Summer on the Canadian prairies...

The weather has been fine, the kids are done school, and we’re all looking forward to the lazy days of summer. When we think of summer, we tend to think of long days in the hammock and evenings spent around a fire drinking margaritas.

But let’s talk about the elephant in the room: for many professionals, business development comes to a grinding halt at the end of June. We know that building business is a 12 month a year commitment, but somehow around here, we often skip July & August. In fairness, our cities do become ghost towns each weekend from the mass exodus to the lake….

….Isn’t it funny how it’s just “the lake”? Nobody thinks it's strange that we could be talking about one of hundreds of thousands of lakes…but we all accept “I’m going to the lake” as a perfectly good explanation for our weekend plans. Did you know there are 100,000 lakes in Saskatchewan alone? Anyway, I digress…

Though many of us check out for two months as soon as the kids bring home their final report cards, there is a small percentage of entrepreneurial people who see the season as an opportunity to kill the competition. Summer can be an opportunity to spend a bit more time making quality connections, exploring opportunities, and discussing alliances.

Here’s what I do: I have a summer series where I get together with small groups of business owners each week by invitation and we have a conversation on what we are working on. I also attend various city and community events and spend more time with friends. Remember, everyone you talk to is a client or knows a client. So remember to share with your friends what you’re working on. You’ll never know where it could lead.

However you spend your summer, I hope it is amazing. And feel free to send me pictures from “the lake.” :)

Happy summer!

Daria

*Photo taken in the bay at the Malin family cabin, La Ronge, Sk