The children have broken up from school and the market slowdown ahead looks daunting. Here’s how to survive and prosper during the six-week break.
- Plan
Market activity may slow down over the summer, but don’t waste this invaluable time to get your business in shipshape order and plan for the year ahead. When else will you get time to tackle that never-ending to-do list? Efficient planning will help you avoid working through your well-earned holiday.
- Talk to people
There’s no better time to socialise with local residents than when the sun’s out and the holiday feeling is in the air. Join local community social media sites, make a habit of popping into your local pub for a drink and make an effort to attend local community events because you never know where you’ll pick up your next piece of business or referral.
- Spring clean your data, systems and processes
What better time to tackle those tedious admin tasks than during the quieter summer months. We all aspire to run a slick, lean, moneymaking machine, so ensure you’re in the best position to be just that.
- Refresh your décor
Don’t overlook your office décor as part of your to-do list. A fresh lick of paint and a few new pieces of furniture could be just what your business needs to give it a kick-start for the year ahead.
- Brush up your skill sets
Are there areas of the business about which you wish you were more knowledgeable, or perhaps you have members of staff who you feel are failing to go that extra mile? Book in that training course, set time aside for that qualification study or simply invest in some reputable business books to inspire and motivate you and your team for the year ahead.
- Familiarise yourself with new technology
Whether it’s understanding the endless benefits of subscription-based technology contracts or learning how to automate tedious admin tasks, set aside some time to brush up on what’s hot in property technology and identify if your business and your software system are where they need to be to help you optimise your success.
- Make the most of the sunshine
Not all business needs to be done indoors, so make the most of the sunshine and boost your vitamin D intake by scheduling either staff meetings or staff get-togethers outdoors. There’s nothing like a summer picnic to help bond a team and get those new business ideas flowing.
- Forge new relationships
Of course, not all property-related business slows down for the summer. New figures out this week from the Department for Communities and Local Government show that the number of new homes being built in the UK is returning to the levels seen prior to the financial crisis, so consider forging relationships with local developers to see how you could work together.
- Plan for a holiday
Going away? Prewrite and schedule tweets and content marketing, to enable you to take a proper break and return well rested. There’s nothing worse than having to keep one eye on your mobile and another on your inbox when you’re supposed to be kicking back and enjoying a holiday, especially when there are children involved.
10.Remember work life balance
Similarly, consider tweaking your working hours to make life easier for working parents within your business. Could you open slightly later and/or close slightly earlier? Can you structure a more flexible working pattern for staff with children? Consider all the tasks that don’t necessarily need to be tackled during traditional working hours, such as the data cleansing challenge, and then identify the staff who could pick up these tasks at a time that works best for them.
