Aug. 1-7
PLANNING What’s the best month to change your life, either personally or professionally? It’s August! Unlike the stressful New Year period, by August the kids are back at school, people have returned from vacation, and it’s easy to establish a routine that supports your new goals.
CUSTOMERS By August, schools typically are scrambling to get everything ready for the school year. Reach back out to any schools you have done estimates for. They almost always need something!
Aug. 8-14
BUDGETING August and September are important for billing and projections for the year-end, because you usually have a good sense of where you will end up by then. Compare these to your original projections from last year and adjust your method for next year’s numbers if needed.
FINANCES Balancing your accounts is much easier when you get all the money owed to you. This month, chase down overdue receivables and consider eliminating your lowest-margin products.
Aug. 15-21
INVENTORY Here’s another category for predictions. Forecast your material needs and try to stay ahead of the game. Several sign companies have reported it’s getting tougher to receive raw materials every day.
Aug. 22-28
SEASONALITY For some sign companies, August and September means opening up to full production throttle — nothing but making signs. These companies often use the winter months for business improvements.
OPERATIONS Need help setting up a super-productive desk? Consider the P-L-A-C-E system, as described by Matt Perman in his prosaically named book, How to Set Up a Desk, to give yourself a clean, organized control center. You can get a detailed outline of the system at whatsbestnext.com.
Aug. 29-Sept. 4
MARKETING Do at least one weekly post that your fans and followers can interact with. Consider posts where you tag your location at your customer’s business along with a photo, which gets their fans/followers to see your posts as well.