Prep Your Shop for Hurricane Season, Step Up Your Summer Marketing, and More Manager’s To-Do Items for July

June 26-July 2

PREPAREDNESS Atlantic hurricane season officially began on June 1 and ends on Nov. 30. If recent years taught us anything, it’s that a generator is a wise
investment.

COMMUNITY It’s parade season: Time to suit up and sign up for the July 4th fun. You’ll be spreading a message of community involvement, quality branding, and marketing design for businesses.

July 3-9

STAFF Do you need temporary help? Make sure all the positions have written job descriptions. No role, not even a part-time one, should be treated ad hoc.

MANAGEMENT Summer reading isn’t only for students. Set yourself a target of reading one business book a month for the next three months. Some of our favorite titles from the bestseller lists: Atomic Habits by James Clear, Deep Work by Cal Newport, and Stealing Fire by Steven Kotler and Jamie Wheal.

July 10-16

OPERATIONS Thinking of a remodel, a move to a new market, or just need some advice on how to stay competitive? Give your local US Small Business Administration center (asbdc-us.org) a call. There are approximately 1000 service centers across the country that provide no-cost consulting and low-cost training.

IN-STORE Check your air-conditioning so people coming in from outside are comfortable, not just the people working inside.

July 17-23

MARKETING Use the summer months to build your video gallery. Post videos showing your latest wallcovering install, how to swap out seasonal SEG, the best way to wrap a car door, and other behind-the-scenes content.

TRAINING Write down one important skill you can teach each employee. By the end of next week, make sure you’ve spent at least some time working with each staffer on that skill.

July 24-30

FINANCES This has been a volatile year for the economy. How are your sales forecasts and other projections looking? Are you on budget for expenditures? Review every item in your budget to see where changes are appropriate.

TECHNOLOGY It’s time for some computer housecleaning. Get that desktop down to no more than a dozen folders or shortcuts. Set up new filters to take care of any newsletters you may have signed up for in the last year.