One of the hardest parts about being self employed and an independent shop owner are the slow times. This is, of course, normal just as it's normal that the mall may be slow from time to time.
Retail has it's hits and misses throughout the year. It's funny how "on-point" the timing can be yet sometimes it changes year to year. Like this year, one of the all time slowest months is September for retail. Well, this year I DOUBLED my September sales from last year. Whoop! Crazy and unpredictable but it happened.
I've been in retail for many years and even managed for a few years and basically its pointless to stress over this type of situation. During this time you can be doing many things:
- Getting ready for Christmas! It's coming!
- Inventory, how well stocked are you?
- Cleaning your shop area up. In fact, DEEP clean it. Scrub scrub!
- Update your product pictures if needed.
- Update your shop in general.
- Add more products.
- How well is your SEO?
- Double check the spelling in your descriptions (I find typos all the time).
- Does your shop have a Frequently Asked Questions page? Make one.
The point is, less stress and continue working even if it isn't shipping out orders. Staying busy is always a plus and it continues your success and growth for your shop. It also prepares you for the busy season coming up. You don't want to get in habit of being slow and lazy then all of a sudden you can't mentally handle the drastic change in sales.
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