seasonality

In this episode, Dexter James Wiseman, MD, discusses the epidemiology and risk factors for RSV in older adults, including:

• Overview
• Disease burden based on age
• Seasonality
• Impact in care facilities
• Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic

Presenter: 

Dexter James Wiseman, MD
Clinical Research Fellow
NHLI
Imperial College
Physician
Respiratory Medicine
Royal Brompton Hospital
London, United Kingdom

Review the downloadable slideset and the full program at: 
https://bit.ly/3ydC8Ri

Coming up on this episode, we are celebrating the ethnic and cultural diversity that makes the food of the American Midwest unique.  In Champlain, Illinois, we meet Alex Sentowski and Jennifer Gunji-Ballsrud, the founders of Suzu, a Japanese bakery brings a traditional Japanese menu to a Midwest college town. Then, in Holland, Michigan, we visit with members of the local Latino community who have brought their culinary heritage to the region.  Johnny  Rodgriguez  is the Executive Director of Latin Americans United for Progress  and Jackie Navarrete is an owner of Mi Favorita Grocery. Together they discuss the history of hispanic migration to the area, as well as some particular culinary highlights from their community.

Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Eat Your Heartland Out by becoming a member!

Eat Your Heartland Out is Powered by Simplecast.

In our talkng heads Industry Rundown, Sam Marsh and Ryan Haynes look at how you can engage with seasonality when struggling to market your business, giving you the tips of when to prepare your campaigns to hit key dates and festive seasons. And, we also discuss budget season and how to prepare your marketing budgets. Listen in.

Listen to more episodes of the hospitality industry podcast Travel Market Life and subscribe for the latest news at http://travelmarket.life/

Follow us on LinkedIn for more thought-provoking content: https://www.linkedin.com/company/travel-market-life/

Do you have a story to share about technology, digitalisation or culture changes within the hospitality and travel industry? We'd love to hear what your company is doing and the impact it is having. Please contact us through http://travelmarket.life/

Recently I overheard a coach saying that her business had been doing well and then over the last two months everything came to an abrupt halt.

Prospects weren’t showing up. People stopped opening emails and engaging on social media. And her income slowed way down.

She was ready to give up on her business. And I thought to myselt, “Don’t do that! Instead accelerate and expand your efforts to attract ideal clients.”

Hearing her anxiety made me remember when I was a new coach. But here’s what I realized down the road. That daily pain I felt about fluctuations in my business came down to one mistake …

Taking things personally instead of responding strategically.

Do you know what I mean? If you are feeling blown around in the wind and like you have no control over your coaching business, it’s time for a mindset shift.

You Control Your Results in Your Coaching Business

Here’s the truth … you do have control over your business. Yes, you may need to may small incremental adjustment to help your coaching business thrive, but YOU hold the controls for the most part.

Think about it … You control how often and how effectively you’re getting in front of your target audience. This is the first place to look if you’re not earning enough as a coach. 

You control your fees, what value you deliver and can even have a significant influence over how attracted your audience is to what you offer.

If you haven’t heard it already, I have a whole series called Coaching Business Checkup with 9 episodes that go step by step into the most strategic things you can do before you launch your coaching business.

There’s also a downloadable self-assessment to test what’s working and what’s not working in your coaching business. Find that series at prosperouscoach.com/checkup

The Seasons of Your Coaching Business

All that said, there is one thing you can’t control. You cannot control a seasonal slow down. 

But you can shift your mindset about how you respond it and even plan for it.

Depending on your target audience and the flow of their lives there may be a few times each year when paying clients will be less likely to hire you.

Typical slow down times relate to the school year:

·      Spring break

·      Late summer

·      Christmas and New Years

And then there’s events like major elections, such as the Presidential election coming up in the US.

Short-term stress leading up to and just beyond an election may mean people are less grounded to make big decisions. The stock market often dips then as well.

But don’t think that long-term stress has the same effect. It does not. 

That’s why I don’t recommend that you hold off on launching your business or that you let it lapse during the pandemic.

Recently, I published an episode called Should You Launch Your Coaching Business at a Better Time. Find that at prosperouscoach.com/91. Give it a listen because there’s more in

• Rhonda Hess helps new coaches leverage their zone of genius into a profitable coaching niche and launch with confidence.
• For VIP step-by-step support apply for Rhonda's VIP Coaching Business Breakthrough Program here and she'll be in touch to invite you a discovery call.
• Or if you're stuck on your coaching niche, grab a Nail Your Niche Strategy Session with Rhonda here.

