Pushing through the slump
Summertime has definitely come and gone. As a small business owner, it was my first summer as a full time small business owner (in 2017 I worked part time at a theatre in town).
And the summer slump hit me. Hard. Online sales dried up and I was a bit frantic with worry. Luckily in April I had booked in quite a fair few markets.
Market number..... I can't even remember anymore!
Now when I say a fair few, I did 22 days trading at markets in the months of May - August. That's almost a full month of being out there, in London's heatwave, setting up and selling. And I'm glad I did it. Because that's where my customers were! Out enjoying the sunshine and having family adventures and making memories.
And during those other days? I planned out my products and plans for the upcoming festive season. I've always been an avid listener of The Merriweather Council Podcast and this episode in particular struck a chord with me! I really wanted to avoid the situation I put myself in last year which involved getting my greetings cards out far too late and not being on top of my social media, which meant I was tweeting and instagramming on Christmas Day instead of being able to relax with family.
So I got my Christmas cheer on in July and designed my gift wrap and tags as well as my Christmas cards. And whilst yes, it did feel early to be getting things done whilst London was enjoying the summer heat, it's also felt good to get it done. And I won't lie, I've been feeling a bit smug about it ever since!
Market number..... I can't even remember anymore!
Now when I say a fair few, I did 22 days trading at markets in the months of May - August. That's almost a full month of being out there, in London's heatwave, setting up and selling. And I'm glad I did it. Because that's where my customers were! Out enjoying the sunshine and having family adventures and making memories.
And during those other days? I planned out my products and plans for the upcoming festive season. I've always been an avid listener of The Merriweather Council Podcast and this episode in particular struck a chord with me! I really wanted to avoid the situation I put myself in last year which involved getting my greetings cards out far too late and not being on top of my social media, which meant I was tweeting and instagramming on Christmas Day instead of being able to relax with family.
So I got my Christmas cheer on in July and designed my gift wrap and tags as well as my Christmas cards. And whilst yes, it did feel early to be getting things done whilst London was enjoying the summer heat, it's also felt good to get it done. And I won't lie, I've been feeling a bit smug about it ever since!
Getting these guys done early meant I had to keep them secret for ages, but it also meant I got to take photos of them in the lovely summer sunshine!
The third thing I did this summer was to take two little holidays myself - it's so important to take breaks and rest and recharge. I closed my website for 5 days and went with my husband on holiday and didn't check my emails and came back ready and raring to get back to my desk!
5 days in Ghent was exactly what I needed to relax - and it's such a gorgeous city! I'd definitely recommend it.
With still a couple of weeks to go before the full on festive rush begins, I've been working on lots of things on my website to get it all ready for the holidays. I want this year to be as smooth as possible for me and my customers. And that includes getting my newsletters and various announcements ready.
Whilst there's no real way of knowing until it happens - I'm quietly optimistic that I'm going to have my best holiday season ever!
What did you all get up to this summer?
Whilst there's no real way of knowing until it happens - I'm quietly optimistic that I'm going to have my best holiday season ever!
What did you all get up to this summer?