How to Keep Up Small Business Momentum over Summer
July 14, 2009 by Rita Marshall
Three Ways to Communicate During Vacation Season
If your small business doesn’t depend on hot weather, gorgeous summer days can make you feel like a 10-year-old kid who’s just heard the last school bell of the year.
Everyone’s itching for vacation – you, your employees, and your clients. It’s tempting to have a “see you in September” approach to business communications in the summer, but resist the urge.
Why Holidays Shouldn’t Be a Time to Disappear
Entire projects, including down-time housecleaning projects, can disappear when momentum gets lost. Think of it as death by a thousand one-week vacations.
Maybe you were going to suggest a cross-promotion to the local garage. Then you got his voice mail, and he won’t be back until July 20. By then you’ll be gone, and you’re not back until the first of August. You’ll just deal with it then. Except you don’t, because you come back in August trying to play catch up.
If you have employees, you may run into the domino effect: Linda gets the project started, but has to stop because Judy has the one piece of information she needs, and she’s out west for two weeks. When Judy comes back, Linda’s gone, as is Dianne, who really should take a look at this before it goes any further.
Three Ways to Communicate in Between Summer Vacations
Communicating with clients or your own staff doesn’t have to suffer during summer. It won’t be as fast as the rest of the year, but try the following to keep things on an even keel at least.
1. Have a Summer Attitude
Instead of slashing your way through a to-do list or curling up in a procrastination ball until the fall, think of yourself as planting project seeds and watching them slowly unfold. You and everyone else deserve to enjoy the good weather and you also deserve to get things done. The perfect balance is to expect things to move, just a little slower. A summer attitude will help you master the next two steps.
2. Make Your Calls and Continue to Follow-up
Call that local garage and leave a voice mail. Let him know you won’t be back until August. He might not be especially motivated to call you at 9 a.m. on your first day back, but jot down a note to yourself to follow up a few days after you get back. Always put in the initial effort.
3. Create a Wiki or a Summer Bulletin Board for Your Staff
If your business is high-tech, go for a wiki. If you have no idea what a wiki is, buy yourself a giant slab of corkboard. Either way, have some kind of collaboration system in place so that messages get passed in between everyone’s vacations. When Linda hits her roadblock, she immediately leaves Judy a message specifying the information needed. Dianne has access so no one has to wait for her input.
Enjoy Your Summer and Your Small Business
Small business owners deserve and need the few beautiful months of the year to recharge and relax. With the right attitude and communication habits, you could enjoy a summer with both lazy days and a list of accomplishments, paving the way for an energized fall.
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