Why I don't think what I learned in Psych 101 is correct, enjoying firsts and seasonality of all kinds - including pumpkin spice lattes! - and why saving white for summer is okay by me. And a snippet from This Lesbian Ship Is Intense!

Also, how I want to write fade-to-black fight scenes. For real. 

First Cup of Coffee is part of the Frolic Podcast Network. You can find more outstanding podcasts to subscribe to at Frolic.media/podcasts!

Contact Jeffe!

Tweet me at @JeffeKennedy
Visit my website https://jeffekennedy.com
Follow me on Amazon or BookBub
Sign up for my Newsletter!
Find me on Instagram and TikTok!

Thanks for listening!

Read the Retail Rebirth Report here.

Read Insiders #045: The New Dada Here.

Read Insiders #046: The New Formal Here.

Find us at Futurecommerce.fm, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn.

Have any questions or comments about the show? You can reach out to us at Hello@futurecommerce.fm or any of our social channels; we love hearing from our listeners!

Dan Dowdy, Founder of Built for the Trades, and Tim Flynn, Owner of Winters Home Services, are two powerhouses in the home services industry. In this episode, they share how to conquer seasonality during the election year, battle complacency, and make strategic decisions. 

Why Election Years Impact Home Services

During election years, Tim highlights how there is a natural dip in demand.

“Always work as if you’re in a deficit. Always work as if you’re in a recession. Call by call.” - Tim

While this slower season may seem daunting at first, Dan recommends taking it as an opportunity to be proactive rather than reactive. Work on your maintenance contracts, tighten up your inside sales, and work with your staff to really hone the customer experience so that every call makes money. 

Dan surmises that the reason these election years impact sales is due in part to people being tighter with their money because they’re not sure what the economy is going to do. 

How to Be Proactive

If you are complacent, then when the economy slows down, you’re stuck. Three tangible ways you can be proactive are:

1. Start with your training. Your front line needs a good checklist and questions that will set your tech up for success. Work on improving your customer experience from start to finish.
2. Check your phone lines for dead numbers. This sounds simple, but you should never blindly trust. Verify and do quality checks often to ensure you’re receiving calls.
3. Stay optimistic and communicate clearly with your staff. When things get slow, it can be tempting to jump over your managers to get things done, thereby undermining the systems you have established.

“As a business owner, when things slow down and you start seeing all the flaws in your business, you just want to jump back in and start directing your customer service rep and your technician and going around your management team that you built. You really have to make sure that you stick with your chain of command and you’re empowering your leaders and managers in your company.” - Dan

Marketing for Seasonality

Another piece of being proactive is checking in with your marketing company or department for quality and verification. Keeping up consistent communication ensures that you aren’t spending unnecessary money, and your marketing tactics are helping you meet your goals. For a bonus point, do it with a smile!

“You’re the reflection of your people.” - Tim

Tips for maximizing your marketing:

• Focus on the demographics, geographics, and psychographics of your audience and how you are connecting with them.
• Diversify your marketing with various touch points (choose strategically) from door hangers to yard signs.
• Serve, educate, and sell on social media.

Think Strategically

Both Dan and Tim emphasize the importance of solving current problems with your long-term vision and goals in mind. Think strategically, take action, and plan for what you want the future to look like. 

Joining a mastermind group is a great way to connect with other owners and leaders in the home services community who can help you shoot holes in your ideas, improve your plan, and offer support along your journey. 

Dan: Dan@Builtforthetrades.com BuiltfortheTrades.com

Tim: Tim.Flynn@wintershomeservices.com Winters Home Services

Every ecommerce business has some seasonal ups and downs.

Having the ability to maximize sales during the upturns and reduce impact of the downturns almost sounds too good to be true.

But that's the power of focusing on email and retention marketing.

In today's episode Dylan Kelley (founder/CEO of Wavebreak and host of this podcast) discusses how this works in practice.

