Christmas Preparation for Businesses

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It’s supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year, but let’s face it: the holidays are tough to negotiate when you’re a small business owner. Either your business gets eerily silent, or you’re overwhelmed with the holiday sales rush.

But what are the best ways to deal with it all while maintaining your sanity?

Here, Andy Nash, Operations Director at Opus Energy, describes some of the biggest challenges small business owners face during the holidays, and some practical solutions:

  • Staff asking for time off

There’s no point in being Scrooge to your employees; they have families, events, and to-do lists to check off, just like you.

Make sure to ask ahead for everyone’s availability, and give a deadline for employees to book holiday time off, so that you can plan ahead. If need be, you can hire temporary staff to cover any missing positions, or part-time holiday staff, if you have a retail location.

  • Increased sales and/or customer traffic

If you own a storefront, the holidays can be the craziest time of the year. As mentioned, be prepared by hiring part-time holiday employees to cover the rush. Any extra money you’re spending on staff can easily be made up in sales, thanks to better and more attentive customer service.

  • Reduced business hours

It doesn’t matter what industry you’re in, you will inevitably be clocking in fewer hours around Christmas, due to statutory holidays and employee vacation time.

The best thing you can do to prepare for this slow period is to account for it in your business calendar. If that means you need to adjust your sales targets to slightly higher for the rest of the months of the year to make up for that reduction, factor that in as well. It can do wonders for your psyche to go into the holidays knowing you don’t have to achieve goals between December 23rd and January 2nd.

  • Tighter budgets

End-of-year bonuses, annual donations to charities, lower sales – budgets always feel tighter at this time of year. The best way to deal with that stressor is to plan for it. Start setting a small amount of money aside right from the beginning of the year, and create a special account for it, so you know you can’t touch it. Preparing financially for the holidays over the course of the entire year will make your financial strains a thing of the past.

  • Distracted employees

It’s the time of year when we all have extra things on our plates, and your employees may be spending company time planning the party they’re hosting, or making their shopping list, resulting in lowered productivity. Why not give them longer lunches for a week, so they can get things done that they might have otherwise tried to do at their desks?

  • Lower sales

On the opposite end of the spectrum, you may be facing a slower sales period as the holidays approach, due to the industry you’re in.

One way to prepare for that is to run a holiday promotion, to convince people that now is the time to spend their money on what you’re offering. Perhaps it’s a holiday sale, or a buy-one-get-one event; getting out the word that your business is offering deals can help invigorate a sluggish month.

  • Personal stress

Having to worry about not just your own income, but your employees’ as well during a slow period can be hard on a business owner. The regular responsibilities remain, but the personal responsibilities also begin to pile up, which can lead to an overwhelming situation.

Make sure to take time for your own self-care, whether it’s meditating, exercising, Christmas shopping, or just leaving early to have dinner with friends or family. It can clear your head, and put you back in the holiday spirit.

Author: Rachael Trickey

Published On: 19th Dec 2016
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