Summer. Vacation time

Business in San Diego is interesting this time of year. It's very unpredictable and that doesn't seem to matter what type of work you do. I know hundreds of people in different types of businesses and it seems to be a common thread: this time of year they aren't sure what to expect.

San Diego has always been it's own market. Back in the late 1970's when I first came here, it seemed that San Diego was just a subsurvient second-place to Los Angeles. Now though, that climate has changed dramatically. We have the same big city problems they all do, with traffic and crime both in proportion with big-city life. The biggest difference is the demeanor of the folks that live here. For the most part, you'll find our fair city to be much friendlier than any other large city.

What does that have to do with business? A lot! Companies here in this city tend to be much more people-oriented, as the residents themselves are. In most cases, San Diego can be a breath of fresh air when compared to lots of other places. The local people really enjoy doing business with local firms. While that may be true of a lot of areas, it makes San Diego shine!

Unless you are in the Hospitality industry, very often your business traffic does not depend upon the influx of travellers in the Summer months. In fact, you are more likely to need the locals. You need the neighbors to support your business on a day-to-day basis, not the snowbirds.

So the likely conclusion is this: how much your paycheck fluctuates during the Summer months may just be a product of what your 'regulars' are doing and where the neighbors are spending their vacation days. If the majority of your customers spend their vacations or their Summer months home, then your business may not have that tendency to become 'soft' during this time of year. If your company's regulars are those who go to Yellowstone or the Grand Cayman Islands for Summer, then you could be in for a slow season.

-Paul