Winning the Home Business Jackpot

Well, once again I *did not* win the California Lottery.

I can always tell when things are going well in my life,
because I don't daydream about getting rich quick. When I
was working outside the home full time, I found myself
buying tickets every week and checking the lottery website
on a daily basis. I was simply unhappy with that job and
desperate to quit to stay home with my daughter.

These days, I have a business I enjoy and I rarely notice
the lottery... except when business is slow, which can be
expected from time to time, especially when you're a
one-woman operation.

Since Memorial Day, traffic for my website has plummeted by
about 40% and revenues are bound to follow. This is probably
a natural occurrence tied in to the fact that my audience is
made up of moms with children who are now home from school,
so they have less time to surf the Internet. It happened
last year, I expected it to happen this year, and tried to
budget for it... but the buzz about the economy got my mind
thinking about a quick solution, and when the jackpot hit
$141 million a few weeks ago, I bought myself a $1 fantasy.

Needless to say, I am one dollar poorer and still looking
for ways to get over my seasonal hump, and you may
be, too.

It is tempting to step back business activities dramatically
and take a long vacation. This makes sense - but only to a
point. By all means, slow your pace and enjoy time with your
family - that's why we're working from home in the first
place. But don't neglect your long-term goals... because
just as a summer downturn is a predictable occurrence,
September is only just around the corner and back to
school starts the busiest selling season of the year. Ignore
your business and marketing plans and you risk having to
play catch-up and losing profits.

So what should we be doing this summer to stay on track?
Here are some suggestions to help you 'have your barbecue
and eat it, too:'

* With the year half over, this is a great time to
review and fine tune your business and marketing plans.
Gather your numbers, see how you've been performing and
what you might change to improve them.

* Brainstorm your fall marketing campaign. Be ready to go by
mid-August and watch your September sales soar.

* If some activities don't seem to be working, try something
new. Slow times are great for testing new products,
methods and opportunities. If they don't work, you can
easily shift gears back - and if they do, just think how
much mileage you'll get when your customers are back in a
buying mood.

* If your family vacation or outings include some long, lazy
days at the beach, forego the usual romance and mystery
novels and tote some new business books. Find out what's
new by subscribing to Amy Shellhase's BookReviewZ ezine:
< Mailto:ReviewZ-subscribe@yahoogroups.com >

* Fewer summertime customers could give you more time for
networking. Attend a meeting of your local Chamber of
Commerce or professional association. There's nothing like
the power of professional referrals for attracting new
customers to your base!

* If customers aren't coming to you this summer, try going
to them. Look into getting a booth at your local farmers
market or summer fair. If it's too costly, you may try
teaming up with some complementary businesses.

Inc. Magazine's June issue was its annual 'State of Small
Business' report, with some interesting insights courtesy of
USC Business School's William B. Gartner.

Gartner told Inc. that 'effort and momentum' are key to
entrepreneurial success. Keep both going and your business
will survive a summertime slump. It may not be as exciting
as a big lottery win, but it's a heckuva lot more
attainable.