Is your business wrapping up for Christmas?
With Christmas just around the corner, we’ve put together some helpful tips for small businesses to prepare as we head into the holiday season!
Top tips for business owners over the break:
1. Communicate holiday shutdown
If you haven’t already, make sure your staff, clients and any key stakeholders are aware of your Christmas closure dates. Your staff will be wanting to make plans with their families and your clients will need to know when they can (and can’t) contact you. Also consider setting up your out of office replies for when emails pop into your inbox and there’s no one there to respond – same goes for your recorded messages on your landlines and work mobile phones.
2. Plan your workload
Make sure you’ve planned for additional work over this time period and also if you need any specific deadlines met before you take leave. Also consider if there’s going to be a drop in workload and therefore a reduction in salaries (eg for casuals, depending on the nature of your business) and communicate this with your staff where relevant.
3. Plan your cashflow
Following on from the point above, Christmas is a time of year that’s notorious for bigger bank balances, and it’s no different for businesses. Parties, gifts and holiday pay are business expenses that come up toward the end of the year so make sure you account for them early.
4. Spread the festive cheer!
One thing that has come out of the last two years is the importance of community connection, compassion and acting with kindness. Consider sending out personal, handwritten letters this year to show you care, and not just to clients but also to referrers, colleagues and suppliers. Christmas can be a difficult time of the year for many people – let them know you’re thinking of them.
5. Scheduling social media
Even if your office or business is unattended for a period of time, you might want to look at how you’re still engaging people on Social Media. Have a think about scheduling in some social media posts over the holiday period so everyone gets the chance to have a relaxing and enjoyable break.
6. Be safe and have fun!
Christmas is still a wonderful time of year for many people, so why not get into the festive spirit, and get creative with decorations, activities and events.