Summer is upon the world, and businesses should start getting ready for it. It can be a hectic time of the year for everyone, including businesses. Whereas people are already packing their suitcases and organizing their travel purses for vacations, small businesses should be preparing for the influx of new customers and for the rest of the year.
But this summer is more important than ever. After a year of business closures and decreased commerce due to the pandemic, the United States economy is recovering. As of June 12, the economy is already 89 percent recovered. This is a stunning increase from the 72.4 percent it was in at the same time last year. This summer, small businesses will be crucial to further advance the recovery of the economy.
Take advantage of the summer and better prepare your business for the season and the year ahead in five ways:
-
Prepare Seasonal Equipment
Summer brings heat, rain and tourists; three things that can thoroughly fluster unprepared businesses. You’ll need to bring out and prepare any seasonal equipment you have that can handle these factors.
For example, high temperatures can short out even the most resilient air conditioning units. This can be extremely detrimental for shops that rely on cold rooms to preserve their goods. If you’re running such a business, it’s the perfect time to order a spare compressor for cold storage areas or maybe even a whole new refrigeration unit.
Always check the pattern from previous years to see which equipment tends to break down during the summer and order an appropriate number of spare parts. This will prevent your business from shutting down during a crucial period and continue to be productive.
-
Start Organizing Employee Leaves
During the summer, it’s not just the customers who are eager to have some fun under the sun and frolic for the first time in a year. Your employees will want to take some precious time off, something they’ll sorely need after the grueling year everyone has gone through. A month before the peak of summer season, you should already begin asking which employees are planning to go on a vacation.
Pay particular attention to employees who plan on taking extended trips of more than three days. It will be imperative to the continued well-being of your enterprise that you map out employee vacations. This will ensure you have people on board who can stay productive while your employees can enjoy some well-deserved time off.
-
Review Your Business Plan
With summer in the air, you can now review your business’s earning and projections from the first quarter of the year. This information should enlighten you on whether any new initiatives enacted at the start of the year are yielding favorable results. First, assess any major business projects you’ve undertaken. This should be followed by a review of any internal plans you’ve enacted. Check if they’re going as planned or if they’re not proceeding well.
Use this information to redirect and reshape your business plan. Which areas are your strategies not excelling in and which areas are performing better than expended? This data will be essential in ensuring your small business is well prepared and adjusted appropriately for the rest of the year.
-
Perform Maintenance
Another important thing your small business should be doing before the summer months is perform preventative maintenance. Although this should be done at least once every quarter to ensure optimal operating conditions, just before summer is the right time for any complete overhauls of your equipment and systems. This time is ideal because you’ve just finished the first quarter of the year and concluded a lot of major projects.
As previously mentioned, summer tends to be the height of the busy season for a lot of small businesses. This means you can’t afford to have your operating systems and hardware malfunction during this time. Performing thorough maintenance during the summer will also ensure that your equipment will work at peak capacity for the rest of the year.
-
Check Your Employee Structure
Finally, summer is the ideal time to assess your employee assignments and structure. A business is just like a body, and you need to ditch the dead weight during the season.
Who is performing well in their current areas and who may benefit from a change of scenery? Summer is the best time to do so because you have their performances from the past quarter and the previous year to base your assessment on. This means you can monitor their progress for the rest of the year.
Summer maybe the season of sun and fun, but for businesses it’s a time to trim down and become more efficient. Ensure your business has what it takes to help bolster the economy and secure your future.