It’s August, so for many of us, that means we are in the throes of the summer holidays. Or for those of us without childcare or seasonal business peaks to manage, we can – dare we say it – have a bit of downtime to regroup? Now is a good time to prepare your business for September: what to do during summer downtime.
I don’t know about you, but the last part of the year from September is one of the busiest. It feels like the ‘back to school’ focus gets all of us and we approach this next stage in the year with sharp pencils and new shoes! So during the summer I really try and prioritise rest, self-care and planning. Now, there was a house move in the mix in my case this summer, so a lot of this has gone out the window (literally and figuratively). But now I’m settled, I’m planning to really focus on being in the best place for a successful rest of 2025.
Working with several clients in this area, the biggest issues involve lack of top line thinking. They don’t give themselves the space and time to rest and think. It’s also common to rush into the holidays and not evaluate the year so far. It’s always sensible to look at what’s working and what isn’t so you can make the necessary tweaks and changes. Taking the time to do these things can really impact your business success, so have a read of my top tips on what to do during summer downtime and get you flying.
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Review and Reflect
Ask yourself some simple but hard-hitting questions: “What’s worked well so far in 2025?”, “What hasn’t worked? Why?” and “Have I hit my financial, marketing, or growth targets?”
Action:
Run a mid-year business review: sales, expenses, profit margins, customer growth, etc.
Survey key customers or team members for feedback and be prepared to use this constructively.
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Refocus Your Goals
Summer is the midpoint of the year, and it will usually align to your business quarters – a great time to reset and plan what to do during summer downtime.
Action:
Update or reframe your goals for the next couple of quarters.
Prioritise 3–5 specific, measurable objectives. (E.g., “Increase repeat customer spend 15% by December.”)
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Get Admin and Finances in Order
Don’t let disorganisation slow you down in the busier months ahead.
Action:
Reconcile accounts and check your cashflow.
Update to get the best price, or at least review any business licenses, insurance and subscriptions.
Go digital with your receipts and files if you haven’t already – always good for a simpler year-end!
Check if you are paying for more than one similar subscription i.e. if you pay for a Microsoft licence, can you hold your calls on Teams instead of paying for Zoom too?
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Refresh Your Marketing
Use summer’s hopeful slower pace to build momentum for autumn/winter campaigns.
Action:
Audit your website and social media for relevance and clarity.
Plan content and promotions around seasonal spikes which may be relevant to your business (back-to-school, Black Friday, Christmas).
Test new marketing tools (email platforms, automation, analytics) and clean up your CRM or customer database.
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Streamline Systems and Processes
Efficiency = scalability.
Action:
Identify repetitive tasks that can be automated (e.g., invoicing, scheduling). Then delegate or outsource other tasks where possible.
Get to know AI and start to experiment whilst you may be quieter and have time to learn.
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Improve Your Skills
Use summer for professional development. It’s a great time to read those books which have been piled up all year.
Action:
Take a short course (finance, marketing, leadership, AI tools, etc.). Sign up for Small Business Britain’s Small and Mighty Programme if you can! Make sure you sign up for their newsletter to be the first to hear about their support programmes and webinars for small business.
Network – attend workshops or local events. They’re usually more relaxed at this time of year.
Read one business book that targets a current challenge you’re facing.
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Reconnect and Recharge
You are likely to be your business and may not have a team around you.
Action:
Take a break. Even a short one can help with refreshing and recharging.
Reconnect with your “why” and make space for creative thinking.
Schedule regular “CEO days” in your calendar – time for planning, not just doing.
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Prepare for Q4
Start preparing now for the busiest time of year.
Action:
Pre-plan product launches, sales events, or holiday promotions so you don’t miss an opportunity.
Stock up on supplies, inventory or adjust supply chains early.
Review staffing needs and prepare schedules ahead of the end of the year.
Hopefully this has given you something to think about to set the pace for a great rest of the year! Do let me know how you get on with preparing your business for September.
Photo by Josh Rakower on Unsplash