Perhaps as a small business employer you consider summer to be a slow season for your business, and thus the craze about hiring summer interns doesn’t apply to you. Well, do entrepreneurs every really have a slowdown?

Sure, we need time to recharge our batteries but time without your email buzzing and your phone ringing is also incredibly valuable - you can use that ‘quiet time’ to enlist some help and tackle the to-do’s that somehow have never been crossed off the list.

Take, for example, social media. Social media is a great area where entrepreneurs can tap into highly connected, tech-savvy interns. Use this time to either have a Tweeter generate a huge online following that you can leverage in Q3 and Q4 of 2011, or hire a copywriter to bulk up your stable of blog posts so you can consistently publish high quality content (and not have it distract you from running your business).

And don’t forget research. Whether it’s putting together a new list of relevant press contacts, potential customers or partners, it all starts with having the right names and contact information when you need them. Research is a perfect job for an intern. It can be done virtually so no need to worry about additional office space. Plus, if it’s not time sensitive, you can really have your intern dig in and build you a comprehensive database of need to know information.

And last but not least, organization! Perhaps you’re one of those lucky entrepreneurs with a built-in tendency towards being organized. But for the others (the frenetic, crazy kind that are constantly looking for random emails and post-it notes), organization takes time. A summer intern is a perfect person to help you with projects big and small, like categorizing contacts to filing.

It’s important to remember that interns are just not for big businesses. Small businesses, home businesses and entrepreneurs can benefit from hiring a summer intern as well. And do not worry if you do not have the space for an intern, because you do. Even if you do not have a "desk" or a "computer" for an intern, you can hire one virtually. The intern doesn’t even have to be in the same state or time zone! A virtual intern could work from their home or college dorm in Dallas, TX while you’re in Burlington, VT. You just stay in touch electronically or via the phone.

There are numerous examples beyond what we stated above and as an employer, you won’t realize all the benefits of having an intern (or interns) until you hire them.