Building a business definitely has its ups and downs. In the beginning there are lows trying to figure out what to do and how to build the business and there are highs when the calls come in and you start to get clients. Every day we are constantly hustling the phone, running from one place to another, juggling this and that, working with clients, etc. Slowly things are picking up and moving in the right direction. You become so busy half the time you don’t know what time it is, if you’ve eaten or where you’re headed next. You get sooooo busy that it becomes overwhelming and you need a break. You get so overwhelmed with the “work” and “life,” that you long for some down time. Then it happens. Down time! The phone isn’t ringing as much, there’s not as much hustling and juggling and instead of running all over the place you now have time to walk leisurely. Damn! Be careful what you wish for because you just might get it.

What to do now? You could sit in a pile of self-pity but that’s not really productive. The best thing to do is to look and see what you can do that you otherwise wouldn’t have the time for. Maybe it’s filing, research, re-connecting with contacts, social networking? Really think about all the things that when you are busy you wish you had the time for. Then do those things. Finish the filing, make some phone calls, do something that will occupy your time so those things can be past you when you get busy again.

No one wants to sit around waiting for the phone to ring. You have to be proactive. Every business goes through down times. No matter how big or how small. The key is to not let it get you down. Stay positive, re-group and keep on track so when the wave of busy happens again, you can say thank you to the down time and start again with the much needed and much appreciated beloved chaos.