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Get ready and excited for an actionable one because we are going to be talking about 10 ideas to grow your business this summer, while still enjoying your time off. I mean, that’s the dream, isn’t it?

I wanted to give you some ideas on how you can continue to grow your business throughout the summer while not feeling like you have to be tied to your computer or your phone 24/7.

It’s a huge value of mine that as entrepreneurs, we are able to grow and scale our businesses in a way that's sustainable, that still allows us to enjoy our life. Everything I do is to help you build a business that truly supports your life.

And obviously, everyone’s business is different so depending on your type of business, you might have a really busy summer or you might have a really slow summer.

Regardless of where you're at, regardless of whether your business ramps up during the summer or slows down, I know that these tips are going to help you.

Read these tips and then instead of feeling like you have to do them all, take just one or two ideas to actually implement into your business.

This will be an inspirational one and hopefully spark some creative ideas that you can do to keep growing your business during the summer.

Grab a notebook and a pen and let’s dive in.

let’s dive right in…

1) Evaluate your business goals & plans

Now that we are halfway through the year, it's a good time to sit down and reevaluate the goals you set for yourself in January. Take a close look at these goals and ask yourself some important questions. Have you already achieved any of these goals? If so, that's amazing! Take the time to celebrate and feel excited about your wins. Additionally, consider whether the goals you set still align with your current aspirations. It's okay to remove certain goals from your list and choose new focuses for the rest of the year.

Personally, I had a plan for my focus during the remainder of the year, but recently, everything has changed completely. And that's perfectly fine. Often, when we set goals and make plans in January, we tend to forget about them until the end of the year. However, when you join one of my programmes in 2024, you'll definitely have more frequent check-ins with your goals. For now, take this opportunity, being halfway through the year, to go back and reevaluate them. This is crucial for business owners every year.

Ideally, it's important to check in with your goals regularly throughout the year, whether that's monthly or quarterly. This allows you to assess your progress and decide whether to continue pursuing your original goals or make adjustments and choose new areas of focus. That's why I emphasise the importance of habits like weekly prep meetings, monthly planning parties, and quarterly planning parties. These practices help keep you on track even if your plans change. So, re-evaluating your goals now is the first step in this process.

2) Create a special offer

Now this one is really fun, especially if you're wanting to inject some cash flow into your business over the summer. Perhaps you need to make up some money during the summer months to support yourself throughout the rest of the year. One strategy I enjoy discussing with clients is the concept of a limited-time special offer that creates a sense of urgency, almost like a pop-up. There are several ways you can implement this idea.

For those with a product-based business, consider participating in a pop-up event, such as a vendor show, market, or even setting up shop at a store. Another option is to host a VIP event exclusively for your clients, offering them a unique experience. The summer season presents a great opportunity to explore these avenues.

If you're a service-based business owner, you could organise an online workshop or offer a flash sale on some of your products or services. Alternatively, you can bundle together some of your templates or masterclasses. These strategies allow you to bring in additional cash flow and boost your earnings during the summer months.

When implementing this idea, my advice is to run the promotion for a very limited time. Start with a lead-in period, perhaps even incorporating a pre-launch phase, and then have the offer available for only two to three days before closing it out. This creates a sense of urgency and encourages your customers to take action. Of course, the feasibility of this idea will depend on your capacity and resources. You have the option to create something entirely new or package together existing offerings.

This is another good idea to infect some cash flow in your business during the summer months.

3) Dive into learning something new

I think that summer is just such a fun time to switch it up. If you are used to binging stuff on Netflix in the evenings, you could try diving into a course you’ve recently purchased that you haven’t had time to go through yet. Or maybe if you're going on a long road trip, download some educational podcast episodes or an audiobook to keep you company during that drive. I always feel like doing more in the evenings during summer because the evenings are lighter, I rarely watch TV during the summer months, and I love sitting out on my patio with a peppermint tea, usually with my journal or my Kindle, and it's just so nice.

Try it, see how you go and remember that your own development as a boss, as a CEO is a high-level moneymaking task.

4) network and make new connections

Take advantage of these summer months to connect with new people and fellow business owners. Think of what you’re already doing, take daily walks for example, you could try to connect with someone that lives in your local area.

During the summer, people's schedules tend to be more flexible, making it easier to find a time to meet. Meeting up for a walk and grabbing a coffee can be a refreshing way to break free from your home office and engage with someone new. It's an excellent opportunity to refresh and meet new people.

You can do that online, too. If you're part of a community or online network, make it a habit to actively engage and connect with a new person every week. Embrace the community and proactively seek out opportunities to expand your network.

5) Create systems to save you time

So if you find yourself a little bit less busy during the summer months for your business, this is honestly an amazing time to implement some systems and do some streamlining in your business.

It will make your life and business so much easier as you head into the ultimate winter season, especially if that's when things pick up again for you. This is something I teach and work with my clients on a lot and it's been so game-changing for them to just create those systems and workflows. It means that when you do go into a busy season, you know exactly what action steps you need to be working on and you're not wasting time.

So what is one system, you could implement that would help you out massively? It could be your client onboarding, abandoned checkout email sequence sales sequence, or welcome or sequence content workflow, there are so many ideas.

