6 Things to Work on in the Slow Season
Moving into self employed required a lot adjustments. Structuring my day, no health benefits, inconsistent income. And with all that comes adjusting to the ebbs and flows of work throughout the year. Like many other industries, January is a slower time for a calligrapher - less weddings, less parties, less specialty gifts.
But I like having a slower start to the year. Lets me really focus on my business and brand which I find to be one of the most important parts of running a small business - organizing and working on the structure, identity, and reach of the business I’m building.
Here are a few things I like to work on when client work is a bit slower.
Blogs
Feels a little meta to be talking about blogs on a blog, but here we are! I love batching blogs when I have some more hours in my work week. They’re a great way to boost the traffic on your website and in turn get more leads for your work. They’re also a great way to educate your audience and give them a detailed, inside look to your industry or some of the client projects you’ve been working on.
Plus it’s always nice to have a blog locked and loaded to send out to your email list as a way to stay in touch when things are a little slower.
Branding
Having consistent branding is really helpful in having a business that is recognizable. I always love when someones says they saw a post, video, or even my work in the wild and they immediately knew it was mine. When things slow down it’s a good idea to refresh that website copy, add some new photos, or evaluate how you’re telling your brand story.
Keeping your internet interfaces fresh helps you stay current with your business - if you’re like me, things are always evolving and I want to make sure by website and social medias keep up with me!
Networking
If you’re in and industry with a similar schedule, this is the perfect time to finally grab that coffee with a fellow colleague. Being in the event and wedding industry, the planners, florists, and other stationers are always so slammed with work (because they’re absolute bosses!) during my busy seasons as well, so it’s always so hard to find time to connect off the internet.
I love using the quiet season to connect with other professionals in my area. When you’re self employed and running a business of one, it’s easy to feel lonely and isolated. Making friends with other business owners in your area is so necessary to sustaining entrepreneurship. I consider them all my colleagues and some really amazing jobs and collaborations have come from these friendships!
Content
Keeping up with social media is a necessary evil - unless you’re lucky enough to be like my husband who loves creating social media content. I am not one of those lucky people. Anytime I have some downtime I try to batch my content so I can have a few posts ready to publish when things get busy.
It’s like a little gift to your future self!
Skills
This is my favorite way to fill quiet season time! I’ve said this before: if you’re someone who provides a service that requires a specific skill set, practicing your skills is absolutely a priority for your business. This is something you should be prioritizing all year round, but I know how things can get crazy. Practice your skillset, hone it, develop your style - after all, that’s one of the main reasons you’re getting hired!
Rest
By far the hardest thing to do when things are slow. When you’re not “booked and busy” it’s so easy to feel like you need to be doing anything and everything to strum up business. But running a small business is a marathon not a sprint. So take the time slow down, take a break, you’ve earned it! Do things that you love and that bring you joy. Allow yourself the time to actually slow down in the slow season, because before you know it things will be busy again and you’ll wish you took the time to take care of yourself.
