The Twelve Business Challenges of Christmas (Part One)
Photo by Alexander Baxevanis
The holiday season can be a wonderful time of year. In the weeks to come most people will be enjoying delicious food, festive drinks, gift-giving and family time. Of course, that’s not to say that December is without its challenges. In between the Christmas joy and cheer… many of us will be tempted to tear our hair out!
This is definitely true for business owners. Christmas can bring with it a whole host of business challenges, and some of them can be seriously tricky to navigate.
In the spirit of the season, I’ve put together the twelve business challenges of Christmas. You’ll find the first six below, please check back next Monday for part two.
On the first day of Christmas… having too much work
In some industries, December is the busiest time of year. This makes sense if you run a restaurant or gift shop and you’ll probably have drafted in extra staff to make sure things run smoothly. However, many small service-based businesses also find themselves rushed off their feet as their clients request all current projects finished off for the end of the year.
On the second day of Christmas… not having enough work
Of course, the opposite can also be a problem at this time of year. You may find things go quiet in the run up to the big day and the week between Christmas and New Year can often be a time for tumbleweeds! Though it’s great to be able to take some time out, a quiet December can create problems for January’s cashflow.
On the third day of Christmas… childcare providers breaking up for the holidays
If you have school aged children it can be tough to manage childcare during the two week Christmas holiday. You may also struggle with keeping your routine with pre-school children, as private nurseries and childminders often close their doors for a week or more in late December. Family time is precious, but if you’ve got a desperately long to do list it can be difficult to really appreciate it.
On the fourth day of Christmas… family commitments during business hours
School nativity plays, visits to Father Christmas’ grotto, visiting relatives and lunch invitations will often crop up during your key working hours. Finding a balance between taking time out to enjoy these and keeping on top of business commitments can be extremely frustrating.
On the fifth day of Christmas… Christmas party jealousy
Here’s one for micro and small business owners! All the talk of fancy Christmas parties might make you green with envy, especially if your spouse has one to go to and you’re not invited. Luckily, you may not have to miss out all together: many networking organisations hold special christmas dos designed for solopreneurs.
On the sixth day of Christmas… having to explain your business to elderly relatives
Many micro business owners and freelancers will have to tackle the yearly task of fielding questions from confused relatives about exactly what it is they do. Here’s a suggestion: consider it an opportunity to practice your elevator pitch!
Can you identify with these business challenges?! I’ll be running an informal Christmas ‘support group’ for small business owners on the Green Shoots Coaching Facebook page! Why not pop over and share your festive business woes?
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