newsletter (or Substack if you prefer) is what nurtures your email list audience and brings them into your world, making it one of the best conversion tools for sales.
BE READY
The biggest question that I would answer if I'm in a slow-season is: am I really ready?
If someone today got into my DMs, or sent me an email after visiting my website for my service, am I ready to serve?
I've done this mistake before and so many entrepreneurs do this, and that is not being truly ready for a customer: systems not set, sequences not completed, onboarding not ready, templates not finalized.
When you're too focused on getting the clients through the door before you've really built the infrastructure (at least the bare minimum), you will get busy with that single client and fail to create a flywheel of getting-in the leads and delivering on repeat.
And finally, use this time to focus on you too. While you're building, connecting and structuring, use this time to also focus on you. It is a slow-season (or a slow start) now, but things will get busy and you will wish you did things for you that now will be sent to the back burner when business picks up again.
Deal Reader?
Hit "reply" and let me know if this email was helpful today. Are you going to try one of these?
Till my next email, keep making waves. You've got this!
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