5 Ways to Use the Summer Slump to Build Your Business

It's summer. It's hot. People are on vacation it seems all the time. No one is signing up for your teleclasses or any other of the wonderful things you are offering. How are you supposed to grow your business at this rate?

Well, maybe there are other things you can do instead of feeling badly or twiddling your thumbs. Let's take a look and see!

1. How does your office look?
I did my level best to leave my home office in pretty good shape but I know when I return I will need to do more. Summer is a great time to purge old papers or reports you thought you would use but 2 years later they are still sitting there. There is nothing I like better than filling up my office trash can and putting it in the dumpster! The other huge way for me to clear out my bookcases is getting rid of internet marketing or other information that is obsolete. That can happen pretty quickly in this computer world. Big notebooks of how to 'have on line success' that are more than 2 years old should be history. Heck, maybe even less time than that. Dump it. Keep the 3 ring binders.

2. How up-to-date is your computer?I don't know about you but I have files in old Word documents I haven't looked at in years. Why do I hesitate to delete them? It's like keeping that dress that only fits you when you weigh 15 lbs. less than you do now because you are sure you will fit into it 'someday.' Delete it. If you need the information again surely you can find it on the internet. It was probably extinct anyway! Then there are those pesky emails. I have read that you should keep less than 50, and some say 25, in your in-box. Wow. Respond, delegate or delete. Be ruthless. Think about how fast your computer might become!

3. Do you have a Virtual Assistant?
If your answer is no, then I ask you to rethink that. Even if you are new in your business, please don't try to take it all on by yourself. Especially if you are not tech savvy. Even if you are tech savvy you are better off spending your time creating products or services that will bring in income. There are many places to find very reasonably priced virtual assistants . Here are a few: Elance, IVAA and Virtual Assistant Forums. Better yet; ask for a personal reference from someone who has a great VA. Spend your precious time on the things you can create to bring in income and use your time to do the things you are best at and love. Just because you are knowledgeable about something doesn't mean that is what you should spend your time on.

4. Do you have an ezine or does yours need improvement?If you do not have an ezine in place this may be the time to start thinking about it. How do you keep in touch with your list? (No list? That's another article!) If you do have an ezine is it working for you? Does it bring you clients? Does it bring you income? It should do each of those things. Take a look at other successful coaches and see how theirs is formatted. What are they talking about in their ezines? Follow what works! You do not need to reinvent the wheel! Keep in mind it can be as simple as a tip a week. Just get started communicating with your list on a regular basis. No less than once a month and even if you only have 2 people on your list! We all started somewhere, just like you.

5. What are your successes in the last 7 months? What are your goals for the next few?
Take some time and write down what you have accomplished since January 1st. Don't underestimate what you have completed and the successes you have had. How can you celebrate them? Once you have done that, what are your goals for the next 60-90 days? While the sun is high in the sky and you are sitting on your deck or dock begin the process of setting up new goals that stretch you and hopefully even push you out of your comfort zone. You'll be amazed at how you can make your dreams into goals and then turn them into reality.

Now doesn't that feel better? There are plenty of ways to take a summer slump and turn it into a feeling of productivity and forwards movement.