Business 101: Ready, Set, PREP! Getting Ready for Back to Business (Checklist)

Are you ready? Ready for the Back to Business season to start?

The clock is ticking and even though the sun is still shining and the days are still slow and lazy, it’s just a matter of weeks before everything shifts into gear and you’re back into the daily grind.

Don’t worry – we made a little checklist to help you get ready…(in between soaking up those last rays of sunshine)!

Checklist: 10 Ways to Get Ready for Back to Business

#1: Catch-up on Paperwork – You know all that administrative stuff you let pile up on your desk while you were basking in the sun? Tackle that before you shift into high gear with new projects and clients queuing up and demanding your attention.

#2: Plan Marketing Campaigns – Considering doing a postcard campaign or finally trying your luck with Facebook advertising? Create a detailed calendar of campaigns and related marketing activities (like designing said postcard or Facebook ad) so you don’t miss any key deadlines when things pick up in September.

#3: Kick Start Sales – Start lining up your fall sales prospects now! Send your top prospects a virtual coffee invite to catch-up, forward interesting articles or statistics or pick up the telephone and give them a call. It doesn’t matter WHAT you do. The point is to do it now.

#4: Declutter Office – This is one exception to the Do NOT use cleaning your office as a distraction to actually doing work rule because you are decluttering to get ready for a new business season (and hopefully one good declutter will help you stay organized and avoid future distraction).

#5: Finalize Travel Schedule – Decide which conferences you plan on attending and start booking flights and hotels as special conference deals tend to fill up as the date approaches and people start to panic (and it really sucks to be stuck in one of the uncool hotels far away from all the action).

#6: Preorder Business Cards – Instead of waiting until the last minute to panic and pay the extra rush charges to get them done with minutes to spare, why not preorder the business cards you know you are going to need for your fall networking and conference season?

#7: Implement (and Test) New Systems or Software – Thinking about trying out that handy dandy online data backup site you saw reviewed over the summer? Do it now and see if it works the way you expected it to BEFORE you don’t have time to fuss around with it.

#8: Stock up on Time Savers – Restock your gift closet, prime your crockpot and start flexing your meal planning muscles – it’s time to start thinking about those life hacks that save you time when you need it the most!

#9: Load Calendar – Input your family calendar into your time management system. Don’t forget to include National holidays, school breaks, and any planned family vacations so those dates don’t sneak up on you (because that’s what they do best).

#10: Take a Final Break – Because self-care tends to go out the window when business gets busy, take time now to treat yourself to a little bit of me-time away from the kids!