5 Ways to Prepare your Business for Christmas

by Startacus Admin

We know what you’re thinking…not this again! Halloween is barely over and already they are talking about Christmas… bah humbug.  

 

Whilst we feel your holiday fatigue, it is nothing compared to the exhaustion you will experience should you leave your business Christmas preparations to the last minute.   

 

It might be ‘the season to be jolly’ but for the small business or startup owner, it is also the season to become a little ball of worry and stress.  

 

But it doesn’t have to be this way.  If you take the reindeer by the horns and get to work now, and prepare your business for the festive season, you too can have yourself a merry little Christmas.

 

Take heed of these tips and Christmas can offer a rare opportunity for calm and serenity.

 

Plan Ahead

 

The end of November is the perfect time to start strategising your plan of attack, before all the overbearing merriment begins.  

 

Take your cue from Father Christmas and make a list of the things that need to be completed by the end of December.  Remember that although Christmas might be upon you, the world doesn’t simply stop, and all of those things that would usually take place by the end of the month still need to be completed.  

 

This could be a bill which you usually pay, some administrative work which needs to be completed, or a contractual obligation which needs to be met.

 

Getting this out of the way early will give you plenty of time to identify anything that you have missed out, and should avoid any nasty surprises come Christmas Eve.

 

Create Some Backup Plans

 

The last thing that you want to do is leave the office on Christmas Eve with no idea of what you are going to do should certain difficulties arise.  As much as you might wish, your business doesn't simply go away over the Christmas period, and things can go wrong then just as they might at any other time of the year… and thanks to sods law, they probably will.

 

In such instances, knowing precisely what you will do to resolve the issue will save you a lot of time and worry.

 

Try to identify some of the things which could possible go wrong and make a plan of how to deal with them so that they cause as little upset to your break as possible.  

 

It is always a good idea to have a list of all important contact details and other information handy, so that when a problem does arise you are well equipped to handle it.

 

Even if you never need to enact any of your emergency plans, you will feel better and more relaxed simply knowing that they are there if you need them.

 

Set Aside Extra Time

 

Being that the run up to Christmas is the busiest time of the year, it can be incredibly difficult to commit to extra work hours during this period.  However, just a few extra hours over the course of a couple of weeks can be enough to help you work through some of the extra things which need to be done to keep you covered over the break.

 

Don’t make the grave error of leaving this to the last minute, because you will find yourself snookered and working unacceptably hard in the days leading up Christmas.  Think now about adding an extra 30 minutes or so to each work day in the 2 weeks prior to the break, this will result in 5 hours more in which to get some of the additional tasks out of the way.   

Be more productive and stop wasting time and you will really reap the reward of any extra that you put in.

 

Now is when that plan you created at the end of November can really come into its own, allowing you to work systematically through the tasks that you need to complete.

 

Work Early

 

It is a sad but unavoidable fact that many people have to work on Christmas day; they might not like it, but the world doesn't simply stop turning every December 25th. Entrepreneurs are not immune to this, and it may transpire that you simply cannot avoid spending a small amount of time working on Christmas Day. But you can help to ensure that this has as little effect on yourself and your family as possible.

 

If you simply must work, get it out of the way early.  Get up before the rest of the household, and score anything that needs to be completed off your list.

 

There is no point in putting it off and leaving it dangling over your head all day like some mistletoe of misery,   Get it out of the way and focus on the things that really matter family, friends, food, and festive fun!

 

Prioritise your life

 

Not to sound too philosophical or profound, but try to remember the reasons that you became an entrepreneur in the first place.  We can guess that one of those reasons was for the flexibility and control over your own work schedule that it would bring.  

 

Sadly, too often entrepreneurs find that they cannot handle this level of responsibility and end up feeling as though they should be working all the time, or giving over precious ‘down-time’ to handle menial tasks which could in all probability wait until a more appropriate time.  

 

This is something that you need to think about carefully over the Christmas period, and ask yourself honestly whether or not the work that you plan to do, MUST be completed at this exact moment.  

 

Remember that Christmas is a time for fun and enjoyment; a reward for a year’s hard work, so don’t waste yours by being unprepared!

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• #christmas

Published on: 18th November 2015