Don’t Let the Dog Days of Summer Disrupt Your Momentum.

The dog days of summer are here! The season runs from July 3rdto August 11th.1 The nice weather pulls our attention away from our businesses and lures us to more fun and relaxing activities. If business owners aren’t careful, it can impact their momentum as productivity declines.

Now is not the time to allow your momentum to falter as interest rates rise, inflation climbs, and market volatility increases. Your success depends on your ability to keep your momentum going.

Technically we’ve entered a recession which could also impact your business. According to the 2020 Harvard Business Review article, Roaring Out of Recession, three years after the great recession, it found 17% of the companies did not survive, 80% had not regained pre-recession profitability, and 79% of the organizations that slashed their budgets fastest never pull ahead of their competition when the market improved. So be aware of the impact of overreactions.

You can still enjoy these wonderful summer days, just be on the lookout for slowing productivity. Momentum is built with deliberate and habitually actions that are repeated consistently. A break in the consistency slows the momentum therefore you need to identify what actions must be executed and make certain someone is executing them.

Consider implementing any of the following tactics to increase your momentum and gain an edge on your competition.

  1.  Improve your client experience. Is it exceptional? How can you improve your customer service or client on-boarding processes to be outstanding? What can you automate or systematize?
  2. Look for new opportunities. What seasonal need can your fill with (or beyond) existing personnel and resources?
  3.  Consider developing a new program or plan a new event to attract more prospects.
  4. This might be the perfect time to optimize your website to gain greater visibility and authority.
  5. How are your marketing results? Does your plan need an update? Don’t have a marketing plan? Create one now!
  6. Reinvest in your business. Improve business efficiency by finding ways to improve operations, create systems, or automate reoccurring tasks.
  7. Invest in yourself. Update your skills and expand your knowledge.
  8. Consider developing collaborations with business partners serving your ideal clients.
  9. Leverage social media with giveaways, contests, and challenges. Or help with a community event.
  10.  Work on your business. Carve out time to work on your business strategies. If finding this time is a challenge, consider attending Prosperity Days, a weekend business planning retreats held in the fall. Spend one weekend developing your 2023 goals, strategies and action plan and be ready to start 2023 strong and outperform your competition.

Stay focused on your top three priorities that drive momentum. Only add strategies or tactics that align with those goals. Keep it simple and delegate what you can. Instead of shying away from or avoiding the hard work, get it done first. If you master this one discipline, you will be ahead of 80%-90% of your competition

Keep the wind in your Sail and 2022 will be an exceptional year!

1 Phrase references the time when the brightest star in the sky, Sirius, which is part of the Canis Major (Greater Dog) constellation, rises and sets at the same time as the sun.
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