'Tis the Season
The busy season comes every year. The trick is preparing for it before it arrives, so you can take time taking care of your customers instead of scrambling to catch up.
If you live in an area like I do, you may own a seasonal business.
Around April, the farm stands come to life, people line up to enjoy a meal at their favorite restaurant that closed for the winter, ice cream shops stay open well into the night, and the nurseries are overflowing with plants and small trees.
For these businesses, the busy season doesn't sneak up on them. It comes every year at the same exact time. Yet, it feels like spring pops up overnight.
That’s an interesting business problem to have.
As the business owner, you know spring is coming all year. And you remember the feeling of overwhelm from last year. Things got busy all of a sudden and you didn’t feel prepared. You told yourself next year you’ll be ready to hit the ground running. But life gets busy, or you aren’t really sure how to predict what’s coming this summer, and you end up scrambling again.
But April isn’t necessarily go-time.
The real work begins in January. April is just the deadline.
Planning and forecasting based on what happened last year is a good place to start. This is where things like inventory, staffing, ordering supplies, marketing, vendor management, and deciding what can be delegated come into play.
The goal isn’t to work harder during busy season. It’s to come into the season with a plan so you can be prepared when April 1 shows up on your calendar.
When April arrives, you should already know what you need to order, who needs to be working, what needs to be marketed, which vendors you need to contact, and what you can delegate.
The first week of your busy season isn’t meant for trying to figure everything out. You should be able to dedicate your time to your customers and make sure they have a great experience. One well worth coming back for.
