Every business can get ready for the holidays, not just retail businesses. Here are five things you could do right now to get ready. Holiday tow truck photo (CC) by David Dennis on Flickr.
There’s always plenty of holiday advice for retailers, including our 5 Retail Holiday Tips for 2014. We even talked about how service businesses can make themselves into holiday gifts. But what about the rest of us? Consultants, writers, manufacturers, engineers, farmers, and more all have businesses, but we aren’t necessarily retailers.
What can non-retail businesses do to make more of the holidays?
1. Plan ahead.
Even if your business isn’t busy during the holidays, your personal life probably is. Start now to get ready for, not just the holidays, but also the start of next year.
- What will you be doing early next year? Can you get ready now?
- When is your busy season? What can you do now to make that go more smoothly?
- What’s your next big project? How can you work ahead on it?
2. Get your books in order.
It’s close to the end of the year, so it’s a great time to get caught up with accounting and bookkeeping tasks. Rather than wait and panic at tax time, panic now. No, wait, I mean, get started on the organization now. Break the tasks down into small chunks so you can fit them in during the days to come.
3. Decorate and get into the spirit.
The tow truck in the photo is a great unexpected example. The more unexpected it will be for your business, the more attention you’ll draw.
Just don’t start on Christmas in October. Between now and the end of the year, you have lots of opportunities to decorate for a whole parade of holidays, so give each one its proper place on the calendar.
4. Pick up some business by helping busy retailers.
All through the holidays, retailers are busy, busy, busy. One retailer told me they always get to-go food orders from a local cafe on busy holiday days. Any local food provider could make extra sales by reaching out to retailers now and arranging for meal deliveries on busy days and weeks.
How could your business pick up extra sales by helping busy retailers through the holidays?
5. Learn something.
Brush up an existing skill or learn something that will help you serve customers. It’s good for your brain and your business. If you choose your learning method right, you can keep up with the lessons even while visiting family and friends over the holidays.
Getting ready for the holidays series:
- 5 Retail Holiday Tips for 2014
- How service businesses can get ready for the holidays
- 5 ways to get your business ready for the holidays, especially if you’re not a retail store
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Becky started Small Biz Survival in 2006 to share rural business and community building stories and ideas with other small town business people. She and her husband have a small cattle ranch and are lifelong entrepreneurs. Becky is an international speaker on small business and rural topics.