Links Mentioned:

 - Schedule a call

- Retention marketing article

- Retention revenue calculator

- Previous episode: Retention Marketing Pillar #1

- Previous episode: Retention Marketing Pillar #2

Matt Eckhart is the Director of Business Development in Home Services at Scorpion. He works with home services business owners to formulate strategies that help them reach their goals.

Seasonality: An Opportunity

In his role, he often sees seasonality as a big challenge for home services business owners.

“It’s really about showing up at the right time with the right messaging for the type of season they (your consumers) are in….”

Whether you’re in plumbing, HVAC, roofing, or pest control, it’s important to adjust your marketing strategy to take advantage of the off-season in a smart way. Matt emphasizes that often, business owners might not realize that providing preventative messaging and information to your audience during this season is good for both you and the consumer.

Seasonality Marketing Strategy

“This is where we kind of come in and say ‘Hey look, traditionally this is your slow period: it doesn’t have to be’.”

Seasonality needs to be part of your overall marketing strategy.

Matt shares that he usually sees business owners making at least 70% of their revenue during the busy season. However, relying on this income stream can cause you to lose revenue if variables like weather get in your way. Intentionally planning for the slow, off-seasons can provide security and diversification of your revenue.

Everyone Benefits

Shifting and adapting your marketing during the off-season to where people are spending their time may mean investing more of your marketing budget in social media platforms, in addition to your more traditional marketing. Sharing preventative messaging to your consumers on these platforms consistently makes your brand more memorable and builds consumer trust.

In addition, with the right seasonality marketing, you can keep your service technicians busy year round and maximize your efficiency in the busy season.

Matt says that providing these preventative measures really does bring a lot of value to people and smart consumers will notice this.

Matt’s Advice

Don’t stop what you’re doing during the off season. Don’t shut off and give up. To succeed and win business, come up with a strategy to stay in front of the people who need you.

Diego Garcia is the chef of the recently reopened Four Seasons restaurant in Manhattan. Opened in 1959 in the Segram's building it is one of the most famous fine dining restaurants in the world and helped usher in the gourmet era. In 2016 the restaurant closed it's original location and reopened this August a few blocks away. Chef Garcia grew up in Mexico close to the sea and brings his seafood sensibilities to the Four Seasons. Tune in to hear Harry and Diego talk about the new space, changing seasons and what's on the menu!

Feast Yr Ears is powered by Simplecast.

On Today's Speakeasy Damon talks with Kevin Beary, Beverage Director at Three Dots and a Dash in Chicago. Kevin Beary his first taste of bartending while shaking and pouring colorless liquid as a minor. His first official gig was aboard a Delaware River cruise in Philadelphia, where 500 thirsty passengers would board the ship most nights and drink tickets would start flying. Beary worked in restaurants while attending La Salle University and rose to beverage director of Hyatt at the Bellevue, whose Library Lounge is the home of the Clover Club cocktail.

In 2012, he transferred to Chicago’s Park Hyatt to oversee the property’s beverage program and open its cocktail bar, NoMi Lounge, until he took over the juggernaut tiki program that is Three Dots and a Dash. Beary revamped every aspect of prep, installing industrial cold press juice machines and centrifuges to ensure consistency and quality in every one of the 2,000-plus cocktails his team serves on Saturday nights. Beary is a great lover of rum, so much so that he led his 16 bartenders through an 11-week rum course, and he’s working on a master’s degree in brewing and distilling. Together they discuss batching drinks, tiki cocktails, seasonality, and more.

The Speakeasy is powered by Simplecast.

What's in your grocery basket, and what does it reveal about you– your economic bracket, most personal food memories, current dietary restrictions, cooking fears, and go-to weeknight dinners? Aimee Brodeur is the founder of FeedbackNY (feedbackny.com), a "growing collection of stories about the choices we make to nourish ourselves and our loved ones".

Meant to be Eaten is powered by Simplecast.

Today's episode of Meant to be Eaten follows a conversation between Coral and JT Vuong--head chef at Okonomi in East Williamsburg. Okonomi straddles the line between convention and craze: serving traditional Japanese breakfast by day and not-so-traditional ramen by night. Does Okonomi's stress on locally-sourced ingredients inherently limit its ability to remain wholly traditional? The majority of Okonomi's staff isn't Japanese--how do you learn the subtle nuances of another's culture? Who and what determine "authenticity?"

Meant to Be Eaten is powered by Simplecast