10 Ways to Use a Slow Down to Build Your Business

By Dr. Larina Kase

As business owners, we often neglect to book time to work on our businesses. The good thing about a lull in your business is that it forces you to do this—if you take advantage of the opportunity presented to you.

Here are 10 ways to do this:

1. Reevaluate your business model.
   What’s your current business model? Do you know from where most of your income is coming and where most of your effort is going?
   You may want to change your business model based on your ideal clients, the needs of the marketplace, your effort versus results, your life circumstances, new product or service offerings, and so on.
2. Find talented help.
   As business owners, one of our number one goals is to find the right people to bring on board to help us grow our businesses. Take advantage of a business lull to investigate places to find talented help.
   Ask your colleagues, clients, or customers who they use or where they find their support staff. Do an internet search. Most important, be aware of what your needs are and how they fit in with your overall business model and strategy.
3. Read a powerful business book or two.
   Reading can be one of those things we put off when we’re busy. Use this time to find some top books in your field to help you grow your business.
4. Revamp your website.
   Almost every business has a website now, but the problem is that the majority of sites are not effective from a marketing perspective. Take a step back to reevaluate your site, and revamp it as needed.
5. Write an online press release.
   These days anyone can write their own press release and submit to sites like prweb.com The challenge, I find, is coming up with newsworthy material. Ask yourself how your business ties in with current events and write a release around that topic.
6. Develop yourself.
   This, I find, is the most neglected area of business. We fail to remember that the #1 most important factor that leads to business success is leadership. Whether your company consists of 1 or 1 million, the leader is you.
   Pinpoint key areas for self-improvement and work on them.
7. Write articles to submit online.
   It’s sometimes great to spend a whole day writing so you can really get into the flow of it. Once you’ve created a few articles, leverage them by submitting them to online directories like ezinearticles.com and posting them on your website and blog.
8. Create a product for sale or list-building.
   It is hard to maintain the focus needed to create a product when times are busy, so use the downtime to your advantage. You can create an audio interview, ebook, top 10 list like this one, or whatever else inspires you. You can sell your product or give it away as an incentive for those who join your mailing list.
9. Develop your systems.
   Are you overwhelmed by email? Bogged down by the hassle of scheduling appointments? Research and begin utilizing systems that allow you to resolve bottlenecks, make your business run more efficiently, and free you up to do what you do best.
10. Develop your social media strategy.
    Social media is a great tool to help you brand yourself and your business. Rather than trying to do it all (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, My Space, etc), develop a strategy for which to focus on and how to present yourself.