In this post, we’re talking about the Seasons of Business. Just like the different weather seasons we experience, our businesses go through a certain business cycle. This cycle plays a huge part in how we make decisions for our marketing strategy and resources. The Seasons of Business is a natural analogy that can help us determine what aspect of the business we’re currently in and where we want to move forward. I’m going to share what the 4 seasons mean (spring, summer, fall, and winter) and how we, as business owners, can have that sense of productivity, fulfillment, and growth. This analogy will show you how all the work that we put in produces traction in our business and brings out the results that we desire. 

The Seasons of Business

As you know, I live in Canada and we have four clear seasons: winter, spring, summer, and fall. Each one of these seasons represents an aspect of building a business and personal growth. There are a lot of examples of how the seasons relate to what we're doing on a day-to-day or even year-to-year. You may find your business in a season that you didn't quite anticipate, whether you’re suddenly super busy executing a large project, maybe have extra time to learn how to use modern marketing techniques, or stay up to date with the latest literature.

Another thing that I want to point out is that business, like seasons, is cyclical. This means that as business owners, we go through all seasons and stages. We may experience a specific season longer than others, but everything will eventually shift, and you start over to new projects. What the members of my Accelerate program often do is learn how to best implement marketing, and that’s something that can take quite a bit longer. It’s important to note that I’m just using the seasons as an analogy, so it doesn't necessarily mean that the season of your business life is restricted to only three months. For instance, if you’re adding a new service offering, you might be spending more time in spring before it starts to grow in the summer season. So that’s something that I would like you to reflect on as we go along this post. 

Now, let’s take a look at the four seasons to help you better understand where you are right now and identify where the gaps are so that you can move your business forward.

The 4 Seasons of Business

1. Spring

Spring is about potential and possibility. To give you a clear perspective on how the seasons apply to your business, let’s compare them to getting your garden ready. Where I live in Canada, spring is almost over. For the vast majority of the spring season, I’ve been germinating my seeds indoors, watering, and paying really close attention to them. It’s been warm enough these past few weeks, so I was able to transfer those seeds outside. This has been a really long process, but now my garden is growing. 

What my garden analogy means for your business is that spring is the time when you start planting seeds for new growth. Spring is called the season of “birth” because this is when you make new business plans, develop your marketing strategy, and establish relationships with the employers in your community. If you’re in this season of your business, you’ll be full of energy and ideas and putting new service offerings out onto the market.

2. Summer

As the summer season comes around, the seeds you planted in spring start to blossom. This is the time to nurture and tend to our growth. We have to make sure that what we’ve put into place in spring continues to grow. Looking at my garden right now, I can see that it’s already time to remove the weeds to ensure that my garden can flourish. I need to keep watering and nurturing the seeds that I planted back in spring so that they continue to thrive. 

A lot of this is reflected in the summer season of your business. If you’re in a summer phase, you have to pay close attention to your operations to keep your business growing. You have to nurture your projects, continue to promote your services, tend to your relationships, and form new connections in your community. If you’re in this stage of your business, all that creativity and energy of spring will have calmed down, but you must get your projects closer to completion.

3. Fall

The fall season is when our business becomes mature. Fall is the season of harvest, but only if you've put in the work in spring and summer. In Canada, we celebrate Thanksgiving at the end of the summer season. This is the time that we get together with our families and share our harvest. Right now, I'm looking at that longingly because I'm just about to start the summer season. But I know that if I tend to my garden and nurture it for the next three months, then I’m going to be able to have a nice harvest for the next months.

The same is true in your business. After consistently tending to your garden, you’ll eventually see the results. This is the time that you reap the rewards of what you’ve planted in the previous seasons. That reward may mean landing that client that you love working with or finally learning how to do office ergonomic assessments. 

4. Winter

Both you and your business need time to rest. The winter season is the time for you to recover from the busy months of spring and summer. If you've ever experienced winter in Canada, you know that there's absolutely nothing you can do for your garden outside. Winter has been called the season to rest. If you’re in the winter season of your business, you’ll be in a phase of slowing down and taking a rest. Taking rest could be something that you want or has been forced upon you. One reason could be that your clients dwindle. Maybe you introduce a new service deliverable but no one purchases it. Perhaps you no longer have the same energy and drive that you had during the spring and summer seasons. Possibly, your creative ideas are not as impressive as in the past seasons. 

If you’re in this season, remember to make time to reflect. Ask yourself whether what you’re offering works or not and where you want to take your business once spring comes. What I’ve found to be useful when I'm in the winter season (whether I want to be in the winter season or not) is that I consider the business aspects that I need to change or I need to let go.

So what season are you in? I think it’s useful to think of our season of business. Remember that whatever season you’re at, there are no winners or losers. Each season gives us something that we can use to our advantage to better our business. Whatever season you’re currently in, think about how you can make the most of this season and what you can do to shift to the next one. 

Grow Your Business with Accelerate

On June 28, 2021, I'm going to be opening the enrollment for the Accelerate membership. There are a lot of benefits to being a member. You can be in a community that supports you to look at your business and determine what you need to take it to the next level. You can also get access to the amazing features of the program, including monthly white-labeled infographics, up-to-date literature review about ergonomics, and useful modern marketing techniques. If you’re interested, sign up to the waitlist here.