Preparing Your Business For The Holidays
I have the #1, hands-down BEST tip for this holiday season -- are you ready?
(Don’t worry - we aren’t neglecting the common tips, the logistical checklist that reminds us of the necessary to-dos! You’ll find those great tips below!)
Drumroll, please!! (parum-pa-pum-pum…)
When you’re tired, rest… Don’t quit.
This is my #1 favorite “business tip” ever -- and one I frequently need to remind myself of! This time of year, it’s on repeat in my mind, and I **may have a sticky note reminder on my desk as well.
The craziness of the holiday season is real, and even with the best-laid plans and intentions, we all risk getting caught up in the madness and missing the good parts, like
Amazing food shared around tables full of laughter and stories of days gone by.
Catching up over hot chocolate and eggnog lattes with friends we only see this time of year.
Now that my kids are grown, I miss this one greatly: the “magic” of the season. Tiny tots with their eyes all aglow~ and all that fun stuff! I love making cookies and going sledding. Hot soup and warm bread after a day playing in the snow seem to warm hearts and bodies like no other!
We don’t get time back, Friend. You don’t want to miss making the memories that will be shared around Christmas dinner tables in years to come. I’ve never met a person who regretted intentionally carving out rest time or time with those people who matter the most. Rather, I often meet people with regrets and tear-filled eyes from misplacing their time and sacrificing relationships on the altar of business. These bad habits lead to stress, exhaustion, and the dreaded burnout!
Please, carve out some slow time for yourself this season. It’s been a heavy year for so many entrepreneurs I’ve had the pleasure of meeting, but you’ve made it! Whatever feels heavy and is taking up all the brain space, find a way to lay it down, even if only for a few days. Seek out a minute of rest under a cozy blanket with a hot cup of tea and consider all the good things that happened last year. Whatever is good, spend some time thinking about those things. These times of refreshing, even if they are small, make an impact! You’ll return to work full of passion, new ideas for growth, and ready to tackle 2024.
Oh, about those logistical tips mentioned above --
#1 Don’t forget to craft your inbox auto-responder so those reaching out know you’ve received their message and will reply once you’re back in the office. Depending on the type of work you do, you may want to leave them with an additional person or email to use in case anything urgent arises. Perhaps it’s simply letting them know that you are away and when they should realistically expect a reply.
#2 Discuss holiday plans with your team! If you’re going to be away, does this mean you’d like them to keep a closer eye on everything in your absence, or will they be out the exact days you’re away? This is an important discussion to have ahead of time, and I hope you’ve already done so. If not, jump in and decide who’ll be doing what and when as soon as your next weekly meeting happens!
#3 I’m guessing your marketing plan is complete and scheduled out already! (If you’re working with one of our incredible VAs, those chances are even higher; wink wink!) But… don’t forget to include a quick notice on social media or LinkedIn letting your clients and customers know about any special holiday hours or out-of-office days during this busy season. If you don’t have content scheduled for the time you’ll be away, now is the time to make a plan and take care of it! Ensuring those things will be running in the background while you’re sharing time with friends and family only helps us enjoy the season that much more!
The last easy tip I have is this - don’t forget to look ahead! What deliverables are due after your time away? What part of those tasks can you tackle (or delegate) now to get ahead when the post-vacation rush happens? It’s always so nice to return after a refreshing time away and find that everything is still in great working order and ready to move forward in the New Year!
