Running a Seasonal Business – Tips on How to Survive Your Busy Season

Every business has a busy season. I’ve just come through a book launch followed swiftly by Business Mum Week. A successful busy period can bring the single handed business owner to their knees, especially if it catches you unawares. Here are some tips to help you identify and survive your own busy season.

When will you be busiest?

For some businesses it is easy to identify when the busy period is likely to be. If you run a toy or gift business, you are probably working very hard right now in the run up to Christmas.

For other businesses it may seem harder to identify when you will be rushed off your feet. As a business-to-business enterprise, I find September and January are the busiest times. The New Year makes people think about new ways to develop their business, and ‘back-to-school’ has a similar effect as I work with lots of mums.

If you are launching a business, think about when you might be likely to be at your busiest. Look at your customers: when are they most likely to buy? Do you sell products that tie into the summer holidays or educational items that will sell during school terms?

For some businesses only experience will show when you are busy and when you are quiet. What’s more, your business can be affected by external events which may alter your busy period.

Handling your busy season

Once you have identified when you are likely to be busy, you can make plans. Planning in advance can make it much easier to cope. Here are some tips to help:

Think about your personal commitments during the busy period. If your business is hectic pre-Christmas, how will you get your own Christmas shopping done? For this situation, online shopping can be done well in advance for both gifts and groceries. Get gifts wrapped by the store or wrap them as they arrive rather than leaving it all to the 24th when you are likely to collapse in an exhausted heap.

If you need to be busy over the school holidays, can you get extra help wth the kids? Find out about play schemes, holiday clubs or see if your regular baby sitter might like some extra shifts.

My own secret is having a ready supply of willing teenagers. I have a childcare student coming one day a week to get experience. As the student changes every term I’ve built up plenty of contacts who are willing to help with all sorts of odd jobs as well as babysit. I always I have someone I can call on at short notice to help with mail outs, packing and post office runs. 

If you don’t have handy teenagers, ask around amongst local mums. If you can offer school-hours working you may find plenty of willing applicants for a part time or seasonal job.

When you know when your busy season is, you can also work to get ahead with routine jobs. Now is the time to write your newsletter in advance, get ahead with blog posts, or find someone to do them for you. You could also take on a bookkeeper to help with the books just during your busy time. Spend a little time working out which jobs YOU can delegate to help you stay sane.

Finally, get a good diary and book in all your appointments. I know that when I’m rushed, important events tend to get forgotten and routine appointments don’t stand a chance. Write everything down and CHECK the diary every day. Most importantly, book in some ‘you time’ to stay sane. Whether it is coffee with friends or time by yourself, ensure that you look after yourself throughout your business’s busiest time.

Antonia Chitty is an award winning business woman and author. Her latest book, The Mumpreneur Guide, is full of information on how to start and develop a business.  Further details on the book can be found at www.themumpreneurguide.co.uk.