Every contractor knows that for at least part of the year, work on-site will slow down. Usually, that coincides with winter or the rainy season, but whenever it happens for you, you’re going to have a few months where things are slow.
The good news is that while you might not be putting in the hours on-site, there are plenty of ways to improve your business while things are slow, and here are six of our favorites. 
- Find superstar new employees. Even if they don’t start right away, hiring great people before things get busy can be a great way to hit the ground running and get great employees before others snatch them up.
- Implement critical systems. Improve your OHS (Occupational Health & Safety) program, start using a computer based project management system or develop a quality assurance program. Trying to start those when things are busy is tough, so the off season is the perfect time.
- Develop a marketing plan. You would be surprised how much it helps to have your goals and strategies for growth written down when things get busy again. A marketing plan helps to give you a road map for your marketing and PR, and helps you sustain business and growth for the long-term.
- Develop marketing materials. No one has time to spend on graphic design and copywriting (or approving them at the very least) when things are busy. Spend the off season improving your brochures, flyers, catalogs and website, get managed wordpress hosting now for a fully optimized site.
- Research and test new software and tools. The quiet season is the perfect time to try out those free trials of online resources and tools that you think may help, buy you’ve never had time to test out properly.
- Train your employees. The off season is a great time to train your existing laborers and employees. Send them on courses that there’s never time for when everyone is hard at work, and they’ll be able to achieve more when things start up again.
These are just a few of the ways you can use the quiet season to your advantage this year. We hope that these business tips for contractors work for you, and that you get the results you want.
