Holidays are an exciting time for everyone. All of us expect a period of no stress, ample family interaction, and chilling. But that might not be the case with entrepreneurs. Because they could be dealing with clients being distracted, employees taking leaves, and increased personal commitments which they find no time to squeeze into. Here are some pieces of advice for entrepreneurs for making the most out of the holidays.
For Singapore especially, on days like Christmas, New Year and the Chinese New Year people go in for breaks, and that might not be consistent with an entrepreneur’s schedule and leads to hiccups in the processes. Here’s what you can do to avoid all these issues and go about chillin’ like a villain this holiday season. This is your last-moment guide to preparing for the holidays.
1. Make a Work Plan
While Holiday centric strategy, I believe is already in place for you since it’s just 4 days before Christmas. I talk of a specific plan of finishing off all that was on the checklist by distributing it over the three days evenly and not slogging for the last working day.
It’s better to focus on conversion than getting new leads at this time, so get those sales calls completed. Review meets with the team that you have been postponing- now is the time to get them done too. Ending the year with a retrospection is way better than starting the new year with critiquing feedback from 2018.
2. Budget
Holidays need an individual budget- In the office or at home. There’s so much to be done (that I have mentioned ahead) that requires funds. Cashflow in the season might not be as regular owing to delayed payments. Rather than making sudden expenses that disturb the scheme, set aside a different budget for spending on your Christmas Party, Holiday CRM, and other end-of-year stuff. This can save you from shock on seeing your credit card bills later.
3. Holiday Cards
On important advice for entrepreneurs; CRM does not end with your delivery of products or services. For networking to run long and fruitfully, certain gestures like sending out holiday wishes go a long way. This is one sweet way of maintaining your association with your clients so that you are never out of their minds if ever a similar need arises in the future. Offer festive discounts, remind you to leave your feedback or say thank you for choosing you and do a latent marketing trick too.
4. Connectivity
Though ideally, an entrepreneur should never be off the grid, holidays are a time to unwind, and even you are allowed that. But make sure you are still reachable if the need arises. If you are planning to travel, remember to set an out-of-office/vacation autoresponder in your email. These days numerous apps allow you to connect without any hassle.
5. Rewards and Recognition
You didn’t win that stellar deal alone. Neither did you deliver it alone. Your team made it possible. The festive season is also a time for recognizing all the hard work your employees had put in over the year. Reward the great performers. This doesn’t necessarily have to be monetary rewards but maybe titles or other perks that will uplift the morale and add to the spirit.
We hope that these bits of advice for entrepreneurs will be helpful while you plan out your holidays. Remember, how the year ends has a lot to do with how the next begins. If you are stress-free, energized, and rejuvenated, so will your team, and will go into the next year zealously.
Singapore boasts of being among the best flourishing grounds for startups and the holiday season calls for collaboration, gratitude, and purposeful reflection.
