10 Tips for Business Owners to Prep for Slow Season

Slow season is right around the corner with winter coming. I don’t know about you but the past six months I’ve felt like I’ve been in “catch-up” mode as things come my way. I have always been a planner, but one thing leads to another and I get distracted and then sooner or later I’m piles deep in my office going through my baby photos and wondering how the hell I got there in the first place.

Anyways, here are some of my tips from me to you as we enter the slow season!

Educate yourself.

I love listening to podcasts or scrolling with the intent of saving content that I feel inspired by. My favorite podcast to listen to is the Heart and Hustle Podcast. You can tune in every Wednesday for a new episode, and they talk MORE than just photography! Another favorite of mine is Passion With Purpose by Nathan Chanski - he talks about everything from behind the scenes of business to the frontier of creating a successful business - all of which a lot of us can relate to his topics!

Clean your gear and get it serviced!

We are coming right out of busy season where our gear has had a lot of wear and tear on it for the last six to eight months. It always gives me peace of mind knowing that when I go to pick up my camera or go through my laptop on a random Thursday in February that it’s clean and my laptop doesn’t sound like it’s about to take off!

Go through all your gear and bags

Nothing screams “I’ve got my sh*t together,” than going through all your bags and decluttering and organizing after the most hectic time of the year. Gum wrappers, miscellaneous baggies and somehow you’ve found your favorite claw clip you’ve been missing for months! Trust me, take the time, and just do it!

Go through your investment packages and educational tools you offer.

Every year your business grows, your knowledge and style changes with you! It is important to keep your audience in tune with your services you provide and the style you share. Being transparent is the best tool you can use to keep clients returning!

Organize your office!

Who likes to work in a cluttered space?? NOT ME! We all know that after our busy seasons, we are either preparing for the next or simply trying to catch up on all the work that needs to be done after the events! Especially being a photographer, you will see me crawling into my editing hole for a while after the busy season is over!

Batch Social Media Content!

Remember how we talked about business branding? This would be sooo much easier with new material to post from your session! We can’t always predict what we want to say the next time we log-in to Facebook - but having the content to showcase your business is ideal when booking the perfect client. Personally, I have a folder in my notes on my phone and I list all the topics I want to cover, or if I see a cool quote, post, or reel, I write it down to make sure that I won’t forget it if I ever need it!

Batch Blogging!

This could even be as simple as “what am I going to caption this post?” Honestly, finding the right time during the day where you can brain dump all your ideas will help a ton! Right now, mine is at midnight - some nights its hard to shut my mind off with all that I am thinking and all that I am preparing. By getting up, jotting ideas down and spacing out my content, makes it just a LITTLE bit easier to sleep at night.

Update emails and automations.

Email lists are important! It provides that extra comfort to your clients. It’s like updating your website and prices, this should always be kept in the loop of what you can work on.

Clear out your SD cards.

Photographers, this one is for you! You have backed up your raw files to 5 different locations. The odds of everything crashing at once is slim, take a breath and allow yourself some space to create with a formatted SD card!

TAKE THE TIME OFF.

At the end of the day, you cannot fully serve your clients until you take care of yourself. Set time aside to be able to reach your own personal goals. Now is the time to start enjoying the slow moments and taking in the peace and quiet before the next season hits… time flies!