Your Summer Business Bucket List.
Be Brilliant In Your Business Podcast, Episode 94
The sun is shining and summer is calling. You don't really want to spend the season inside at your computer, do you?
Put these 5 things in place for your business right now, so you can enjoy the Summer all season long.
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1. Till The Garden. AKA do a Mid-Year Review.
Every gardener knows that in order to grow healthy, beautiful, and delicious things you need to nurture what you want and weed out the rest. Now that we are mid-way through the year, it's time to revisit your goals and make some decisions to help you shape the rest of the year.
If you want to Self Audit Your Business, ask yourself a few key questions that help you identify what is and is not working for you now.
Set an intention for the next 6 months, and use your intention to shape your service offerings, marketing approach, schedule and habits moving forward. If you want to play and profit all Summer long, work with me in a VIP Summer Game Plan Session (available for a limited time).
2. Build A Deck.
Not the kind you lounge on... (though I highly recommend that too!)
Create an easy-to-pull from deck of scripts, or templates, that help you respond to common questions, requests, inquiries, or anything else that is a repetitive time suck.
Great Ideas for your deck:
Thank you responses to comments on your Instagram, blog or podcast.
Responses to invites for a coffee chat (you need a yes and no!)
"Sorry, but no" responses to anything you don't want to do.
Cold introductions to pitch yourself for a media opportunity.
How to redirect someone who wants free advice to free content you've already made and/or offer them a paid service instead.
Investing a little bit of time to get this part of your business life organized will save you hundreds of hours a year. Even better, it frees up your brain space for much more valuable things...like sipping sparkling water in a pool floaty or brainstorming a new signature service.
If you don't have time or simply don't want to sit down and do this now, I have put together a deck of my all-time most useful scripts for creative business owners. It's a free bonus when you sign up for a VIP Summer Game Plan Session.
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3. Set Summer Hours.
One of my favorite ways to blow someone's mind when it comes to their time is to help them see how they could accomplish the same amount of work in less time. Sometimes significantly less time...like a whole day!
The Summer season has different energy, lighting, family schedules, and personal priorities. Sticking to the same working hours may impact your productivity and happiness. If you've been feeling the pull to start your day later, end your day earlier, take longer lunch breaks, or make every week a 3-day weekend - now is a great time to realign your schedule to your natural energy cycles.
Consider this: What if you could take an extra day off each week?
How would you use your working time to get the same or even better results? Get creative and see what you come up with.
4. Use the Sprinkler, Not the Fire Hose.
Here is a sure-fire way to drain less of your time and get better results in your business: Stop creating a firehose of social media content!
The number one complaint I hear from business owners is frustration with social media. The amount of time and energy it takes to create content does not match up with the results they get (a few likes and 0 clients). It feels like a waste of time and they feel confused, resentful, and yet obligated to keep doing it. I'm suggesting you stop.
When it comes to content creation, many entrepreneurs are so afraid of boring or bothering people, that they end up creating a firehose of fresh content that they think is going to keep them (and the algorithm) entertained. But what actually happens is that the system gets waterlogged. Everyone is doing the same thing, and everyone is exhausted. Your ideas may be brilliant, but if your audience doesn't have the capacity to absorb it, then you're not doing them any favors.
And the same thing goes for you. How many scrolls does it take for your energy to drop? Imagine your ideal client experiencing the same. So instead of publishing more in hopes that you'll show up high in their feed that they see it, take a step back and think about how to actually get their attention.
Build a relationship with them. Spend more of your time with fewer people who matter, and stop worrying about what you can't control (the algorithm).
Does that mean you should stop publishing social media content? No. Use the sprinkler system instead.
If you ever watch a sprinkler, it lightly spritzes an area with water, then jumps back and starts again. It follows a consistent pattern and frequency so that the water has a chance to soak in and get a break. Think about the area (niche) you want to serve with your content. What topics do your audience respond best to? What core themes are you known for?
Whether you repurpose or update old content, or create new content, it should add a light layer of value to a foundation you've already built. Your goal is to nurture your niche.
5. Have A Work Picnic.
Take your office outside. To the park, beach, backyard. Change the scenery, if only to remind yourself that you can.
Working outside is often not a picnic 🙂 So do keep your expectations in check. It's probably not going to be as productive as a day in the office. But changing up your routine and bringing some nature into your day is a great way to make you feel like the powerful entrepreneur you are. I recommend traveling lightly, with one project in mind that you want to accomplish. And don't forget your water bottle and snacks!
I hope these 5 Summer Business Bucket List ideas are getting you excited for a new season. Now is the perfect time to consider what you can do to feel more joy in your day, free up your time, and try some new ways of approaching your business.
What business bucket list items are you implementing this Summer? Take a picture of yourself having fun and tag me @linsibrownson and @bebrilliantpodcast on your favorite social channel! Shout out too if you have any other bucket list ideas to share, and I’ll repost them for other brilliant biz owners!
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