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How your business can beat the summer slowdown slump

A summer slowdown doesn’t have to mean lost opportunities. If your business tends to slow down when schools let out, customers travel or seasonal demand shifts, this can be a good time to focus on the parts of your business that get pushed aside during busier months.

For some businesses — like , , and education services, yarn and knitting shops, winter-focused and other businesses that experience seasonal shifts in demand — summer can bring fewer customers and slower sales. But it can also create space to review your insurance coverage, train employees, refresh your marketing, improve operations, and prepare for the months ahead.

compiled a list of six ways to make the most of a summer slowdown and position your business for a stronger second half of the year.

1. Use your time to forecast and plan for holiday sales

If you think summer is too early to start thinking about the holidays, think again. Look at your numbers from last September through January. And ask yourself these questions:

• Which weeks were the busiest?
• What services or products seemed to sell the most?
• When did things start to feel a bit stretched or understaffed?

Take notes, see what sales or products moved best, and put some thought into how you can do more of the same when your business starts to pick up again. Think about how you can adjust your inventory, tweak your scheduling, or make a few smarter calls on staffing before you’re in the middle of the season. Making plans for production, inventory, and staffing now can help you feel more prepared when sales pick up.

2. Hire and train your team for busy times ahead

A summer slowdown can be a good opportunity to invest in your team. When customer demand is lighter, you have more time to recruit and train employees before business picks up again.

Summer can also be a good time to find talent. In 2025, the youth labor force grew by about between April and July, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, as students and recent graduates entered the job market. If you’ve been thinking about adding employees, this may be a good time to start looking.

Even if you aren’t hiring right now, consider using the extra time to help your current employees build skills and prepare for busier months. Replacing an employee can range from depending on their level, according to research cited by SHRM, making retention and training worthwhile investments in your business growth.

A few areas worth focusing on include:

• Training on core business systems. Make sure employees are comfortable using your point of sale, booking, scheduling, or inventory management tools.
• Review day-to-day processes. Walk through common tasks and identify areas where mistakes, delays, or confusion occur.
• Improve communication. Revisit how your team stays in touch, handles customer requests, and communicates throughout the day.
• Refresh safety training. Review equipment use, heat safety, and any job-specific risks, especially for hands-on or outdoor work.
• Clarify roles and responsibilities. Make sure everyone knows their role, what they’re responsible for, and who to go to with questions.

A little extra training now can pay off later when business picks up and your team has less time to learn on the fly.

3. Confirm your business insurance still has you covered

Give your business insurance coverage its annual review. Not just because your business needs may have changed, but because it’s easier to catch gaps when you’re not in the middle of crunch time.

A lot of owners aren’t totally sure where they stand — about , according to a 2024 NEXT Insurance survey. A quick review of your policies can help you make sure your coverage still fits your business and the work you actually do.

If you’re not sure where to start, here are a few questions to think about as you review your coverage:

• Has your team changed? If you’ve hired employees, brought on part-time help, or changed the type of work employees do day to day, review your . Annual or reconciliations often look at payroll and job classifications, so it’s important that your policy reflects both how many people work for you and the job they’re actually doing.
• Does your coverage match how you operate? If you’ve added services, changed locations, started selling online, or taken on different types of jobs, your coverage may need to change, too.
• Is your business gear, tools, and equipment covered? typically doesn’t cover your own business property. If you need help protecting inventory, tools, equipment, or a physical workspace, may be a coverage you’d want to add. It can also help cover lost business income in certain covered situations. If you regularly take tools or equipment to jobsites, could help protect those items while they’re away from your primary business location.
• Do you sell products, even occasionally? If you sell products in-store, online, or at pop-ups, make sure you have . It doesn’t cover your inventory itself, but it can help protect your business if a product you sell injures someone or causes property damage, even if product sales are only a small part of your business.
• Are you driving for work more often? If you or your team use vehicles for business, may make sense or need an update.
• Will you need to share proof of insurance? New clients, landlords, vendors, or contracts may require , or proof of your coverage, and how much you have. It helps to know how to get or access a COI before you need one.

4. Pressure test your business operations

When business is busy, you find ways to work around small problems. But maybe you know your scheduling system is clunky. Maybe your inventory tracking isn’t quite where it should be. A slower month gives you a chance to examine your processes and fix the workflows that everyone complains about but no one has time to fix.

Check these common pressure points for resource-strapped small business owners:

• Are your scheduling, booking, or POS systems still working for you? If your team is relying on work-arounds or manual processes, it may be time for an upgrade.
• Are you carrying the right amount of inventory or offering the right services? Review what’s selling and whether you can free up cash by reducing slow-moving stock. If you’re a service business, evaluate your service offerings, identify what’s most profitable, and consider whether adjustments could better meet customer demand.
• Do you have all the tools and equipment you need? This can be a good time to repair, replace, or maintain equipment before it becomes a problem later.
• Are there parts of your workflow that regularly cause delays? Look for repetitive tasks, bottlenecks, or processes that could be simplified.
• Are your vendor relationships still working well? Check in with suppliers, review pricing with competitors, and make sure you’re prepared for future demand.

5. When’s the last time you thought about workplace safety? Do it now.

Safety often falls into the “we’ll get to it later” category. The problem is that “later” never happens when business is busy. Now might be the perfect opportunity to take a closer look at your safety practices, inspect equipment, and make sure your team knows what to do if something goes wrong.

Consider using your extra time to:

• Inspect equipment and workspaces. Look for worn tools, damaged equipment, trip hazards, blocked exits, or anything else that could create safety issues later.
• Review emergency procedures. Make sure employees know what to do in the event of an injury, severe weather, equipment failure, or other emergency.
• Update or create standard operating procedures (SOPs). Documenting routine processes can improve consistency and reduce mistakes when business picks up again.
• Refresh employee training. Review equipment use, , and any job-specific risks your team may encounter.
• Prepare for seasonal weather conditions. Review safety procedures related to the weather risks your employees are most likely to face, whether that means , severe storms, cold temperatures, snow, ice, or other seasonal hazards.

You don’t need a major safety overhaul. Even a few small improvements now can help create a safer workplace and prevent bigger problems down the road.

6. Work on your marketing plan — or try something new

Quieter work days can give you the opportunity to experiment, reconnect with customers, and find new ways to bring people through the door.

You don’t need a massive marketing budget. A few focused efforts can help keep your business visible and generate future demand.

Consider these ideas:

• Refresh your online presence. Update your website, Google Business Profile, social channels, and online directories so customers can easily find accurate hours, contact information, products, and services.
• Host an event or workshop. A yarn store might offer a beginner knitting class. A retailer could host a product demonstration or customer appreciation event. Even a small gathering can help build community and create repeat customers.
• Partner with neighboring businesses. Team up on a local promotion, sidewalk sale, or community event. Cross-promotions can help introduce your business to new customers without a significant investment.
• Reconnect with past customers. Send an email or offer a special promotion to remind people you’re there. Existing customers are often easier to win back than new ones.
• Show what you’ve been working on. Share photos, customer success stories, new products, or behind-the-scenes content. People are more likely to buy from businesses they feel connected to.
• Test a new idea. Consider introducing a new service, product bundle, loyalty program, or seasonal promotion while you have time to measure results and make adjustments.

A slower season doesn’t have to mean standing still. Even a few small marketing experiments can help build momentum and uncover new opportunities for growth.

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