Okay! Father’s Day is over and I believe everyone is wrapping up 4th of July as well. In these next few days before July… think about planning for the NEXT 6 MONTHS. Plan your sales, plan your promotions. Start shopping for holiday designs and accessories.

Make July be the month that you grab your customers and keep them coming back holiday after holiday, event after event!

I have been quiet the past week in the group and that’s not because I’m ignoring anyone.. it’s because I’m planning. I’m planning to make July the biggest HoopMama month yet! Not just for me and my business, but for you and yours! (Yes, get excited!!!)

4 Tips to Consider While You Plan.

1. Don’t be a “me too” boutique. In other words, don’t offer everything under the sun and everything else that your competitors are offering. Focus on what makes YOU stand out! Color schemes, styles, extra accessories, etc. Consider to NOT look at your competitors and what they’re doing. I stopped looking at my competitors MONTHS ago and haven’t looked back. My business isn’t based on what they’re doing, it’s about what I’M doing and what I can offer. I’m reminded of a quote and I believe it rings true here… “successful people don’t worry about what everyone else is doing.” Guys… just DO YOU!

2.Market yourself! Marketing is 50% of having a business. You must promote yourself in order to let your customers know you’re there! Utilize your free options around you. Your Facebook page, groups that allow promotions, garage sale pages that allow it, newsletters, etc. Offer promos with 3-5 options at a time, not 30-50. Do promos often and schedule them out on your Facebook pages for a couple weeks in advance. With the way Facebook pages work now, very few people see your posts unless you pay to promote them. Therefore, you can get by with posting 2-3 times a day without turning off your fans. Also get your Instagram accounts going and active! I’m seeing a LOT of people have sales from Instagram.

3. Stay one – two holidays ahead! Notice how I am releasing fall and Halloween designs already? Think about doing that as well! You are in control of what you promote to your customers and we know that they sometimes like to wait until the last minute. So start scheduling some promotions for early orders for the upcoming occasions. They may still be thinking about 4th of July but start getting them thinking about Back to School, Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Football and other fall sports… you get the idea! This helps lighten the last minute orders too!

4. Keep a business journal. Take notes of what works and what doesn’t with each promotion. That way next year you can review it and change things that need tweaking. Take note of when people start asking for things. Or trends so you can promote them more effectively.

Start prepping for the next 6 months NOW so YOU are in control of your schedule and YOU know what direction you’re heading.

We are all in the same boat here. I am a SAHM just like many of you. We all want to be successful and I PROMISE there’s enough business for all of us. BUT!!! Since we are the owner, operator, marketing coordinator, CFO, and customer service rep, it gets overwhelming at times. That’s why you MUST direct your business. You MUST have a plan. You MUST look ahead and be prepared. Otherwise, these months will just go by and you’ll find yourself saying “I just need to plan better.” PLAN NOW, take it seriously, and these next 6 months will be the best you’ve ever had!

Thank you all for your time to read this! I wish all of you nothing but the success you desire. I hope you guys have a great weekend!