Is your business going to slow down this summer? And if it does, how long will it take you to ramp back up come fall? Summers can be stressful for Mama CEOs trying to juggle changing schedules and figure out how to scale back—or push on. Your business doesn’t have to take the back seat this summer as long as you have a plan in place.
The past few summers I have very intentionally been able to take a break—and keep things moving in my business. It all starts with a plan. And the time to plan is now. That’s why I’m sharing my favorite planning tips and launch planner with you.
Wait, launch? In the summer? Yes! I’m getting ready to re-launch one of my signature planning products, so I’m going through this process right now. I’m planning some summer family fun and some amazing steps for my business. Talk about a Mama Advantage.
Ready to plan your next launch—and stay sane this summer? Let’s get started.
Launch Like a Mother This Summer
Summer can be a crazy time. Kids are often on different routines. Our minds are primed for fun and vacation. And we need to keep things rolling at home and with our business. A solid plan helps you stay on track—and know what is absolutely essential so that you can focus your attention when you’re at your desk and focus on your family when you are at the beach or a cookout.
Create Your Plan
Think about all the pieces that go into a launch: new opt-ins, guest posts, Facebook ads, social media campaigns, sales page, podcasts, webinars, setting up your cart, new images . . .
You don’t have to do it all.
Part of running a sustainable, and ultimately successful, launch is making decisions. You can decide whether you want to do Facebook ads or if an Instagram challenge will get you noticed more by the right people. You can decide to do a webinar or guest blog posts or podcast interviews. You can use affiliates or skip it. You don’t have to do every possible business idea in this one launch.
Once you make decisions about what you’ll include in this launch, remember, you don’t have to do it all. Having a people plan is part of every good launch plan. Your team, your supports, and your family are there to help you reach your goals.
Think about the reality of your summer and the things that are likely to go wrong. We can’t anticipate every single problem, but by having contingency plans, we can move past issues more quickly and with fewer headaches. Here are a few things to have in your launch plan:
- Emergency tech support
- A backup designer, writer, VA (put the word out to other Mama CEOs to help or suggest their faves)
- Options for babysitting/play dates for your kids
- Popsicles, extra movies, and a box of little surprises should sickness (or boredom) strike your kids
- A sense of humor (possibly the most essential tool for launching and Mama CEOing in general).
Knowing who you can turn to for help can ease your mind as you move closer to and into your launch.
Get Your People Onboard
Smart Mama CEOs don’t go it alone. Think about the help you’ll need. If you’ve got a team, get them ready and make sure they’ve got key dates on their calendar.
If you don’t have a team, decide which pieces you will outsource. Which pieces will be most time consuming for you? Which pieces do you not know how to do? Could a a VA, copywriter, designer, social media manager, or other key supports help you reach your goals? Line up the help you need early.
Your people go beyond your team. They also include partners, fans, and affiliates who can help spread the word.
And let your family know what to expect. Communicate specific needs to your partner—I need you to have the kids out of the house on Wednesday the 7th because I have an a major live call or I’ll be at an event on Friday the 19th, so you and the kids will be on your own for dinner.
Explain to your partner why the launch is important to you and what it will do for your family. Tell your kids that you will be working extra for a few weeks. Talk to older kids about how they can help. Talk to younger kids about changes. Remind everyone how you can still connect and when things will be back to normal. Your goal is for you family to be part of your team, not a logical problem in your launch.
Self-care for the Win
I know you are about to stop all self-care when you launch. You might not mean to, you’re just so busy. So you skip your morning run or your bedtime meditation. You stay up too late, drink too much coffee, and maybe forget to eat lunch.
Your launch will be better if you take care of yourself.
So make self-care part of you plan. Commit to showering every day. Get outside—fresh air and a quick walk can set you up to crank out the next few things on your list. Drink your water. Prep meals and set reminders to stop for lunch.
And go to bed! Sleep makes everything else go more smoothly, and when something goes wrong, you’re going to deal with it better if you’re rested.
I have a love-hate relationship with launching. It’s exhausting and sucks up lots of time and resources, but launching gets your big ideas out into the world! And there’s nothing better, or more important for your business, than that.
I’m ready for some summer fun—and business building. How about you?
I know launching is overwhelming, so I put together a launch checklist and timeline especially for Mama CEOs.
I’ll walk you through:
- An overview of your launch, including your “why,” goals, and the when
- Revenue and budget planning
- Exposure and outreach plan
- Creating a people plan
- Prepping for the home front
- Self-care
- Creating a timeline
Get Launch Like a Mother and start planning how to keep your business humming with a summer launch today!
