We live near the beach on the east coast, so it’s VERY tempting to spend all my time sitting by the ocean and NONE of my time doing all the things that I NEED to do to keep my home and business running smoothly. I mean, I’m self-employed, right? Why should I HAVE to work?
This whole direct sales gig is all about working when we WANT to work. Taking summer off sounds like a BLAST to me! So why should you take the summer off and not work your direct sales business? Let’s chat about it.
Want a proven plan for growing your direct sales business without feeling like you're chasing your tail? The Direct Sellers Business Blueprint explains the 4 key areas you must master to build a simplified, systematic business. It will even tell you which area to tackle first, so you can stop feeling overwhelmed or confused about what to do next. The best part? It's completely FREE!
YOU HAVE PLENTY OF MONEY!
Well, the first reason is pretty obvious to me. Most people have a direct sales side hustle for extra income. But what if you have plenty of money and don’t “need” the extra? Then yeah, you should TOTALLY take the summer off and enjoy that time with your kids, grandkids, or spouse! I mean, there are NEVER any extra expenses over the summer like vacations, camps, new school clothes for NEXT year, or fun weekend trips, right?
YOU LOVE YOUR CHILDREN SOOO MUCH THAT YOU CAN’T WAIT TO SPEND EVERY FREE MINUTE OF SUMMER WITH THEM.
If you have children, you know what happens. There’s that sweet anticipation of summer break – no homework, no packing lunches, no early mornings. You wake up late each day and head off to some fun activity that you have planned. Then it starts to happen… the lack of routine and being with each other ALL the time begins to turn your sweet children that you were anxiously waiting to spend time with into rotten little monsters that you JUST NEED A BREAK FROM! That’s never happened at OUR house, but I’ve seen it happen before. To a friend. That I won’t name.
YOU LOVE THE CHALLENGE OF STARTING OVER IN THE FALL!
I get it; I love a good challenge, too. When I first started my direct sales business, I fondly remember the day when I submitted the order for my starter kit, and then it hit me. I realized that I had to build a business from SCRATCH. WHAT DID I JUST DO?! All I had was an empty calendar. But I rose to the challenge and crushed it! It took me a good 90 days to get traction, but I felt a huge sense of accomplishment once I realized that I was cruising. I knew if I played my cards right, I wouldn’t have to start from scratch EVER again. Yeah… I loved that whole starting from nothing feeling. How about you?
I realize I’m being a little tongue in cheek, but I think you get my point. Giving yourself permission to take the summer completely off is the KISS OF DEATH for your Fall business.
30-60-90 RULE
Have you ever heard of the 30-60-90 Rule? It’s a rule I learned at the beginning of my direct sales career, and it was shown to be true repeatedly. The Rule is simple – everything you do or DON’T DO in your business will affect your business 30, 60, and 90 days from now.
Let’s see how that plays out with summer. You decide you’re going to take the summer off. Completely. You’re just going to play the whole time.
What season comes right after summer? FALL. That’s right. The season that is usually the BUSIEST selling season for direct sellers and every other company that sells stuff.
It’s the end of August, and summer vacation is over. Kids are going back to school. You realize that you haven’t touched your business in the last 90 days. No engaging in your customer group. No customer care calls or follow-up. No parties. No vendor events. No NOTHING.
And guess what else? You were so focused on tossing beach balls that you didn’t think ahead and have your August or September booked and ready to go. So you’re back at square one, like when you first started with an empty calendar. And the only way to get out of it is to pick up the phone that now weighs 276 lbs. What you started doing (or not doing) 90 days ago has completely derailed your plans for Fall.
SO SHOULD YOU WORK YOUR DIRECT SALES BUSINESS THIS SUMMER?
Friend, I understand if you want to take some time off or slow down during the summer. But don’t assume that your business will pick right back up where you left it. You’re the owner and CEO. You’re driving this thing. So it’s entirely appropriate to drive a little slower sometimes (speed limits, am I right?!) or even stop for a short period of time to do something else, as long as you have a plan in place for when you put your foot back on the gas.
Here’s an example from when I was in the field. We travel A LOT over the summer. Literally half the summer we spend in our 5th wheel traveling the country. It’s amazing and wonderful and full of all the good feels. Knowing that we are busy during that time and that wifi can be sketchy, I used to plan my party schedule around our travel. I did fewer parties, but I still DID them. I designed all of my content for my social media channels and put it on auto-pilot. I still kept the business running. I just wasn’t running at full speed. Make sense?
SET TIME TO WORK AND TIME TO PLAY
I can see the wheels turning in your head. How do you balance all the fun of this laid-back season with the daily grind of your business? Set a time to work and set a time to play. When you’re working, WORK. When you’re playing, PLAY.
I’ve found so much freedom in blocking my time for specific tasks and then NOT letting the tasks mingle with each other. My family knows when I’m working because I’ve said, “Hey y’all, I’m working now.” And then, when it’s time for us to pack up and head to the beach, they know I’m present with them at the beach. I’m not answering emails or messages. I’m playing, and that’s okay because this is playtime!
Don’t be afraid to put up firm boundaries on your time to get the things done that you NEED to get done. Your kiddos can likely entertain themselves for 30 minutes while you do some follow-up. If you have little ones, what about hiring a teenager to be a mom’s helper so you can grab an hour here and there? You and your kids will enjoy the break from each other, and the teenager will dig earning some extra money. I know this because I HAVE a teenager or two, and they ALWAYS need money.
What other ways can you think of to structure your time, so you don’t check out entirely for the summer? Tell us about it in the comments below. We’d love to hear from you!
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Want a proven plan for growing your direct sales business without feeling like you're chasing your tail? The Direct Sellers Business Blueprint explains the 4 key areas you must master to build a simplified, systematic business. It will even tell you which area to tackle first, so you can stop feeling overwhelmed or confused about what to do next. The best part? It's completely FREE!
Mary Haynes is a highly successful direct sales leader turned strategist and coach. Her passion is helping party plan people streamline and scale their businesses using simple, proven strategies. Her goal is to eliminate business overwhelm so direct sellers know exactly what to do and when to do it. Mary is also a homeschooling mama that lives in sunny Florida with her husband, 4 kiddos, 2 dogs, and various other backyard animals.
