If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the years, it’s that this business is a roller coaster of clients. Some months you have so many sessions your head is lying off its axis and then, other months you can hear the crickets for lack of the phone ringing. The stress of slow times can be frustrating, anxiety producing and downright fear inducing. But it’s all in how you to look at it. Business is cyclical in nature. There are slow months and busy months. After 12+ years in business, this happens all the time to me, too. What do you do?

Well, first off make sure you have a “nest egg” to cover the months where you need to pull income that isn’t necessarily coming in from clients. And there’s a whole other episode of Jewel TV right there. Find it at jewel-tv.com episode 36. So assuming you’ve got the income to hold you over for a month or two, what should you be doing when it’s slow…

Beach it?

Retail therapy?

Blow off the day?

HECK NO! How on earth will you be ready for the next big opportunity in your business if you’re not actively “training” for it today?

By preparing your mind for opportunities ahead, you’ll be able, willing and ready to grab them when those “chances” come along. So the goal is to keep on keeping on. What should you be doing when business is slow?

• R & D = Research and Development. All good companies are out there figuring out what’s the next win in their business. Look at products. Figure out what selling and what’s not. Study new products and evaluate whether they’ll work in your market. Create a new session type or line.
• Marketing! It’s a never-ending rollercoaster. I get it, but it’s also cumulative. Every effort you do builds on the next one which will start the snowball of clients running down the hill as you do it more. By understanding that marketing is cumulative, you get motivated to do it more when times are a bit slow.
• Educate Yourself. Learn something new. By getting creative and parachuting new things, you’ll be ready for that better, more artistic session when the right client does walk in your door. So learn a new technique, lighting, Photoshop. Try a new lens.
• Do All The Stuff That’s Been Silently Eating You On Your To-Do List. Get that website updated. Build that collateral you’ve been itching to make. Get your business and workflow systems set up properly this time.

While having a “slow month” can be worrisome, it doesn’t have to be. Welcome it with open arms and see it as an opportunity to grow the inside structure of your business to healthy one. And when the next crop of clients comes calling, you’ll be ready…and so much more confident in who you are, and how your business will serve them.

Should you be updating your collateral and pursuing marketing projects that have been in your back pocket for months? Need help getting a head start? Check out all our business tools for photographers at the Jewel education shop. You’ll find Pricing Guides, Vendor Marketing & Display Acquisition Kits, Client Collateral and more. Let us help you get rolling!

Want to go deeper on this topic? Then, let’s keep the conversation going. How are you handling the slow times? Like, comment below, and/or share this episode from www.jewel-tv.com. When you opt-in to Jewel TV for FREE, you get access to all current and past episodes. Also, join our FB group for daily discussion on everything business.

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