Many businesses are sweating this time of year; not from the heat, but from the thought of the approaching summer. You can almost hear their distant rantings … Help … summer is coming! Summer is coming! Now before you run and hide, let’s talk about ways you can actually prosper this summer and enjoy it at the same time.

First things first, though. It’s important to realize that business as usual doesn’t always apply to the summer months. People are on vacation; kids are home from school, and many businesses, whether intentional or not, tend to go into a more relaxed mode. For business owners, that can mean a slowdown in business and revenue. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Yes, people might be working at a slower pace, but this means they now have time for things they might not have during the busier months. That includes training, updating their websites, working on their branding and so forth. If you offer services that can help with the things they now have time to concentrate on, your summer profits can soar. Plus, if you take advantage of this slower time in your own business, you too can experience greater profits and a better year ahead. Who is ready?

Here are just a few ideas to create summertime income:

Teaching Opportunities - Many use the summer months to learn more and expand their skills, which makes this the perfect time to create a summer teleseminar series. (You see these everywhere; so why not join in on the fun!) Speakers and coaches especially should be taking advantage of this slower time by offering a teleseminar series that best fits their audience. You can gain even more by joining forces with fellow speakers and coaches to create a more comprehensive series on a wider variety of topics by putting on a telesummit. This is also a fun way to reconnect with peers that perhaps you’ve lost touch with lately. Even if you don’t do a series, consider doing a monthly teleseminar or webinar. And remember, you don’t have to do it alone. You can hire an online support specialist to help with the details from start to finish.

Revamp Your Website - Summer is the perfect time to revamp your website(s). Can this truly make you more money? Absolutely! When you take the time to refocus the vision for your business, as well as who your ideal client is and how you can best help them, you get more of the right clients coming your way. And isn’t that what you want? However, if you don’t have the appropriate language on your website, those ideal clients might never make that connection. That’s why now is the perfect time to give your website a facelift. This one thing alone will benefit you for months and months to come.

Revamp your Ezines and Autoresponders - Honestly, if you do just this one step over the summer you will be amazed at the results. Take the ezine challenge: If you aren’t sending your ezine out on a consistent basis, make that change now. Be focused on the content and truly add value. Also, ramp up your autoresponders. The more you connect with people, the more business you’ll get. And again, this is one of those tasks that just keeps giving back month after month throughout the year.

Branding - When you focus more on your branding, it shows. Whether you need a complete makeover or just need to rebrand parts of your business, the summer is the perfect time to do it. I know branding isn’t just all about your logo and the "look" of your site, but think of the big picture – do the look, feel and intent of your website match your Twitter background and Facebook page? Do you have your logo spread throughout your marketing? Can you order new t-shirts, coffee mugs, or other promotional material with your logo on it that can spread your message more? You’ve worked so hard to create the perfect logo, so make sure to get out there and let it be seen. Just think how great it would feel come fall to know you spent time rebranding, you did it right, and you can see the results of your efforts.

Summer can be the perfect time to invest in your business. Hopefully these tips will help. Do you have tips you’d like to share? Please do leave them in the comments below. We’d love to hear from you.