“Busy season.” Have two words ever inspired more excitement and dread?
Fear not! Busier periods can feel like a lot to handle, but that doesn’t mean you have to struggle. Here are our top tips for staying safe, sane, and motivated throughout your peak seasons in 2024.
8 Ways to Prepare for the Busy Season
1. Stay organized.
A disorganized workplace can really slow you down. Make sure you have a solid organizational structure in place during your busy season, and keep it consistent. Keeping your tools, equipment, and workspace organized can keep operations running smoothly and also reduce the risk of worker injury. It will allow you to use your time wisely, rather than hunting down misplaced materials.
2. Delegate.
As the business owner, you may feel the need to handle everything by yourself. Loosening your grip on the reins can be tough. But making sure you have a highly qualified lineup of managers, supervisors, and other team leaders can prevent you from getting overwhelmed during peak season. If possible, delegate some responsibilities to your most experienced employees.
3. Repair/replace your equipment.
With the busy business season approaching, it’s a good idea to take stock of the condition of your hardware. Are repairs needed? Is anything on its last leg? Now might be the time to fix what can be fixed, and rent or replace what can’t. It’s better to make certain everything is in working order before things get hectic. That way you won’t spend your time on the things that don’t need your attention, rather than providing the best service to your customers.
4. Don’t skimp on marketing.
Running a seasonal business is not the same as running a business that operates year-round. Seasonal companies have different marketing needs, so it’s best to get out ahead of them. Make sure you’re putting your business out there well before the start of the busy season. This will help build interest and put your business’s name on the minds of prospective customers or clients.
Up your social media game to get your brand out there, and if you have an email database, use it! Send out emails letting customers know you’ll soon be up and running and ready for services to be booked.
5. Start staffing up.
If your business requires seasonal employees, it’s a good idea to start the hiring process early. Finding workers willing to take on temporary employment can be challenging. And since you may be competing with other top-paying summer jobs, it’s best to err on the side of caution, and give yourself plenty of time to find help and conduct interviews.
Getting a head start on hiring will also help ensure that your new hires are prepared and motivated. The last thing you want is to have several employees quitting during the busy season.
Another benefit of starting the hiring process early is that it provides time for you to reach out to former employees. Check in to see if any of your previous seasonal hires are interested in returning for another busy season. They’ll already have some training and experience under their belt and may require only a quick refresher.
6. Hit the refresh button on your website.
Online presence is more important than ever. For many consumers, the internet is the first place they turn for product and service recommendations. So it’s critical that you put your best foot forward with your website.
To prepare your website for the busy season, start by making certain it’s accessible on different platforms. A good website will typically be easily accessed by a computer browser or on a mobile device.
If refreshing your website is out of your comfort zone, we can help! Simply Business® is partnering with UENI to get a website built for you in 7 days. Redeem this special offer, and UENI will take care of the rest, providing you with all the essentials to run a successful website or online store, just in time for peak season.
*Purchase or renewal of an insurance policy is not required to benefit from this promotional offer.
7. Reach out to your regulars.
In certain industries, small businesses may find they have repeat customers or clients — their “regulars.” They can generally be counted on to get in touch with you when they need your services or products. So why not reach out to them first?
There are two potential benefits to reaching out to loyal customers before the busy season peak. The first is practical. If you feel confident that regular customers will be coming back, but don’t know when, sending an early reminder may fulfill the customers’ needs sooner. Best to get them out of the way now, before your small business is bogged down later in the season.
The second potential benefit is that the customer may appreciate it. Loyal customers are generally loyal for a reason. They appreciate the quality services you provide, and they feel taken care of by your business. Being contacted during peak season can make them feel like their needs are being anticipated and prioritized..
8. Support your employees.
The busy season is typically rough on a small business owner. But what about the employees? They may not be responsible for high-level decision-making, but they’re on-the-ground every day, helping to keep the business running.
Make sure you’re touching base with your employees regularly in case they want to raise questions or concerns. Take those concerns seriously. As a boss, it’s crucial to address the issues your employees are facing in any way you can. Also, there’s also the chance that your employees have great ideas for improving workflow and making processes more worker-friendly during the busy business season.
Try to keep things positive as much as possible. How you comport yourself will set an example for the rest of your team. If you feel yourself cracking under the pressure of the busy season, try to manage it through self-care, your friends, and your overall support network, rather than bringing it to work and adding more stress to the workers.
Make Sure Your Seasonal Business Insurance is Ready
When business is booming, the last thing you want to be thinking about is if your small business is properly insured. Between the added stress and increased customer demand, you’ll have enough on your plate without worrying about unexpected claims.
So why not set yourself up for success? We can help you there. Simply Business® works with leading insurance carriers to offer a wide range of commercial coverage options to suit your small business’s needs.
Whether it’s general liability or workers’ compensation, business insurance might keep you from the financial burden of covering a workplace claim out-of-pocket. Our free online quote tool will have a quote ready for you in minutes.
Running your small business is your top priority. Let us help take care of the rest.
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Do the Hustle
… but don’t overdo it.
Peak season should be more than just a frenzied hustle and bustle. It should be your small business’s time to shine. Be strategic. Try to make the most of it without sacrificing too much of yourself. You can’t put your best foot forward if you’ve run yourself ragged.
Breathe. You’ve got this. You’re now armed with seasonal business ideas to help you prepare for your busy season. Also, you’ll find more information and tools available when you visit our Resource Center.
Don’t know where to begin? Start with these three articles for more information about planning, hiring, and setting up a small business website.