Preparing for Summer as a Small Business

April 24, 2017 by Ed Becker

Summertime can mean many different things for small businesses, depending on your niche and target market. In most cases, it can mean a decrease in business and customers. If you are a niche that caters to summer activities and customers, then it is your busy season. The needs are different as far as staffing and sales promotions, but they are similar in that your staff needs to stay productive even while the weather is great. Also, staff want to schedule vacations, and so should you. Summer planning and preparation should ideally begin early in the year.

Vacations

Hopefully, you have a vacation policy in place, if not you need to come up with one right away. This allows your staff to be on the same page and know when they need to plan and request time off. You also need staff to be aware ahead of time when you will take your vacation, so they are prepared for your absence.

Temporary/seasonal staffing

Whether your business increases or decreases in the summer season, you may require seasonal or temporary staffing. It could be just to help fill in gaps for vacations, or because your business does get busier and needs help for just several weeks. Staffing services may be a perfect option, or advertise for high school or college students. You can also hire your kids to work for the summer as this has its own tax benefits for you in some cases.

Productivity

When it is gorgeous out, productivity can easily take a down turn. There are some simple ways to boost morale and increase productivity. Ensure that you have a comfortable break area where employees can rest and recharge, if you can do this in an outdoor area when it is nice that would be optimal. Create employee contests or competitions of some type that gives them motivation and rewards. Also, be aware of the comfort of your workplace, if it is too hot or too cold this affects productivity.

Summer promotions

Use the lack or increase of business to create product promotions. Advertise your summer items, run sales or lead-item promos to get customers into your store, or onto your website.

Go Mobile

Use your mobile presence to drive in new customers. Use your mobile app or site to allow check-ins by customers. Offer extra discounts or punch cards on your app or site for mobile users only. Ensure that your website and mobile app are absolutely user friendly and have no glitches that will cause potential customers to leave the site or app before they use it.

Summertime can be a great time to relax and recharge even while running a profitable business. It is a time when you can show your employees that you understand the need to have time off or to be able to spend more time outdoors. If your business gets slower in the summer, it is a great time for catching up on business trends, training staff or yourself, and even trying some new ideas that you haven’t had time to implement.