There’s just something about the start of a new school year that feels like a clean slate. New, unwritten notebooks. Fresh, unscuffed sneakers. A backpack or desk that somehow stays organized for approximately three days. A brand-new box of highlighters that no one’s had the chance to misplace or leave uncapped.
To be honest, I think business owners could use a little of that back-to-school energy, too.
Because while most of us aren’t heading back to algebra class or worrying about whether we remembered to get our permission slip signed, there’s a lot we can learn from the things we instinctively do when getting ready for a new school year.
So before you get too far into the next season, let’s take a few of those back-to-school habits and see how they might serve your business, too.
1. Check Your Supplies
Remember the back-to-school supply list? Three 5-subject college-ruled notebooks. Two packs of #2 pencils. Glue sticks. Index cards. A scientific calculator that would also double as an in-class diversion once you figured out how to download Tetris to it.
Before school started, you made sure you had what you needed to actually do the work.
Your business deserves the same attention.
Take a look at your “supplies.” Is your website up to date and secure? Are your social media accounts active? Do you have current photos, marketing materials and business cards, or are you relying on outdated material? Is your Google Business Profile accurate and attended? Do you have what you need for the busy season ahead?
A little preparation now can save you a whole lot of scrambling later.
2. Establish Good Habits & Routines
There’s a reason parents push bedtimes earlier when school starts. You can’t run on summer vacation hours and expect to magically become a functioning human when the bell rings at 6:30 a.m. on the first day of school.
The same is true in business.
Maybe it’s setting aside an hour each week for marketing. Maybe it’s checking your numbers every month, following up with customers consistently or planning your social media content ahead of time.
You don’t have to follow somebody else’s productivity routine. Find the habits that actually work for you, and then stick with them.
In the words of SUCCESS® Magazine, “You don’t need to take a giant leap, just small consistent steps in the right direction.”
3. Stop Chasing the In-Crowd
I remember my struggle throughout high school of figuring out where I fit.
Was I a band kid? An athlete? A nerd?
Over those four years, I played clarinet in the marching band, competed in multiple sports, worked on the Yearbook and Newspaper Staff and even went out for Miss DHS my senior year, the one and only pageant I’ve ever done (and surprisingly, against all odds, won).
I was trying to figure out who I was and find belonging at the same time.
Eventually, I realized I didn’t need to fit neatly into one tidy little clique. I’m more complex than that (and so are you and pretty much everyone on the planet).
Our businesses can be the same way.
You don’t have to appeal to everyone or look like everyone else to fit in. In fact, trying to do so can make it harder to connect with the people who really get what you do.
Stop chasing and start leaning into what makes your business unique.
Find the customers who appreciate what you bring to the table. The ones who see the value in your services or products, tell their friends about you and cheer you on along the way.
4. Raise Your Hand
I was the kid in class who probably asked too many questions, encouraging many an eye roll or sigh from my classmates. But I also remember being afraid to speak up at times and ask for help.
It’s hard to admit you don’t understand when you have an audience.
Thankfully, I learned that being willing to raise my hand, despite how uncomfortable it made me, was one of the things that helped me succeed.
Asking questions doesn’t mean you aren’t smart. It means you’re trying to learn.
Business owners need to remember that, too.
You don’t have to know everything about websites, accounting, taxes, social media, SEO, advertising or all the other things that come with running a business.
Ask for help.
Find a mentor. Take a class. Ask another business owner what worked for them. Hire the professional who knows what you don’t.
There’s no prize for struggling alone.
5. Do Your Homework
I know. I know. Nobody wants to hear that word again.
But homework has a purpose. It reinforces what you learned and prepares you for what’s next.
Business owners should be doing homework, too.
Look at your numbers. Read your customer reviews. Pay attention to what people are asking for. Research your competition. Keep up with what’s changing in your industry or learn how to streamline your processes.
You don’t have to become an expert in everything.
But you do need to stay curious. It’s that curiosity that helps you progress.
6. Don’t Procrastinate
There were always those students who could somehow write a ten-page research paper the night before it was due and still pull out an A. (My little sister was one of them!)
But procrastination gets a lot more expensive when you’re running a business.
Putting things off can lead to less thoughtful decisions, force you to compromise in ways you maybe shouldn’t or even spend money you didn’t have to spend in the first place.
