Optimize Downtime in Your Small Business

Let’s face it… we all have months in our business that are slower than others. And this slower business time can be quite stressful as we see a decrease in income. But with a bit of forethought and optimism, you can take advantage of those quieter times and make them into genuine productive moments with these tips.

Set and Reflect. When your office is quiet is the best time to reflect on what has happened in the last year of business and what you expect in the upcoming months and year. Take a look back at what went smoothly and what did not and set up goals to improve the procedures. For example, did you find yourself getting orders for tons of one-time cleaning and no chance to upsell those folks? If so this is an idea time to plan your follow up those customers with some kind of upsell deal.

Work on your Intellectual Capital. How long has it been since you read a book on business development or taught yourself a new skill? With the power of the internet, there are chances to learn and gain expertise in abundance. You don’t have to get weighted down with anything huge, but make a commitment to spend 30 minutes a day improving your chosen skill.

Take Some R and R. Entrepreneurs are a hard working breed. We work day and night when our business is on the line and make sacrifices that those with 9 to 5 jobs simply do not. Because of this we are more prone to burn out. To avoid burn out it is not just nice to take some time off, it is essential. Research has found that taking breaks of time to rejuvenate ourselves leads to better health and increased productivity – two things that we absolutely need to maintain our entrepreneurial spirit.

These are some of our best downtime strategies here at SharpChip Consulting, but what are yours? We’d love to hear from you on your best practices so that we can share them with others on our blog. So take a few minutes and send us some of YOUR words of wisdom today!