summer slowdown

Hey gang! Due to technical difficulties (aka - I'm an idiot and should not be allowed to use computers) I could not log in yesterday to post - so I'm hogging Shirley's Wednesday! Sorry my friend!

With the economy in distress - those of us in the direct sales industry (and in other retail businesses) are seeing a slow down in sales. While this can be scary - I want to share a few tips for helping you get through this period so you can be ready for business to be BOOMING!

Take a break! If your business is still going strong or you've already got events on your calendar I would not recommend this ;) but if things are slow for you - get out and enjoy the summer! So often we get wrapped up in work that we forget to enjoy those lazy days of summer...the neighborhood pool, backyard BBQs, gardening, garage sales, the ice cream man - and am I the only one so busy talking about/teaching scrapbooking that I don't have time to DO it? Enjoy this quiet time to create some beautiful projects, learn some new techniques, and fall in love with this wonderful hobby all over again!

Do a little Spring...er...Summer cleaning and organizing! Clean out your scrap space and have a scrapping yard sale or donate items to charity. Organize your files so when tax time comes around you aren't overwhelmed by piles of receipts and invoices. Look for a place to have your fall events, scan magazines and websites for workshop ideas, create your own website, start a meetup group - there are so many things we want to do to grow our business but we are "just too busy" to find the time. Well...we've found it! Set aside the time you would have been teaching a workshop to do some organizing and planning so your business is ready for growth.

Keep these tips in mind any time you have a slow down (mine is usually around Christmas/New Years). It is always good to take a step back and evaluate your business every once in a while - whether you are experiencing a summer slowdown or business is booming. You never know what brilliant ideas you will come up with!