Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Take the summer challenge: Strategies to Grow Your Business and Make the Most of Your Summer

It's the first week of June and panic slowly starts to set in. We are working hard to take our businesses to the next level, and we don't want to lose momentum just because it is summer. We need to challenge ourselves to work smarter in the summer months, keep the momentum strong, and enjoy the summer with our families. The challenge is to decrease hours spent and increase your profits at the same time.

  • Really take a good look at your regular tasks and activities with the plan to eliminate. Scrutinize your task list and eliminate all activities that are not contributing to growth or profits.
  • Only after you have elimated -- look to automate as much as possible.
  • Hire a Virtual Assistant - summer is a great time to try a virtual assistant - even just a few hours a week can make a difference.
  • Make Yourself portable - having both a laptop and a smartphone can tremendously increase your productivity and allow you to travel more.
  • Get up 1-2 hours earlier - Use this uninterrupted time to get a jumpstart on your day. It is often possible to accomplish 2-3 times the work in these early hours
  • Take and enjoy a much need non-working vacation.

Tips for Moms and Work-at-Home Moms

Summer is upon us and we still have the same amount of work, but children are now home. Here are some strategies to help you keep your sanity and thrive.

  • Take advantage of youth summer programming for several weeks. Even half day programs can provide much needed blocks of time for working.
  • Take your children to the library, park, pool, beach etc. Use your smartphone and laptop to work while they play. You can also use these opportunities to meet new people and network your business.
  • Plan several activities throughout the summer - this will act as a forcing mechanism for you to have your work complete and your children will have these times to look forward to.
  • Don't try to do it all. It is even more critical for moms to consider virtual assistants, childcare providers, and household help.
  • Give older children additional chores in the summer - be sure to start this very first week.

I look forward to hearing your strategies for success in the summer.

Amanda Wodzenski is a regular blogger for the WSBA, and the owner of CRMastermind, a consulting company that specializes in CRM and e-mail marketing for Small Business. Visit her blog Your Small Biz Technocoach.

1 comment:

  1. Great post, thanks for sharing. Being a virtual assistant, I can attest that at www.myofficeassist.org we can handle everything from the smallest to the largest task to allow you some additional free time.

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