Business is always up and down, and summer is the period when it might be slower than usual. We go on holidays, spend more time outside with our families, travel, or simply take it easy. On the other hand, this can be the perfect period to work on the behind-the-scenes of your business. Being outside, changing your usual routine and environment, and going on holidays can inspire and motivate you. 

And, yes, you might have your kids at home during summer, and it can get crazy. Business is however build with small steps. So, if you find 15-20 minutes slots, here are 17 activities that you can do during summer to build your empire step-by-step.

Because big goals are achieved with small steps, we overestimate what we can do in one day, but underestimate what we can do in a month. 20 minutes x 3 times a day = 1 hour of work per day = 30 hours a month. 

So, here are 17 ideas you can do in short, 15-20 minutes time slots:

1. Get clarity about your future direction and define your goals for the next 4-6 months. The middle of the year is the right time to review the goals you set at the beginning of the year. Look at how far you have progressed and redefine your goals for the rest of the year.

*For members of my Club: Please review our Summer goal-setting session & goal setting & visualization training from January 2024. Click here.

2. Organize your folders & backups - Decluttering is a great way to free your mind from the things that you don't need anymore. Cleaning your computer is very important to make sure all the programs run smoothly and perfectly. Plus, having backups is vital for your business. Spend 15-minute slots during a few days, and your computer can be clean, organized, and ready for your full start in September.

*For members of my Club: the lesson about the backups & folder organization is in the club.

3. Develop a new service in your business - 15-minute slots are great for keeping developing something new that you can offer to your clients. Maybe it's something you are good at, and all you need to do is think it over—the process of your new offer, the pricing, and updating your portfolio with the new offer.

*For members of my Club: feel free to bring your questions to our live coaching calls during the summer so I can help you define your ideas and create a new service for your clients. 

4. Work on some passive products that you can sell - You can create your own photography presets, maybe an online or in-person workshop, an online shop to sell your images, or start a blog and add your affiliate links to the tools you love and use. There are many ways to add a passive income stream to your business.

5. Acquire new skills - 15 minutes is enough to watch a lesson, do some exercise, and, after repeating this activity a few times, acquire a new food photography or business skill. You only need to decide what you want to learn. There are so many lessons and tutorials in my Members' Club, and if you are not a member, you can join us from this link.

6. Practice photography - 15—20 minutes might seem like not enough time when creating a photo, but if you can, try to keep your set ready on weekdays or the entire summer so you can capture a quick photo any time you want. 

7. Learn about videography - if you want to learn and practice videography, summer is also a great opportunity. Watch some tutorials about videography and make some quick practice sessions. If you can't dedicate time to creating a proper food scene, you can eventually start filming your family moments in your kitchen or outside with your camera. 

*For members of my Club: In July, we will offer a new comprehensive course about videography. More info and the course curriculum. Click here.

8. Plan your days and test different systems of planning and organizing. It's easy to plan but difficult to execute. Use summertime to test different planning systems that help you stay on track. I love dividing my days into larger blocks and using colors to differentiate my activities. Try if this method fits you or develop your own. 

*For members of my Club: Please visit the GOAL SETTING course inside the club's course section, where you can learn how to plan and organize your days. Click here.

9. Exercise and meditate —recharge your body and mind for your full comeback in September. Because our work days get busy, we tend to forget about our bodies and minds. Take the opportunity of Summer and dedicate your short breaks to quick stretching, walks, bike rides, yoga, or other activities. 

10. Work on your mindset. Mindset is the number one thing that supports or blocks us from achieving our goals. We need to work on it regularly, and we can't change our mindset from one day to another. It requires patience and regular work. Have a look at YouTube for some mindset exercises that help you believe more in yourself and increase your confidence to run your food photography business.

11. Change your bad habits. Sometimes, changing the little things can make a big difference. I am sure we all know about those little bad habits that can help us gain hours to work on our business. Think about your day and what habits are worth changing and improving. 

12. Build your client database to get ready for September. You can search for new brands to pitch, look for the right person to contact, and research your potential clients. 15 minutes is the time that you can invest in researching about 1 brand. If you do this daily, you will get 40-60 new potential clients to contact starting in September.

*For members of my Club: lease visit the GOAL SETTING course inside the club's course section, where you can access the template for the client database Click here.

13. Improve and update your portfolio. Maybe you won't have much time to create new images. However, you can update your portfolio with those photos that you already have. Review your current portfolio and see if it's missing your latest images. You probably won't manage to update your entire portfolio in a 15-minute slot, so take it easy and dedicate a few days to this.

*For members of my Club: You can submit your portfolio for review. The submission form is in your dashboard. Click here.

14. Include your family into your shoots. Giving responsibility to your kids as your models can be very exciting for them. In my case, the kids of our friends love assisting me during the shoots, so why not include your family in your food photography sessions? It keeps them busy and expands their world, and they get to learn something new.

15. Test some new healthy recipes. I completely changed my diet some months ago (I am plant-based & organic only now) and I can't describe enough how much energy it gave me to run my business. I feel more excited, less tired, and physically feeling much better throughout my days. Especially now, during summer, there are many fresh veggies and fruits, so check some local organic farms. 

16. Learn Photoshop. 15-minute slots are enough to do some retouching exercises. Photoshop is extremely important when creating product images for your clients, and summer can be the ideal time to practice and improve your skills for client projects starting in September.

*For members of my Club: Access the entire Photoshop course inside our Club. Click here.

17. Walk more. Walking has a tremendous positive impact on your body and mind. If you don't walk much during the day (like me, because the day gets too busy and I forget about my walk), invest your time into this activity during summer. 

And, an extra tip if you have more time 🙂

18. Paint new backdrops for food photography.  If you have about 30 minutes, try painting new backdrops. You might need a few more days to complete one backdrop, depending on how many layers you want, but in 3-4 days, you can have a new backdrop to work with!

*For members of my Club: Access this course to learn how to paint your backdrops. Click here.