What The Summer Solstice Taught me about Business
Where are you working against your natural seasonal flow?
Happy Solstice!
The longest day & shortest night of the year is upon us.
In 1998, I landed in the nearly northernmost part of Russia on June 21.
I had traveled across 7 time zones with 15 other women from Vermont to deliver a variety of workshops at a conference about community & economic development to more than 150 women in Petrozavodsk, Karelia, a sister city to Burlington, Vermont.
The sun never completely set, and we hardly slept for 10 days.
It was a time to celebrate all the good in the community with concerts, festivals, & midnight dusky walks along the shore of Lake Onega.
I have been in awe of the relationship between the earth’s axial tilt as it whorls around the sun and how that defines our seasons for my entire life.
I have also been helping entrepreneurs discover the natural rhythms and cycles in their businesses for more than 30 years.
I have learned some important lessons from celebrating the Seasons.
Make hay while the sun is shining.
I didn’t immediately appreciate the never-ending activity while in Petrozavodsk, until I realized that the sun doesn’t actually rise at the apex of winter when one lives that far north on the planet.
Every person, business, and community has natural cycles.
I take time for writing retreats in the winter because I’m not distracted by my normal summer activities.
I rise at dawn each day and in the summer this translates to starting much earlier than in winter, leaving plenty of time to enjoy the outdoors on warm evenings.
Pay attention to what kinds of activities suit your energy in each season and lean into your natural cycles.
Attending spring & summer conferences means business.
I attend and/or speak at 6 to 10 conferences between May & September.
They are local, regional, & international affairs.
I focus on nurturing relationships I already have and sowing the seeds of new ones.
This approach results in leaving every event with multiple follow up meetings already scheduled which inevitably lead to paid work throughout the year.
The next time you attend a conference or networking event, look for people with whom you want to deepen your relationship and don’t leave until you have 2 appointments in the books.
Make this your dedicated practice & you will discover that business naturally flows to you.
There are plenty of people who need your services year round
Yes, people go on vacation during the summer, but their lives & businesses don’t stop functioning.
Not everyone has kids at home all summer or escapes to a summer cottage on the lake.
If you’re living in the pervasive myth that no one wants to buy coaching, training, or consulting services during the summer, you’re missing many opportunities.
Consider focusing on a sub-category of your ideal client – the ones who are child-free, empty nesters, or take long winter vacations.
Look for ways to repackage or rearrange what and how you offer your services to meet your clients where they are in the summer.
Where are you working against your natural seasonal flow?
What events can you add to your schedule to plant more seeds & harvest more paying clients?
What services or audiences will you shift this summer to meet your sales goals?
