A cure for the summertime blues

As the weather heats up and summer arrives, don’t make the mistake of letting your team and your business cool down. For many entrepreneurs, summer is the slowest time of the year. The kids are out of school, and many of your customers and clients are on vacation. If you’re not careful, you could be lulled into a sense of helplessness and find yourself coasting through an entire quarter.
The best way to create unstoppable momentum is to keep moving—no matter the season. Stay productive and focused now, and you’ll reap even bigger benefits throughout the year. Not sure how to do that? No problem. Here are a few ideas to jump-start your summer.

Evaluation
The time for your kids to receive report cards may be over, but this is a great time for reflection, evaluation and giving yourself a grade. A great way to do this is by revisiting your yearly goals. Pull out that list and see how you’re doing in business and in life.
When teaching goal setting, the late Zig Ziglar always referred to the “Wheel of Life.” The wheel has spokes and sections that represent the areas of our lives—career, finances, spirituality, physical well-being, intellectual development, family and social interaction. In order to be successful as a whole, we must address and attempt to be well-rounded in each area.

Looking in from the outside
If business is slow, and you’re not overwhelmed with a million things to do, take a road trip strictly for business. A couple of hours down the road in any direction will do. The purpose? To check out the competition.
Visit other small business owners to see what they’re doing right and what you’re doing better, pick up some ideas and get re-inspired. Or simply clear your head on a nice, long drive and let the creativity flow. Dream up new ideas, or revisit others that didn’t work out so well and figure out why.

Network and socialize
Summer is a great time to network. There are picnics, barbecues and hometown festivals all over, so start attending community events and get to know people.
The groundwork is often laid for successful sales through the connections we make while in social settings. The more people you know, the more opportunities you’ll have, so make time for others. The benefits are well worth the effort.

Read, read, read
The average millionaire reads at least one non-fiction book per month. When asked to list the keys to their success, most of them ranked hard work first, followed by education and self-improvement.
Leaders are readers, so become a bookworm if you’re not one already. I’m such a fan of reading that I require all new team members to read five essential books in their first 90 days on the job.
So stop looking at summer as an unavoidable downtime for your business. With a little ingenuity and outside-the-box thinking, you can turn the lazy days of summer into a springboard for success.

*Dave Ramsey is America’s trusted voice on business and money, and CEO of Ramsey Solutions. He has authored seven best-selling books, including EntreLeadership. The Dave Ramsey Show is heard by more than 11 million listeners each week on more than 550 radio stations and digital outlets. Follow Dave on the web at www.entreleadership.com.

Lake Mills Graphic

204 N. Mill Street
Lake Mills, IA 50450

Office Number: (641) 592-4222
Fax Number: (641) 592-6397

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