What to do in the slow summer months

Many owners of fitness or health coaching businesses will find that the summer season can be slow. 

New clients may be reluctant to start a program when summer vacations are approaching. They may be spending less time on social media or they might have children home on summer break. And existing clients might want to take a break during the summer. 

So what should you do to make the most of this slower time in your wellness business?

Prepare for a fall launch

September can be one of the busiest times for health and fitness coaches, especially if your clients are parents of children who are now in school. This makes September one of the best times to launch a new program. A quieter summer can give you more time to prepare for launching your new program. 

Work out a timeline for when everything has to happen so your launch goes smoothly. You can work on updating or creating sales pages and launch emails and make sure you have templates in place to respond to the questions you’ll get.

Revamp or streamline your program

If you have an existing program, you can use the slow summer months to review your program and decide where you need to make changes. Look at the places where clients are struggling and where they are having success to decide what needs to change. 

Or maybe you want to move your program to a new platform to help make it easier for you to deliver and help your clients get success. Slow times are perfect for this. This guide will help you discover what's missing in your client experience.

Create a new ebook

If everything is running smoothly in your business, then why not spend the summer creating an ebook. Take your laptop or tablet outside, enjoy the weather and start writing. An ebook can help you to establish authority in your field. You can create a free or paid ebook depending on how detailed you go.

Create a mini course

A mini course can be a great way to have a low cost product that you can use to supplement your coaching income. Spend your extra time this summer creating a mini course that solves a single problem.

Learn a new skill

Or maybe you want to focus on learning something new. If you have a certification that requires professional development time, you can spend the summer taking an online course to fulfill some of the requirements. 

You could also spend some time getting more familiar with a tool you use. Learn how to make the most of the tools you are using to help make your life easier when things get busier again.

Review your expenses

Of course fewer clients means less money coming in, so spend some time reviewing your expenses. Check out the tools you are paying for and decide if you still need them. Review memberships and make sure they are still relevant to what you do. If anual payments are due later in the year, add a reminder to your calendar to cancel before the due date.

Work on batching content

You can also use the extra time to create new content so you are ready for fall and winter. Write blog posts, create YouTube videos, record podcasts, or create social media content.

Work with international clients

You may find that clients in some countries follow different seasonal patterns and might not be as affected by your summer. With an online business, you can work with clients anywhere in the world.

Pamper the clients that stay on over the summer

You’ll still have some clients that want support over the summer. Use some of your extra time to make sure these clients are getting all the support they need.

Practice some self care

If you have more time in the summer, spend some of it on self care. If you’ve been too busy to exercise, then get back into it. Outdoor exercise is one of the best forms of self care. Go for long walks, take an outdoor yoga class or go for a bike ride with your family. 

Or you can take some time to start or revisit a self care practice like meditation or journaling. But don’t forget less structured forms of self care like sitting in the sun and reading a trashy romance, planting some flowers or enjoying your coffee on a patio.

Summary

The summer might not be slow for you and that’s great. But keep these ideas in mind for when you have a slow month or even a slow day.