I just love the month of August – always have, always will. I know that not all entrepreneurs feel that way though. Many of you have slacked off over the past few months of summer and now look ahead with a sense of panic because you have no business in your sales funnel.

“Don’t count the things you do, do the things that count.” – Zig Ziglar

This is the time of year when many entrepreneurs will step back into their ‘state of busyness’ – believing that is what will bring them the business they so desperately need right now.  STOP!

THAT will not get you where you want to be. Instead, take a deep breath – and let’s look at a few things you can do right now to prepare for fall so that you will be doing the things that count.

HERE’S WHAT WORKS FOR ME –

  1. SET A REVENUE TARGET FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE YEAR

Your revenue has probably suffered over the past few weeks and that will definitely impact your cash flow right now – let alone going forward. Set a revenue target right now for the remaining 4 months of the year. Write that number down on your wall calendar (remember the big wall calendar that I talk about All the time?? – ya, that one!) and keep it in front of your face each and every day.

  1. BREAK THAT REVENUE TARGET DOWN INTO MONTHLY/WEEKLY GOALS

Once you have identified your revenue goal for the month and for the week – that gives you a clear idea of what you need to accomplish to meet your year-end goal.

  1. REVIEW WHAT HAS WORKED IN THE PAST

This is the time to ‘rinse and repeat’, as I like to call it. What has worked for you so far this year? Rinse and repeat that! Keep doing what’s working for you. This is NOT the time to just get busy being busy. If getting referrals has worked for you, then get busy doing that. If networking has worked for you, get yourself out there again. If delivering workshops brought in the clients, then get those scheduled and marketed immediately. Do what works.

  1. SET YOURSELF UP FOR SUCCESS!

I know, from conversations with my own clients, that many of you have been treating your business like a hobby – taking the whole summer off – slacking off – not paying attention to your sales funnel – and not paying attention to your work environment either. That is a HUGE mistake. Your environment is key to your success. So take this time right now in August, get into your office and start purging, cleaning, organizing, deleting, disposing – whatever it takes. Get a handle on this NOW. Make your work environment a beautiful, calm, organized place to be. That will absolutely reflect in the way you do business and succeed in business.

  1. GET CONNECTED.

Many of you have been struggling on your own up this point. How’s that working for you? Get connected. Every successful entrepreneur belongs to a networking group, a business mastermind group, works with a coach, has an accountability buddy – any and all of these will set you up for success too. So, get with the program! You can’t do it alone. No one can.

“CLUTTER IS NOT JUST THE STUFF ON YOUR FLOOR – IT’S ANYTHING THAT STANDS BETWEEN YOU AND THE LIFE YOU WANT TO BE LIVING – THE BUSINESS YOU WANT TO BE GROWING!’ – Peter Walsh

(I added in that last part, LOL!)

WHAT WILL YOU DO TODAY TO SET YOURSELF UP FOR SUCCESS FOR THE FALL?

Please share your thoughts!

Author: Pat Mussieux

Pat has built the new business she's dreamed of, without compromise. She has been nominated, for the past 4 years, for the Canadian Woman Entrepreneur of the Year award and have won 4 STEVIE Awards for Women in Business. Pat has also hosted her own local radio show for 4 years and now hosts a live talk show on local TV interviewing successful women entrepreneurs and sharing their stories. She has written 3 books – the latest of which is ‘Stop Compromising and Make All the Money You Want! A Do-It-Yourself Guide for Starting Up and Starting Over.’