Hello and welcome to the Messy Mompreneur Podcast, where we cover all things community, parent entrepreneurship, and building life-first marketing efforts for your small business! I’m your host, Alysha Sanford. I’m a mostly-work-from-home mom with a background in brand photography and a passion for sustainable marketing strategies. You’re probably listening because you, too, wear all of the hats, and I’m so happy to have you here!

If you’ve been feeling like your sales, bookings or business in general has slowed down, the calendar is emptier than you expected, or you’re wondering “am I doing something wrong?”… this episode is for you. I’ll walk you through why slow seasons happen, how to shift your perspective, and the practical steps that you can take right now so that you can either turn it around, or prepare before your usual slow season hits.

Main Topics included in this Episode

  • An important mindset shift regarding slow seasons
  • How to acknowledge and diagnose the reason for the slow season
  • 8 areas of focus that can all improve bookings and sales
  • The unexpected benefits of a slow season

Resources Mentioned

Connect with Alysha

Music Licensing Info

Music by Eli Lev - Dancin' on the Lawn

Link

Episode Transcription

If you've been leaning back in your chair wondering why things aren't picking up, this episode is for you. We're going to dig into how you can turn a slow season into an intentional season. You'll walk away with actionable ideas applicable to any business model, plus a free checklist that I made with 20 plus ways to boost bookings or sales during a slow season. Hello and welcome to the Messy Mompreneur Podcast, where we cover all things community, parent entrepreneurship, and building life-first marketing efforts for your small business. I'm your host, Alysha Sanford. I'm a mostly work-from-home toddler mom, with a background in brand photography and a passion for sustainable marketing strategies that fit your capacity. You're probably listening because you also wear all of the hats, and I'm so happy to have you here. So let's start by recognizing the slowdown. When business slows down, it doesn't automatically mean that you're failing. Talk about or identify what's changed. Is it less inquiries? Previous inquiries ghosting you after you follow up? Is it less sales? Or is it abandoned shopping carts so you knew they were interested? Slow seasons happen for many reasons. Seasonal patterns, market shifts, life seasons, and financial recovery following the holidays. That's a big one, which we're, if you're listening in real time, we're coming up around. This slow season pause in bookings, client work, or sales is an opportunity, not just a setback. So you got to think bigger. A mindset shift for you is to use the pause intentionally. Instead of panicking or hustling harder, lean into the slow down with strategy. Recognize that this is your chance to work on your business and not just in it. In my previous years as a photographer, I've typically had a slow season every January through March or so. It used to cause me so much stress. that I learned to stash finances away to cover the overhead during that lull and dove into the actions and marketing channels that we're just about to cover here. I started to use that time during slow seasons to refresh my systems and my marketing, and I came out ahead for the year. This is your season of preparation and renewal. Today I'm excited to share 8 main areas to focus on. But I also created a free checklist of 20 plus ways to boost your bookings or sales during a slow season. I want you to make sure to download it. The checklist covers all of these areas in detail. And if you print it out, you can come back to it as you work through the options to set your year in business up for success. Find that checklist linked in the show notes. I promise it's a good one. All right, so let's get into those eight main areas. The first is to lean into smart strategic marketing. Refresh or repurpose content that already works and improve it. You can schedule ahead with an all-in-one tool so that you stay visible. My favorite is Metricool. Link's in the show notes as well. It's awesome. You can produce content that answers real questions that your audience is asking, which builds trust and traffic. The second area is to tap into your community. You can partner with another business for a bundle or a workshop. You can host a community event or a pop-up. You can highlight fellow small businesses in your content, and that builds goodwill and visibility as well. The third area is to circle back to past clients. Send a personal check-in e-mail thanking past clients and updating them on your new offerings or availability. You can offer repeat client discount or loyalty perk, or you could launch a simple referral program inviting them to share you with a friend. The 4th area is to strengthen your foundations. You can improve your SEO. Update older content and make sure that your site is connected to Google Search Console for indexing. Think about the keywords that people are searching and how can you be discovered. Make sure that your website is up to date with clear messaging, testimonials, and service descriptions. I just recently had an episode about a fall website refresh before the holidays, and that's totally relevant all year round, actually, so you can find that. It's just a few episodes back. And you can add fresh case studies or stories or testimonials that highlight your value because people trust other people's experiences. The 5th area is to reduce booking friction. Add a clear book now or work with me button on your homepage and kind of scatter them throughout as people read through so they don't have to hunt it down. Shorten your contact or inquiry form to just the essentials at first. Link directly to your booking page from social bios and key content pieces. And you can ensure the booking process is mobile friendly. That's a big one. So many people search everything on their phones these days, so make sure that it's loading. And the 6th area is to experiment with offers. You can introduce an add-on or upgrade for current clients. You could run a limited time or seasonal bundle. And you could test a new service or product that fills a gap that you've noticed in your market or in your own offerings. The 7th area is to expand your reach. You can claim or update business profiles like your Google Business Profile. You can create Pinterest pins or other platforms linking to your services or content. You can test a small ad, paid ad campaign or local advertising. Experiment gently while pace is slower. It's the perfect time to experiment. And the 8th area is to protect your time and energy. Cut your expenses or tasks that don't directly support growth or client experience. You can outsource tasks that drain you or take away from your zone of genius. You could lean into storytelling and client-serving content. Remind your audience and yourself of your why. And you can choose rest, recharge, and set boundaries. Slow seasons are not failure. They're part of the rhythm. So the key takeaways from today. Slow seasons don't mean failure. They mean opportunity. This is the time to get creative, refine your systems, and lean into the community and connections that make your business strong. Even one small action like sending a client follow-up or refreshing your website can build momentum that carries into your next busy season. If you haven't yet, head over to my website or the show notes first to grab the link and grab that free checklist that I mentioned with 20 plus ways to boost bookings or sales during a slow season. It'll walk you through these action areas and give you specific ideas of how you can use it now. Download it, pick one or two items to implement this week, and let me know how it goes. So I'll leave you with that today. Thank you so much for spending your time with me. I would love to connect with you. can find me on Instagram with the handle @heyalyshasanford, or check out the other contact info in the show notes. Make sure to sign up for the weekly Friday Mix e-mail, where I'm most actively sharing my top hits for all things small business and marketing. And if you're listening on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, make sure to subscribe to the show for future weekly episodes. All right, friend. Until next time. Bye!