——

Hi, I’m Andy. I’ve spent most of my 30-year career working for myself. Solo(ish) is where I share lessons from that journey: the freedom, the uncertainty, the discipline, and the perspective that come with building a business on your own.

If someone forwarded this to you, you can subscribe here. And if you know someone who’d enjoy Solo(ish), feel free to share it.

——

So, what do you do when business is slow, and you suddenly have fewer client demands on your time?

It’s August. Things are slow.

At least, that’s what I keep hearing from solopreneurs, small business owners, and founders I talk to.

And I’m feeling some of it too.

New business is coming in a little less frequently. Decisions to close are taking longer. People are on vacation. And while I’ve always believed our businesses tend to lag what’s happening in the broader economy, the slowdown feels real.

First, stop calling it free time.

You have available capacity.

And you can put it to work.

Make something.

I’ve always believed that activity creates activity.

If you’re a designer without enough design work, design something. If you’re a writer, write. If you’re a consultant, develop a new framework. If you build things, build something for yourself.

Do the kind of work you wish someone were paying you to do.

Make it interesting. Make it fun. Use it to experiment with something a client might never let you try.

Then talk about it.

People tend to notice people who are doing interesting things. And sometimes looking busy doing great work has the funny side effect of making other people want to work with you.

Market the business you already have.

Less client work doesn’t mean there’s less work to do.

There’s always marketing. Business development. Networking. Operations. Finance. Follow-up. All those things we push aside when we’re busy doing work for clients.

Send a few emails. Reconnect with an old client. Ask someone to coffee. Attend a networking event. Write another article. Update that neglected page on your website. Ask for a referral.

You know all those things you keep saying you’ll get to when things slow down?

Well…

Try something.

Available capacity gives you room to experiment.

During a slower period, I started recording audio versions of these newsletters.

I didn’t have a grand strategy behind it. I just wondered whether some people might prefer listening to reading.

Turns out, they do.

Enough people listened that my little experiment became something I continue doing for my private client email, BrandTherapy Notes.

Not every experiment will work. That’s why they’re experiments.

But when you’re buried in client work, it’s hard to find the time to try them.

Clean something up.

Seriously.

Clean your office. Go through the file cabinet. Organize your Dropbox. Archive old projects. Throw some stuff away. Move your desk.

You might uncover an idea you forgot about, a project worth resurrecting, or the name of someone you’ve been meaning to contact.

Or you might make your surroundings feel fresh again.

Creating a little order around you can create a little energy within you.

Feed the right wolf.

Slow periods can mess with your head when you work for yourself.

There’s suddenly plenty of time to worry.

To compare yourself to everyone who appears incredibly busy on LinkedIn.

To stare at your inbox.

To check the bank account again.

To wonder whether the phone is ever going to ring.

A while back, I wrote about an old Cherokee parable about two wolves fighting inside us. One represents fear, doubt, anger, and negativity. The other represents confidence, hope, kindness, and possibility.

Which one wins?

The one you feed.

→ Read: Feeding the Right Wolf

Here’s the thing

None of the things I’ve suggested here guarantee that someone will call tomorrow with a big new project.

You can make things, market yourself, network, experiment, clean your office, feed the right wolf—and still have a slow August.

But you can’t always control when business comes through the door.

You can control what you do with your available capacity while you’re waiting.

→ Make something.

→ Call someone.

→ Try something.

→ Fix something.

→ Put something useful into the world.

Because activity has a funny way of creating more activity, and sooner or later, things will get busy again. The question is whether you’ll be ready when they do.

Remember, working for yourself doesn’t mean you work alone.

Andy

P.S. Have a question or topic you’d like me to tackle in a future edition of Solo(ish)? Leave a comment or send me a DM. I’d love to hear your ideas.

—

If you’re interested…

→ Whether you’re deciding what’s next or simply feeling stuck, an outside perspective can help. Book a Focused Clarity Session. https://www.brenits.com/ideastorm-focused-clarity-session/