6 Ways Pros Recharge Their Businesses for Fall
Pros share advice on recalibrating business goals after summer vacations and breaks
Whether you’ve taken time off or simply made the most of the natural lull, the end of summer signifies a chance for businesses to refocus their goals and rejuvenate their strategies for the new season ahead. Three home professionals share their advice on how they find their groove and recharge their business so it’s ready for growth.
2. Refresh Your Office Space
It’s often during periods of downtime that ideas and new perspectives can come into focus, so taking time to refresh your office space can help invigorate creative juices.
“I clear my mood boards so I’m ready to start again come September,” says Vickie Nickolls of Interior Therapy. This just helps me feel more organized and refreshed ready for the pre-Christmas rush.”
The pros say this is a great time to clear out samples and brochures, making space for the new season collections. “Purge your samples, getting rid of outdated or discontinued lines to make room for newer, innovative materials that springboard new design ideas for upcoming projects,” Wilkie says.
It’s often during periods of downtime that ideas and new perspectives can come into focus, so taking time to refresh your office space can help invigorate creative juices.
“I clear my mood boards so I’m ready to start again come September,” says Vickie Nickolls of Interior Therapy. This just helps me feel more organized and refreshed ready for the pre-Christmas rush.”
The pros say this is a great time to clear out samples and brochures, making space for the new season collections. “Purge your samples, getting rid of outdated or discontinued lines to make room for newer, innovative materials that springboard new design ideas for upcoming projects,” Wilkie says.
3. Set Targets for the Rest of the Year
This time of year is a good time to get projects on track and aim to finish the year strongly.
“At the start of September, I have a similar outlook as I do at the beginning of the year — a fresh start,” Nickolls says. “I like to have a plan to try to wrap up projects before Christmas, as you do find that everything winds down over that period. The lead up to Christmas is always a busy period for us — it’s always a final push to complete projects.”
“In the run-up to seasonal holidays, such as Christmas, schedule in contact calls or site meetings with all active clients to ensure everyone is aware of project status and next steps after the break,” Wilkie says.
“A good tip for time management and productivity is to break down your annual plan into bite-size chunks — for example, monthly and quarterly actions with clear deliverables,” she says. “This keeps the focus on what’s important and urgent, ensuring all actions are aligned to the overall goals and objectives for the year ahead.”
This time of year is a good time to get projects on track and aim to finish the year strongly.
“At the start of September, I have a similar outlook as I do at the beginning of the year — a fresh start,” Nickolls says. “I like to have a plan to try to wrap up projects before Christmas, as you do find that everything winds down over that period. The lead up to Christmas is always a busy period for us — it’s always a final push to complete projects.”
“In the run-up to seasonal holidays, such as Christmas, schedule in contact calls or site meetings with all active clients to ensure everyone is aware of project status and next steps after the break,” Wilkie says.
“A good tip for time management and productivity is to break down your annual plan into bite-size chunks — for example, monthly and quarterly actions with clear deliverables,” she says. “This keeps the focus on what’s important and urgent, ensuring all actions are aligned to the overall goals and objectives for the year ahead.”
4. Clean Up Your Digital Footprint
Taking time to clear cluttered devices, empty email inboxes, update profiles and refresh your online presence will ensure your digital life is organized, secure and ready for a new phase.
“I think of digital storage in a similar way to physical storage: It needs to be clearly labeled, filed thoughtfully and intuitive to find — and a couple of times a year it needs a declutter,” Loucks says.
“I like to use this downtime to create social media content, so I have plenty of stories ready to go when I start getting busy with projects,” Nickolls says.
Wilkie likes to use the time to update her Houzz profile to attract new leads. “Curating your online presence by adding new client projects and reviews to your Houzz profile is crucial to maintaining relevance and a decent level of inquiries,” she says.
Taking time to clear cluttered devices, empty email inboxes, update profiles and refresh your online presence will ensure your digital life is organized, secure and ready for a new phase.
“I think of digital storage in a similar way to physical storage: It needs to be clearly labeled, filed thoughtfully and intuitive to find — and a couple of times a year it needs a declutter,” Loucks says.
“I like to use this downtime to create social media content, so I have plenty of stories ready to go when I start getting busy with projects,” Nickolls says.
Wilkie likes to use the time to update her Houzz profile to attract new leads. “Curating your online presence by adding new client projects and reviews to your Houzz profile is crucial to maintaining relevance and a decent level of inquiries,” she says.
5. Reconnect With Your Team
A well-connected team is at the heart of any well-run operation, so reuniting with your work colleagues is crucial for boosting morale and realigning on business strategies.
“Coffee catch-ups are great for day-to-day interactions, but for something more structured consider a team away-day or off-site,” Wilkie says. “This a great way to reconnect with colleagues and encourage their wider participation in the business. Use such sessions to brainstorm ideas, solve problems, collaborate on new projects and assign areas of responsibility that help to move the business forward.”
Nickolls notes that many trade shows resume in September, and these provide an opportunity to visit brands, see new collections and get inspired after the summer break.
A well-connected team is at the heart of any well-run operation, so reuniting with your work colleagues is crucial for boosting morale and realigning on business strategies.
“Coffee catch-ups are great for day-to-day interactions, but for something more structured consider a team away-day or off-site,” Wilkie says. “This a great way to reconnect with colleagues and encourage their wider participation in the business. Use such sessions to brainstorm ideas, solve problems, collaborate on new projects and assign areas of responsibility that help to move the business forward.”
Nickolls notes that many trade shows resume in September, and these provide an opportunity to visit brands, see new collections and get inspired after the summer break.
6. Reorganize Your Processes
Cleaning up and reorganizing your files, invoices, templates and other documents will improve efficiency and productivity. “I like to have all my processes and templates in place, including templates for invoicing, contracts and time-tracking, and set up files ready for any new projects,” Nickolls says.
Houzz Pro software can help with this, as there are numerous tools that allow you to create templates for tasks such as Invoices, Proposals, Schedules and Email Marketing. It’s worth making the most of any downtime to review your existing templates or set up new ones.
By taking your time to organize your processes efficiently, you’ll reduce stress and have a greater sense of control over your business.
Tell us: How do you reset your business after the summer break? Share your tips in the Comments.
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Cleaning up and reorganizing your files, invoices, templates and other documents will improve efficiency and productivity. “I like to have all my processes and templates in place, including templates for invoicing, contracts and time-tracking, and set up files ready for any new projects,” Nickolls says.
Houzz Pro software can help with this, as there are numerous tools that allow you to create templates for tasks such as Invoices, Proposals, Schedules and Email Marketing. It’s worth making the most of any downtime to review your existing templates or set up new ones.
By taking your time to organize your processes efficiently, you’ll reduce stress and have a greater sense of control over your business.
Tell us: How do you reset your business after the summer break? Share your tips in the Comments.
More for Pros on Houzz
Read more stories for pros
Browse millions of photos for inspiration
Learn about Houzz Pro software
Talk with your peers in the Houzz Pro Forum
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A well-deserved vacation or slowdown during the summer months is important for maintaining good mental health and well-being, but getting back into work can be challenging. The key, say these pros, is to break tasks down so they feel more manageable.
“It’s helpful to write down the status of key project tasks and business priorities before
the holiday,” says landscape designer Christine Wilkie. “That way, you have a ready-made checklist that quickly clears any post-holiday brain fog, so you can hit the ground running.”
Interior designer Wren Loucks of Be-Kin agrees, saying, “Before I go on holiday, I will prepare as much work as I can in advance to lighten the load when I’m away. I also prepare a list of the key priorities to focus on when I return.”
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