What if the best time to improve your business was now?
Does the expression “making your August” sound familiar? We use it to talk about businesses that concentrate a good part of their income in just a few weeks. But, in reality, not all businesses “make their August”… in August.
Every sector has its own calendar.
While many businesses take advantage of summer to slow down, others are living through their busiest months. This is the case, for example, of those working in the tourism sector. Hotels, restaurants, guides, travel agencies, activity companies, wineries, small shops, artisans… are already in full season. And they have plenty to do attending to their customers.
Their “August” is now. It’s the time to give it their all. There will be time to stop, take stock, and prepare the next campaign between November and February, when activity slows down and day-to-day life grants a well-deserved breather.
For many other small and medium businesses, the opposite happens. Summer is the time to hit the brakes. To look up from the daily grind, analyze how the year has gone so far. And take advantage of the “closed for holidays” period to get ready for the next season. It is precisely now that many teams have something very valuable: time to think.
Phone pressure drops. Emails and meetings decrease. Some projects go on pause and small gaps appear in the schedule that seem impossible during the rest of the year. It’s worth taking advantage of them. Not to work more, but to work better. And to prepare for September, which for many businesses is the true start of the year. It’s the business world’s “back to school.” Customers return, projects are activated, campaigns kick off, and new opportunities appear. It’s best to arrive prepared.
Summer is, therefore, the time to fine-tune your business. Just as we check a car before a long trip, it’s worth spending some time reviewing the business machinery before it returns to cruising speed. And without forgetting one important detail: September has a bad habit—it arrives sooner than we’d like.
That’s why we must make the most of that “free” time that’s worth gold. It’s the moment to sit down and think calmly. To tackle all those small tasks we always put off because they never seem urgent. And to make the most of those valuable hours that are so scarce during the rest of the year.
I myself try to set aside a few days in summer to do exactly that. To organize myself and approach my work differently. Review accounts and projects, think about what’s worth keeping and what isn’t, plan the new season, catch up on some matters. Or, simply, slow down to sort out ideas.
What are those tasks that few businesses tackle when they’re in full season? I’ll share some examples drawn from my experience as a consultant.
- Improve the website. Adapt it so it truly reflects who we are. Check whether the texts make sense, refresh photographs, review usability, or review SEO and GEO so potential customers can find us.
- Review social media. Analyze which posts worked, which went unnoticed. And, above all, ask ourselves if we’re communicating what interests our audience.
- Go over statistics and analyze data. It’s a good time to log into GA4, review the metrics, and analyze the behavior of our social media. Where do customers come from? What content sparks the most interest? At what point do they leave the page? Let’s use real information to make decisions.
- Tidy up the database. Remove duplicate contacts, customers we haven’t spoken to in years, unsorted emails, or information that could help us work better and that, simply, never gets done. And it’s vital.
- Update sales materials. Summer can also be a good time to update that sales dossier we always end up sending in a rush. To review a corporate presentation and/or analyze the business model with a bit more perspective. Because a business changes. Customers change. The market changes. And so does communication.
- What if we took the opportunity to train ourselves and get up to speed with Artificial Intelligence? In recent months I’ve heard all sorts of things. Professionals who tell me: “That’s not for me.” Versus others convinced that “AI does everything.” In my opinion, neither one nor the other.
Used well, AI can save a lot of time. It helps research, organize information, prepare proposals, draft a first version, summarize documents, or generate ideas. But judgment, experience, and decisions remain the responsibility of people. Shall we try it?
In short, summer is a good time to look at your business from a different perspective. To see what routine prevents us from seeing, sort out priorities, and define a realistic work plan. But watch out! September will arrive quickly, whether or not we do our homework. The difference will be in how we get to that moment.
Because the businesses that seem to react fastest don’t improvise. They simply take advantage of the slower months to think and make decisions that will set the course for the new season.
After all, as I said at the beginning, every project has its own “August.” But all businesses need, sooner or later, to pause for a moment, look up, and decide where they want to keep growing. Shall we help you in that process?
Don’t hesitate, request free specialized advice from the Galicia Economic Office and boost your business.
