How to Prepare for Summer as an Entrepreneur – or Mompreneur!
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Summer can be tough on us Entrepeneurs! If you still don’t have a plan, don’t panic! Here are my 6 steps to quick-prepare for Summer!
Plus, sign up to my email list to get your Free Weekly Planner Template!
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Are you in my boat?
Squirming & fretting about the extra work, on top of June being light on the “work” time as it is (The kids have four half days? Really?!?), and it dawns on me almost every year……
I should have prepared for this in May.
It’s not like I don’t want to prepare. It just never feels like Summer is coming until it actually gets here.
It seems like every year, May stays more and more chilly and it’s harder and harder to imagine June being Summer weather.
Then a sudden 80+-degree day hits, and I realize I have no shorts.
No shorts, and no plan.
And I panic.
How can I enjoy my Summer, spend time with family, and grow my business all at the same time?
Suddenly, the thought of doing double to triple the work for the next 3 weeks is making my brain shut off.
I LOVE my business. If I don’t do SOMEthing, I’ll end up just putting it all aside for three whole months!
No, this year’s going to be different.
Well, I’m still panicking and still wholly unprepared – but THIS time, I’m blogging about it.
I figure I can’t be the only one going through this. I’m going to sit here, in my truth, and chronicle every hack I use to get myself out of this.
So here’s my Panic-Plan, hopefully for the last time, to quick-prepare my business for Summer:
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How To Prepare for Summer Step #1: What do I want my Summer to look like?
Now’s the time to take five minutes and intentionally decide – This Summer, do I want to:
- Slow down and take a break?
- Keep the business running smoothly?
- Watch my business grow?
- If Summers are usually slow, use the time for a big project, like creating a new product?
Now compare your “super-Summer” picture with what Summer actually looks like. This means writing into your schedule anything that will take you away from working.
This can include:
- Vacations
- Parent events in kids’ Summer Camp
- Weddings
- Parties
- Holiday Events
- Chunks of No-School-or-Camp Time
ACTION PLAN #1:
Figure out what your intentions are for the Summer: Slowdown, Smooth Sailing, or Growth?
Then, get the Summer schedules of the whole family into your calendar. Now you know where you can fit in your work!
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How To Prepare for Summer Step #2: MVP – Minimum Viable Product – Work Product, that is!
Let’s get the most annoying part of this whole thing out of the way.
What is the LEAST amount of work I have to do upfront to make my Summer look like Step #1?
This will be different for everyone, depending on your business.
Keep Engaging With Your Audience.
Keep in mind, customer/audience outreach is paramount to keeping your business alive.
If there is any upfront work you can handle in this category, I would definitely put some time into it.
For me, the one thing that I cannot not do is write emails to my subscriber list.
I literally love each and every one of you who subscribes and it gives me crazy anxiety to not reach out with an actionable step or new printable or helpful idea for you guys, at least once a week.
This is the one place I need to put the work in. It’s the one part of my job that I have passion for. When I put in the effort, I feel the reward on a lot of levels, it makes me happy. It’s the reason I started this blog, to be helpful.
I know there will be times in the Summer that I become inspired or find something I absolutely have to share. It happens all the time, and I’m happy to take a few minutes and shoot over a quick email. It just won’t be super long or extremely in-depth, and I have to be okay with that!
Besides, nobody’s going to want to spend their Summers reading long, boring emails about working! It’s okay to cut myself some slack in the “email length” department.
Focus on Seasonal Summer Content.
This will be the easiest way to keep your traffic/customer engagement consistent and avoid a Summer “slump.”
Content that revolves around the season can include:
- Travel
- Vacations
- Entertaining kids for Summer break
- Going back to school
- Summer outfits
- Picnic/BBQ/Outdoor Party Ideas
ACTION PLAN #2:
This is the only super-annoying part of this list, but it has to be done:
- Make a list of the absolute bare minimum you need to accomplish, to make your ideal Summer scenario a reality.
- Estimate how much time you will need to spend actually working on the bare necessities over the Summer.
- Set up a consistent-as-you-can, 3-month work schedule.
Who knows, you may learn you don’t need to do all that much! Look at you, panicking for nothing…..
**BTW: If you need help planning your work week, check out my post here, and grab your Free Weekly Planner Printable!**
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If you have the budget for a quality paper planner, there are 2 I love:
1- Erin Condren LifePlanner. This is a high-quality, sturdy planner with lots of accessories & stickers you can buy. It’s easy to create a really customized, effective time-management tool for yourself. You can checkout my review here.
**If you sign up to the Erin Condren Rewards program using my link here, you get $10 off your purchase! Just check the box for “Enroll in EC Rewards” under your info, and you’ll get the coupon! Plus, you’ll get rewards & future coupons.
2- Passion Planner. This one is geared toward goal-setting, and how that fits into your day-to-day tasks. For every planner you buy, the company donates one to someone who can’t afford it.
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How To Prepare for Summer Step #3: Use the Crap out of Tailwind
In case you didn’t notice, I’m a blogger, and I use Pinterest. If you use Pinterest for your business too, this step is for you!
I don’t LOVE Tailwind. I’m still not 100% sure that my pins perform better with Tailwind vs. manual pinning. (I better check that out & write a post about it!)
