Train Yourself To Avoid Summer Slow-Down Blues

This article written by Lori Crete, The Esthetician Mentor, highlights effective strategies you can use to stay positive and keep your business thriving during potentially slower summer months. Remember every experience is an opportunity for learning new ways to grow!

This is exactly what happens in my business every May through November. It slows down. I live in a seasonal city, and it can really feel like feast or famine when you’re running a service-based business. One minute your books are full, and the next, the snowbirds vanish to summer homes and cooler climates.

If you let it, this can mess with your confidence, your income, your momentum — and your skin (it gets really hot and dry here!). But I have trained my body, mind, and soul to avoid the summer slow-down blues. Here's what I focus on:

1. Plan My Vacations and SpaStar Sales.
Knowing your slow season and using it wisely is like investing in the stock market — you buy when it dips. In business, that means travel when it’s slow.

Each month during my off-season, I visit a resort that carries my SpaStar wraps. I check in with the retail team to see how I can support them, nurture the relationship, and keep the brand top-of-mind. And yes — I always add a few days to relax, recharge, and enjoy life. Work-life blend is a beautiful thing when it’s intentional.

Sell from afar during summer slow season.

2. Sell From Afar.
I always notice a spike in retail sales during my clients’ final appointments before they head out for the summer. That’s when I remind them: If you run out of product, just call, text, or email — I’ll ship it to you.

I also send monthly emails to stay connected. These little touchpoints do two powerful things:

·       Keeps me top of mind when they need skincare support

·       Encourages them to rebook a few months ahead — because they know my schedule fills up fast

Serving clients well means staying connected. And... staying connected = staying profitable, even during slower booking times.

3. Map Out Future Marketing.
I treat the slower months as planning season — not just downtime.

It’s my time to batch content, schedule promotions, brainstorm new offers, and invest in both personal and professional growth. I get clear on what I want my business to look like in the coming months, then build a marketing strategy to support that vision.

This kind of intentional planning keeps me aligned, prepared, and feeling productively abundant — even during the off-season.

4. Lead by Example / Plan Beauty Biz Club™ Content. The slower season gives me space to plan, create, and get ahead — especially when it comes to supporting my Beauty Biz Club™ members.

Mapping out future content ensures I'm not only delivering consistent value, but also staying aligned with the bigger vision of the club and the estheticians I serve.

No panic. No scrambling. Just a solid plan and peace of mind.

One of my proudest achievements as a mentor is that I practice what I preach. I show up, I plan ahead, and I lead by example — always.

Estheticians can manage periods of disruption in their business and thrive.

If summer’s been tough on your books in the past, I promise — it doesn’t have to be that way.

Tune in to my podcast to hear my strategies for managing periods of disruption in  business, how to choose focus over fear and how to turn scheduling disruptions into business breakthroughs - and your biz won't just survive but thrive during these times.

Tips to Stay Booked Perfectly:

·       Meet your clients where their minds are at

·       Come up with systems

·       Connect and communicate with your clients

·       Analyze and refine your schedule patterns

 Be thinking about where your disruptions are coming from. Start to make note of them, start to recognize them, start to recognize the cycle of them and how you can navigate this as a business owner who wants to keep the flow going.  I’m like everyone else. I have weird stuff happening, and sometimes I have to put on the hustle hat and work a little harder. But it’s totally worth it!

Lori Crete is a highly sought after industry expert, speaker, and licensed celebrity esthetician.

Owner of Southern California’s Spa 10 Suite, she is also the founder of The Beauty Biz Club™, a success-based society dedicated to helping beauty practitioners around the world create beauty and success by becoming booked perfectly and profitable.

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