71. What I Do In The 'In Between' Seasons
Rebranding 'slow' and how I make the most of every season
Last year, I had this two-week period where very little happened in my business.
No projects.
No deadlines.
No events.
Mayyyyybe one or two intro calls.
That was it.
Just me, my laptop, and a lot of outreach to do to start filling my project calendar.
I felt both anxious and determined. With moments of panic sprinkled throughout.
In that moment, it felt like that ‘slow’ season might swallow me up.
But now? A year later? Believe it or not, I’ve actually grown to really appreciate the slower seasons in my business.
Or, as I call them now, the in-between seasons. Because, to be honest, the times in between the busy project seasons are rarely ‘slow’. They’re just different.
Rebranding ‘Slow Seasons’
I used to think that any time I wasn’t actively working on a thousand big client projects was a ‘slow’ season in my business
The lack of deadlines on my calendar had me feeling like I needed to book, book, book more projects ASAP.
But that feeling, of booking more immediately, didn’t match the other feelings I would have in these 1-2 weeks between big projects. Feelings of relief. Of needing to rest for a minute before diving into another strategic, beautiful website.
While I was feeling this need to FILL my calendar, I was also feeling so grateful for the open space on that same calendar.
I found myself using that space to refocus on my blogging, updating my website, putting together some case studies, and getting caught up on accounting.
That space gave my brain a moment to breathe, and with that breath came ideas for my business, conversations with new connections on my LinkedIn, and almost always, new projects booked in my calendar.
After maybe two rounds of this cycle, I realized that what I had labelled as ‘slow seasons’ in my business were actually valuable periods of time ‘in-between’ my busy client projects where I worked on recharging, growing, and improving.
These in-between seasons aren’t times to be scared of or try to blot out entirely, they are the moments to treasure and make the most of, the same way I do in my busy project seasons.
What I Do In The ‘In-Between’ Seasons
In the past year, several newer freelancers have asked my advice on how to drum up business or how to navigate the ‘slow’ freelancer seasons.
After I share my little speech about slow seasons (as seen above LOL), I share how I’ve spent different in-between seasons to either generate new business, make the most of free time in my calendar, or focus on long-term growth.
1. Friendly Reach Outs To Drum Up Referrals
When I have some project availability coming up, I’ll often make a list of some friends, network contacts, fellow business owners, or past clients. I’ll send out some casual emails letting them know I have some space coming up for websites in case they know of anyone looking for help in this area.
Most of the time, all I receive back is a friendly ‘good to know!’ or something like that, but the next time someone asks about websites, they’ll be more likely to think of me than if I hadn’t put the word out!
This has brought me SO many amazing clients and projects, and it’s the approach I suggest to every new freelancer I meet. Connections are everything and putting your name out there is simpler than it often feels.
2. Attend Events + Set Up Coffee Chats
These in-between seasons are PERFECT for growing your network. I’ll often seek out events (both online and in-person) on LinkedIn, Eventbrite, or Facebook to find networking opportunities.
I also use this as a chance to set up casual coffee chats with fellow entrepreneurs or people I’ve met at past events, because you never know when a connection could turn into a project, referral, or even a deeper friendship.
Putting yourself out there can feel daunting, of course, but it’s all a part of creating community and connections that will ultimately grow your freelancing business.
3. Update Your Website/Sales Materials/Marketing
Enjoy having some time to update your website. Refresh any sales materials or tools you use in your client experience. Create some new videos for LinkedIn and Instagram showcasing your recent work.
Having time in your calendar to work on your own business and feel more confident in your website, case studies, blog posts, social content, and more is RARE when you’re focused on client projects. So when I do get that time, I feel grateful.
If you’re brand new, take this time to research more about your industry, dream clients, different tools or platforms. There’s so much to know in the freelance and business owner space, so this time is never wasted.
4. Set Up Systems And Improve Your Processes
This might be one of the most impactful ways to spend your time in the in-between seasons. Your systems are how you SERVE your clients, but they also help you as a business owner to SCALE.
Have emails that you send repeatedly in your projects? Take a few hours and write out pre-done templates. Have an idea of how you run your sales process? Document the process and write it down to begin your SOPs.
Notice you’re paying for two similar tools? Update your method so you only need one and save yourself that expense. Taking time to update or refresh your systems will dramatically improve your business over time.
5. Recharge And Find Ways To Add More Value
Okay, these get packaged together because someeee seasons I just need to recharge. Read my book in the mornings. Spend time on Pinterest. Really let my creative juices start flowing again (creative energy is soooo real).
OTHER seasons, I spend the in-between time focusing on creating more value for my clients. Designing a website template to make my template customization offer even better, for example. Taking an SEO certification course. Or building out some new resources for service-based businesses (oops, gave that one away 👀).
As you can tell, these seasons in between client projects aren’t really slow. They are just filled with other kinds of projects — projects that improve your business and grow you as a person.
This internal rebrand has transformed how I use the time between website launches and helped me truly make the most of every season of business.
🤠 What’s Cool…
Finding design inspiration out in the world! Every time I see a cool font, great copy on a billboard, a stunning poster design… Pretty much anything that catches my eye as a consumer, I snap a photo!
There’s something really special about finding cool, creative designs or campaigns offline, and I love looking through my photos folder for ideas.
The latest find? A bunch of marketing ideas, designs, and copy inspo at the local Calgary Beerfest! The signage, colors, and copywriting was truly so fun.
📚 Currently Reading…
Sooooo I read three books last week. It was a lot of reading. But I COULDN’T STOP!! The Cormoran Strike novels have me in their grip, and I read TWO of them last week.
Alas. My Strike mystery reading streak has come to an end because the next book in the series doesn’t arrive until September… I’m very sad.
I also read a business book last week, Profit First. Which was a really interesting read that does what very few business books do — it walks through the EXACT process of implementing the strategy it espouses!
Profit First is essentially the philosophy that if you take the profit (essentially ‘pay your business first’) and then pay expenses and taxes, you’ll naturally turn a profit.
As so many businesses, even large ones, turn little to no profit, this book reads as an amazing tool for anyone interested in changing how their business operates financially in a really practical way. I found the book extremely interesting, despite it not being super applicable to a freelance model like myself.
🍊 Working On…
Here’s what’s going on at Belle White Creative HQ this week…
Finalizing a client website: This involves having our final call, planning the website launch process, designing launch graphics for social media, and packaging up all their brand assets!
Looking at a new invoicing tool: Thinking about WAVE bookkeeping as an alternative to QuickBooks. I plan to take a look and see if a switch is worth it!
Getting ready for my 10K: Eeep! We’re less than a week away and I’m officially nervous. I ran an 8K last weekend and I felt pretty good, minus a very tight calf muscle that I’m HOPING I can stretch out sufficiently.
Editing an ebook: Getting to write the copy for an incredible ebook resource is SO cool, I’m so excited to edit and revise based on my client’s feedback this week.
Thank you so much for being here and chat next Wednesday,
xo — Belle