What I DO know is that if I don’t use Tailwind, I’m going to be on my phone a LOT more than I want to be.
I guess I do love Tailwind, in the Summer. It’s a Summer-saver!!
Don’t get me wrong I LOVE the Pinterest app, people. But I already catch myself on the phone too much in front of my kids.
They need more attention in the Summer, whether it’s with me or not. It’s their turn to be free, to stop being told what to do all day.
If I have to manually pin, I’m going to be adding too much “mommy’s working” time to our supposed-to-be-way-more-fun-than-that day.
Besides, why would they even believe me if I’m staring at my phone?
Tailwind is going to bail me out of that BIG time.
I’m also adding the rest of June to my tailwind scheduling, since I’m definitely not going to have time to manually pin.
ACTION PLAN #3:
If you have a Pinterest account for your business, USE TAILWIND!!!!!!
- If you don’t already have Tailwind, get it! You get schedule 100 pins for free to see how you like it!
- Check all Tribes & Group Boards and schedule pins from there. (It’s the only way everyone grows, you should be doing it too if you use Pinterest for business! Poor performing boards lower your viewer count!)
- Schedule Summer & holiday related pins.
- Schedule my pins for when engagement is usually higher. For me that is usually Fridays and weekends.
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How To Prepare for Summer Step #4: If You Have Children, Schedule Childcare If You Can
If you have kids and someone can come over or take them for a few hours twice this Summer, that’s a good time to get tedious, busy-work done.
If you need a more stable solution, these have worked for me in the past:
- Parent swap. Find another parent to swap babysitting duties with. Maybe you take the kids every Tuesday, the other parent every Thursday.
- Teenage-Aged Kids. Lots of teenagers are looking for jobs in the Summer. **Look out for oldest children in a family with several kids. He or she will most likely have a lot of practice helping out with younger siblings, cooking and cleaning.
- Summer Camps or Summer Enrichment Programs. Art centers near me have week-long themed Summer activities, like cartooning or dancing.
- Can you send them to Grandma’s for a week? Just a thought! (Nah, save that for taking an adults-only vacation.)
ACTION PLAN #4:
If you have children, schedule in as much child care as you are able to. Check out local community centers, family members, neighbors and other moms for ideas.
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How To Prepare for Summer Step #5: Get Summer on a Semi-Schedule
It’s important to know what the family wants out of their Summers.
The kids, the hubby and me all have different ideas on what constitutes a kick-butt Summer.
Soooo, ASK THEM!
Keep an open mind and see what can go on a Summer Bucket List. Include whatever a stupendous Summer means to each of you. That can include:
- Waterpark
- Visiting Grandma
- Beach (me!)
- Zoo
- Water balloon fight
- Finally clean out the garage
- Eat dinner outside every Thursday
- Read 1 or 2 books
- Visiting the best ice cream shop in each state that borders mine (why not?)
My favorite content on Summer planning is from Jordan Page at funcheaporfree.com. Here’s the video:
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My favorite part at time 9:52 is the Summer Bucket List. Each kid has their own mini list, then they have a huge family one on their fridge.
What an awesome idea!! Even if it’s just for me!!! I need this.
ACTION PLAN #5:
Watch the video! Summer is supposed to be FUN. Find some fun as a family, and sprinkle it into the rest of your calendar.
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How To Prepare for Summer Step #6: Enjoy The Summer!
We’re all have our reasons for working from home. But one of the ginormous perks can be setting our own schedule.
We all need balance. Be realistic about work, and set aside regular time slots for fun. Don’t beat yourself up if it doesn’t go perfectly according to plan!
Listen for the times you and your family are laughing, being silly and having fun. Let yourself enjoy these moments.
ACTION PLAN #6:
Have realistic expectations about how this Summer is going to pan out for you. Take it all as a learning experience that you can tweak next year.
Get your mind right! It’s Summer!!!!! Eat an ice pop!
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How I Will Prepare my Business for Next Summer:
First of all, I already put an entry into my calendar to re-read this post next March. I want to make sure I really remember what this crazy panic-mode felt like!!
Didn’t have to happen!
Then, I’ll probably start scattering the following into my calendar in March, April and May:
- Put money towards a child-care budget, for more consistent child-care.
- Focus on seasonal content way earlier in the year. If I had added just two additional posts in March, April & May, I would have had 6 finished, relevant posts, ready to hit my audience!
- Having set work times and telling my family, to make sure I will present as professionally as possible. Minimal kiddo interruptions on phone calls, minimal missed deadlines!
- Having some promotions or giveaways! Now would be a great time to connect with another entrepreneur to host a giveaway, or even do a few myself! It will keep my current audience engaged, and extend my reach to new audiences!
- One or two instances of volunteer work. This is also a great way to meet new people and give my company a new audience!
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I’ll update this post to let you know how the summer went! I’ll probably need to do some tweaking of my own!
Do you have an action-plan, or any ideas for how to prepare for Summer like a #boss? Let us know in the comments below, we can all learn from each other!
XO,
-Mina
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P.S.: Here are some of my other blog posts you might find useful!
How to Plan your Work Week to be Productive + Weekly Planner Template!
6 At-Home Workouts + Tips for Overcoming Excuses
7 Super-Healthy Home Office Habits to Keep You Productive
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