Every year, I’m shocked at how early stores like Walmart and Dollar Tree pull out their holiday inventory. But there’s genius behind the madness. They know people will be thinking about Christmas long before Christmas actually gets here, so they prepare for it.
Your business should, too.
Waiting until you desperately need customers to start marketing isn’t a marketing strategy. Waiting until your website breaks to think about your website isn’t maintenance. And waiting until your busiest season to start planning for it is a recipe for unnecessary stress.
(Side bar reminder: NOW is the time to be preparing for holiday promotions and services!)
The best time to prepare for what’s coming is before you need it.
Future You will be grateful.
7. Clean Out the Backpack
Have you ever cleaned out an old school backpack?
It’s basically an archaeological dig.
Candy wrappers. Crumpled papers. Broken pencil lead in the seams. A permission slip from February you forgot to turn in. And, somehow, a banana that you really should have smelled and noticed sooner.
Businesses collect clutter, too.
Old services you no longer offer. Outdated marketing materials. Software subscriptions you forgot about and never use. Online portfolios that haven’t been refreshed in years. Processes that made sense five years ago but don’t anymore.
Every once in a while, clean out the backpack.
Not everything needs to come with you into the next school year or the next season of your business.
8. Find the Good Teachers
Some teachers stick with you long after you leave their classroom.
Maybe they challenged you. Encouraged you. Saw something in you that you hadn’t quite figured out yet.
That was Mrs. Hodges for me.
She was my sophomore-year chemistry teacher who also happened to run cross country for Florida State. That year, she decided to start a team at our small town school. I had been especially unathletic before she nudged me to join, and I didn’t have much confidence in my physical abilities.
But she saw potential where I only saw doubt.
She became one of my best friends and biggest cheerleaders in high school. And by the time I graduated, I had lettered in four sports, competed at the state level in two of them and discovered that, to this day, I still enjoy running races.
Business owners need a “Mrs. Hodges,” too.
Find mentors and fellow business owners who will celebrate your wins but also tell you when something isn’t working. Find professionals who know what you don’t know and see your potential.
Surround yourself with people who make you better.
9. Give Yourself Room to Grow
I get a little teary when I see those photos at the end of the school year showing side-by-side first- and last-day comparisons. Kids go back to school every year and somehow come home taller.
Their shoes don’t fit anymore. Their interests change. They discover new things they love.
Nobody looks at a kid and says, “Why aren’t you exactly the same person you were last year?”
Yet we do this to our businesses all the time.
Maybe your original business model doesn’t fit anymore. Maybe your services have changed. Maybe your customers have changed. Maybe you’re ready to expand, or maybe you’re ready to simplify.
Trying to squeeze yourself, or your business, into last year’s shoes can be painful and unproductive.
Growth doesn’t always mean getting bigger.
Sometimes it just means becoming more of what you were meant to be.
10. Remember Your End Goal
Pretty much every student ever has experienced school burnout. It’s easy to lose sight of the prize when the load of previous months and years gets heavy and that last day still feels so far away.
But school was never really about just making it to graduation.
All those assignments, tests, projects and early mornings were supposed to be preparing you for what came next. Learning. Growing. Figuring out what you’re good at and where you want to go.
Business can get so busy in the daily stuff that we forget the bigger picture, too.
Why did you start your business?
Maybe you wanted more freedom. Maybe you wanted to build something of your own. Maybe you saw a problem and knew you could solve it. Maybe you simply loved what you do and wanted to make a living doing it.
Whatever your reason, don’t lose sight of it underneath the invoices, emails, deadlines and social media posts.
The point isn’t simply to stay busy.
It’s to build something that matters to you.
Class Dismissed
A new school year gives us a chance to start fresh.
Maybe your business could use a little of that same back-to-school energy.
Check your supplies. Establish some good habits. Do your homework. Clean out the clutter. Ask questions. Find your people. And don’t be afraid to grow into something a little different than what you were when you started.
Because whether you’re sitting in a classroom, a conference room or shotgun on a service call, we’re all still students, and we’re all still learning.
And thankfully, there’s no final exam for figuring it all out.
At Cup O Code, we’re big believers in learning, growing and having the right people in your corner. If your business needs a little help getting ready for its next season, we’re here to help.
Now go sharpen that pencil.
You’ve got work to do.
