Owning a business is one of the most chaotic rollercoasters you could ever possibly ride. There’s no straight road to billion-pound success and there are more ups and downs than you ever cared to imagine.
It’s realistic to acknowledge that with the highs will always come some lows. But as long as you’re prepared for them, it doesn’t have to be all bad news.
Some reasons why your business might be going through a quiet phase
- A seasonal lull
- School holidays
- Your marketing strategy isn’t working
- Replenishment of stock levels
- You need more staff
- A lack of demand for your product or service
Whatever the reason may be, watching the clock and waiting for things to pick back up again is time that could be redirected. Business downtime is a great opportunity to take care of jobs you’ve been putting off, and to put some proactive processes in place.
Making downtime more productive
Here are some simple things you could be doing to make better use of a quiet period
Make sure your bookkeeping and accounts are in order
Keeping your finances in check is essential if you want to stay on the right side of HMRC. Deadlines looming? Outstanding paperwork? Take advantage of the spare time to make sure everything is up to date and as it should be.
Cloud-based bookkeeping services like our own software, Pandle will help make this process way simpler and more streamlined.
It’s also a great chance to pay off any bills you might have been overlooking, or chase any late payments that are still pending.
Schedule some social media content for the next few weeks
Posting on your social platforms can often plummet to the bottom of your priority list when you’re a busy business owner. Now’s the time to use a scheduling tool to get the foreseeable future covered.
Start building yourself a backlog of blog posts
Blog content can be as easily forgotten as social media posts but it’s a vital tool for climbing the search ranks. Take the downtime as a chance to get some articles done, which you can then use when business picks back up and time is limited again.
Check in on the competition
Do some market research, and go for a bit of a snoop around what your competitors are doing at the moment. Perhaps something new has been working for them which you could start implementing for yourself.
Touch base with your customers
If you’re a small operation with the luxury of close contact with your customers, use the opportunity to check they’re happy. It’s useful to get some valuable feedback which you can use in the future.
Make sure your website is up to date
Google is updating its rules and regulations on a regular basis. Having a website which is compliant is essential for search result visibility. Now’s your chance to run a web audit and brush up where necessary. Don’t forget to update any plugins for security, too!
Conduct one-to-ones with your employees
In the same way you want to check your customers are all-smiles, it’s a good idea to check in with individual staff members once in a while, too. It will boost motivation, morale, and have a positive impact on your output and bottom line.
Just take a break and enjoy it
Time to relax and rejuvenate is a vital part of business ownership success. Use this time to recharge so you can return in full form when things pick back up again.
Do you have any tips of your own on how to transform a quiet business period into something more positive and productive? Let us know in the comments below!
