Hi there,

Each of us are subject to seasons and holidays that influence our work, our growth and our broader lives beyond our work. When we tune into our seasons, really lean into and work to them we are better placed to take advantage of the subsequent ease and momentum. It’s a type of flow that comes almost by default rather than design.

There’s a common misconception that working seasonally is solely the domain of the agricultural industry. Traditionally, seasonality is associated with part time or temp workers brought into a business to help meet increased work demands - making hay while the sun shines, so to speak. However, the concept of seasonality applies to all businesses, harvest or no harvest.

I work with women in business who experience seasonality that sits alongside their business. For some, motherhood brings about elements of seasonality in that the school holidays bring about changes to routine and productivity. The ages and stages of their children have their own seasonality - there’s the tumultuousness of new motherhood and there’s the tempestuousness of teenage life. There’s also the hormonal changing of the seasons we experience and the associated dips and rises in energy and creativity.

The broader world beyond our personal life has its own seasonality, with fluctuations in circumstances caused by external factors. Some clear examples are Christmas sales for retail businesses, Valentine’s Day for florists and the start of a new year for fitness businesses.

Edwin, my late husband, was an optometrist, and his businesses experienced incredibly busy periods each year when people wanted to claim their annual health insurance rebates before they expired. These examples are often predictable which allows us to market against them. When you have a good understanding of seasonality you can capitalise on it and turn these seasons into massive growth opportunities for your business.

The best place to start with determining the seasonality that could have an effect on your business is your Profit and Loss statement. Yes, I know, it’s not the sexiest place to hang out in your business, but the data it holds can tell a powerful story about your business and it’s potential. Are there months each year where you have surprised yourself with higher earnings? On the flip side, are their months when your income was markedly less than others? This is your seasonality, and it is when you have a clear understanding of the ‘why’ behind these numbers that we can make a plan of attack against them. I have a ton of resources and tools to support this process right here.

The daily to-do list is easy when the ‘on’ switch is flicked - but what to do in your down time to keep your business moving towards your goals?

Firstly, I think it is essential NOT to see slowing down as a form of procrastination or failure. We only need to look to nature for evidence of the power of slowing down to reenergise for the abundance of spring.

Secondly, take the time to work on the projects and tasks that are often relegated to the bottom of the priority list in busy times:

Get visible - grow your brand, shift your positioning and tell your story by creating strategic content such as blog posts, White Papers , email campaigns and social media captions. Tackle that platform you’ve been avoiding (hello, LinkedIn!), and shoot some video. As I write this, I’m wrapping up an Instagram video challenge on IGTV, I set myself at the start of the year, and it has been (unexpectedly!) fabulous across all measures, not least of which pushing myself out of my comfort zone.

Nurture your business relationships - follow up your leads and referrals. Touch base with people who have reached out to you in the past to see how you could be of support now. Reach out to your dream list of clients and connections with no ulterior motive other than to introduce yourself and build a long term relationship beyond the transactional.

Get strategic - use the down time to do some strategic planning. My one-page business plan is a fabulous tool to work against. It’s a perfect time to look at what’s worked in the past and to create some new offers or programs and market test them.

Clean house - I don’t mean this literally! I mean have a look at the systems and processes in your business and give them a tweak or refine them so when busy swings around again your systems keep rolling on, giving your clients a seamless, positive experience.

Ebbs and flows are inevitable in life and in business, but with an intentional, strategic approach seasonality can be your secret weapon. Part of my holistic coaching is working with women to maximise their success - my extended business plan is a means to locking this down on paper, as are my programs right here. Just reach out!

To your success…

A business plan does not have to be a huge, long forgotten document that sits gathering dust on a shelf. It is however time well spent at the front end to provide a framework to guide and add structure to your business. Checkout on shop here.

Tip: Start with a 1 Page Biz Plan to capture your vision and goals in one transformative page - download for FREE here.

Need some support? Book in a Roadmap to Success ‘Discovery’ Session and come away with 2 - 3 tips you can action in your biz right now!