6) reconnect with past clients

I absolutely love this strategy because as business owners, we often overlook or forget to do it. Checking in with your past clients, without any specific agenda, is a wonderful way to see how they're doing and how their summer is going. You'll be pleasantly surprised at how many of them respond with positive feedback, mentioning that they were just thinking of you or considering purchasing a product or booking another session. The key is to simply follow up and connect, fostering a genuine relationship with your favourite clients or customers.

Let me share two examples with you. Recently, one of my clients implemented this approach as part of her push to acquire two to three new one-on-one clients this month. To make it effortless, she reached out to past clients and leads, and it yielded fantastic results. Similarly, during my one-on-one coaching launch last month, a previous client expressed interest in working with me again, specifying what she was looking for. We were able to collaborate and create a custom package that met her needs perfectly.

By reaching out and checking in, you open the door to new opportunities and strengthen your connections with existing clients. It's a simple yet effective strategy that can lead to exciting collaborations and business growth.

7) refresh your website

If you have been meaning to update your website, your about page, your sales pages, your messaging, etc. but you've been procrastinating and putting it off, this might be a good time to update some of those materials.

The clearer you are with the front-facing aspects of your business (your website, where people go to figure out who you are, what you do, what your services are, what products you sell etc), the clearer and easier it is for people to work with you or buy from you.

It's always something that gets put to the bottom of the list, but it's so important. So I highly recommend that if that's something you've been procrastinating on. And you do have a little bit of extra time this summer. That's what I would recommend focusing on.

8) batch-create content

Now, this can be surprisingly easy to do, and many people don't realise how they can accomplish it while still enjoying their time off. The misconception is that it requires sitting down at a computer however, there are ways to leverage inspiration and capture ideas even when you're away or in a different environment. Let me share a couple of examples.

For instance, if you have a long weekend or a special occasion like Father's Day coming up, you can still allow yourself to relax while being open to new ideas. Personally, when I'm away or experiencing a change of scenery, I often find myself receiving creative downloads and ideas. To capture these moments without compromising my time off, I use the Notion app on my phone. It's where I store all my ideas, systems, plans, and workflows. If I come up with content creation ideas, such as podcast episodes or email blasts, I quickly jot them down in my Notion app. It takes less than five minutes to collect and record these inspirations. Then, I can put my phone away and forget about it, continuing to enjoy my time off. I encourage you to do the same—whenever you have an idea or download for your business, write it down digitally in your preferred app or in a journal if you have one with you. This way, you can still benefit from those creative sparks while fully immersing yourself in your break.

Another aspect of batch creating that I enjoy is capturing meaningful moments on the go. For example, one afternoon, I was in the garden with Jacob, cuddling on our outdoor furniture while Lola, our pet, relaxed on the grass. I found the moment incredibly peaceful and something I had always dreamt of. So, I quickly took out my phone to capture a seven-second clip of us in the garden. It was a way for me to document the moment for my personal memories, but it also had additional value. I could repurpose these videos as content. When I create content, I want it to feel natural and effortless. So, if I'm making "real" or a similar type of content, I can simply access my camera roll, find the collected video clips (B-roll), add some words, and voila! I have created content that is easy yet provides significant value to my community. This is just one example of how I can batch-create content without it feeling like work. I'm not tied to my computer or constantly staring at my phone trying to generate ideas. Instead, I'm out and about, enjoying the summer activities while simultaneously batching content.

9) plan ahead for the autumn and winter months

You knew this was coming, didn't you? I made you wait for it.

Again, this is something that doesn't need to be on your computer or on your phone, you can put those things away; you can take out a notebook or pieces of paper and just start putting down ideas, brainstorming things that you want to do from September onwards.

Check out the blog here to figure out the questions to ask yourself to get laser focused. What do you want to focus on? Where do you want the money to come from? What ways do you want to promote your business? Do you want to run any marketing campaigns? Are you going to be launching any new products? Do you want to do something for Black Friday or a holiday sale?

So just envision what you want the rest of your year to look like and have those ideas down on paper.

10) attend or plan A SEO day or SEO retreat

So you might be thinking, "Okay, Holly, wow, this sounds like a lot of work." But it doesn't have to be.

Let me give you an example of two different ways you could approach this. First, you can find a retreat or workshop in your area and attend it. Many people host these events where you can plan out the rest of your year.

Alternatively, you could invite a business bestie or someone else with a business to join you. Instead of working in your businesses, you can work on your businesses together. This involves creating a plan and envisioning what you want your business to look like in the future—whether it's two years or five years from now—and breaking it down into tangible goals that you can implement and take action on.

Personally, I love doing this, and my planning rituals are super important to me. Plus, it's a lot of fun. I highly recommend trying this out—it's one of my favourite things on this list. If you can do it with another person, even better, because you can hold each other accountable and brainstorm together. Having someone to bounce ideas off of makes strategising much easier.

So there you have it—my top 10 tips on how to grow your business over the summer. Remember, as I mentioned at the beginning of this episode, choose one or two of these ideas and implement them into your business. They are meant to inspire you and spark some creativity.