How to Grow Your Business This Summer (Even If You Only Have 10 Hours a Week)
Jun 18, 2025
Today’s post is for the entrepreneur who wants to grow her business and enjoy her summer. Whether you’ve got kids at home, travel plans on the calendar, or you're simply craving more time in the sun (all of the above for me!), you don’t have to sacrifice success to make space for life.
Let’s dive into how to design a thriving, sustainable business plan that works in just 10 hours a week.
Your Time is Limited, But Still Powerful
If you're thinking, "Ten hours? That’s nothing. I’m going to fall behind," take a breath.
Small, focused effort beats frantic, scattered hustle—every time.
You don’t have to do everything. You just have to do the right things, really well. Think of your business like a plant: it doesn’t need gallons of water daily. It needs consistency, light, and care. Same with your goals.
What to Focus on When Time is Tight
As a business coach for women, I’ve seen firsthand how this kind of seasonal strategy builds long-term success. Here are the three areas to prioritize this summer when you only have 10 hours a week:
1. Nurture Your Audience (3–4 hours/week)
Your existing audience is your most valuable asset. They already trust you. Stay connected in simple, meaningful ways:
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Send a weekly email. It can be casual and fun. Think: "What I’m loving this week," or a quick tip.
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Record a 10-minute podcast or blog post sharing a summer story or behind-the-scenes insight.
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Hop on Instagram Stories twice a week to show your face, share a life update, or answer FAQs.
You don’t have to be everywhere. Just stay visible where it counts.
2. Sell What’s Already Working (3–4 hours/week)
Summer is not the time to reinvent the wheel.
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Highlight a best-selling offer with a "summer special" — a mini-package, VIP day, or flexible payment plan.
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Run a flash sale to your email list. No fancy funnel required.
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Bundle up existing resources into a "Summer Toolkit" and sell it as a limited-time offer.
Make it easy for people to say yes now by reducing decision fatigue.
3. Plant Seeds for Fall (2–3 hours/week)
Stay in the game by thinking ahead.
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Start a waitlist for a fall program. Even a simple landing page will do.
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Launch a new freebie or lead magnet to grow your email list while you’re away.
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Share teaser content about what’s coming in Q3 or Q4. Build excitement early.
The energy you put in now will make fall launches smoother and more successful. That’s why so many of my business strategy coaching clients see major Q4 results by planting seeds early.
Introducing a new private podcast series that’s just for you if you’re sick of all the Instagram BS! (or insert social channel of your choice). You can build a business without being a slave to the social engine. Grab the free series.
A Sample 10-Hour Summer Schedule
If you love structure, here’s what a weekly workflow might look like:
Monday (2 hrs): Write and schedule your weekly email.
Tuesday (1 hr): Record IG Stories or prep a quick social post (batch a few if you're feeling it).
Wednesday (2 hrs): Focus on sales. Share a client win, post a testimonial, or DM warm leads.
Thursday (3 hrs):
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1 hr: Update your offer page or create a new lead magnet.
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2 hrs: Record and publish a blog or podcast episode.
Friday (2 hrs):
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1 hr: Map out next week’s "bare minimum" plan.
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1 hr: CEO check-in—review what worked and adjust as needed.
Why Having a Plan Changes Everything
Life will happen. There will be long nights, spontaneous beach days, and moments where your inbox can wait. That’s the beauty of summer. But with a simple, flexible plan?
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You stay in control.
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Your audience stays connected.
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Your revenue keeps flowing.
Your Summer Success Starts Now
Here’s your quick-start homework:
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Choose one thing to simplify
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Pick one offer to sell
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Plant one seed for fall
Let this be the summer where you grow your business and protect your peace. You don’t have to pick one or the other. You just need the right plan. Which is exactly why I created the Design Your Summer Success workshop. Together, we’ll map out your custom Summer Revenue Roadmap with:
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Clear weekly goals
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Offers to focus on
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Visibility strategies that don’t require 24/7 social media
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A profit planning template you can use all year long
You get access to this and so much more inside our Crush the Rush Club!
About the author
Holly Haynes is a female business coach and business strategist who loves a good plan and flow chart. She is crazy passionate about teaching women like you how to build your dream job and scale to 6-figures without sacrificing your weekends or priorities.
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