June 12, 2003 -- Kick back, pour yourself some lemonade and get ready for summertime, because it is here. In addition to the to-do list your spouse has for you, I'd like to add a few things. Printers constantly complain about how slow business is in the summer. Whether fact or fiction, summer is a great time to retool, rethink and reload for the rest of the year. With that in mind… * Read: That stack of magazines in the corner and some Bookmarked WhatTheyThink articles. Pull them out and look them over. We don't spend nearly enough time educating ourselves. Now's the time. * Write: Or rewrite your business plan. If you don't have the necessary skills (and few do), hire someone to spend some time getting to know your company and writing it for you. This is some of the best money you can spend. * Challenge: Every assumption you have made about your business needs. They MUST be questioned. Ask for outside and inside counsel. * Visit: Your top clients. They need to hear from you, the business owners. Take someone new to lunch each week, just to stay in touch. Oh, and keep it all low calorie or else you'll need Jenny Craig's phone number by Labor Day. * Evaluate: Your reps. When is the last time you did a review for your sales people? An evaluation is a shot across the bow. Set new expectations. Fire the dead wood. * Call: Your lawyer. Your accountant. Your financial advisor. Check in. Get them updated on your business and ask them to think about what they can do for you. * Upgrade: Software. Hardware. Technical skills. Do you have the technology you need for the job? * Examine: Your database needs a looking over. Remember all of those Christmas cards that were returned last year due to bad addresses? Now is the time to make corrections. * Communicate: Once that has happened, send your customers a thank you letter and a coupon for an ice cream cone. Come on, Ebenezer, put a crowbar in your wallet and do some promotion. * Attend: At least trade association functions require your attention. Be it social or purposeful, network! * Date: Your spouse. When is the last time you asked him/her out? * Reward: Your Production staff. Sales gets all of the kudos. Spread them around. * Paint: The conference room. Give it a freshening up. You'll be surprised at the effect it has. * Golf: That's right, golf! Enjoy life, for crying out loud! Stop working weekends. Exercise, eat better, quit earlier. It will be cold again before you know it, and you will be saying, "I wish I had made better use of my time last summer." As for me, I will be on the road this summer for Xerox as a part of their Innovate 03 initiative, when I'm not home doing everything I can to improve my golf game.