7 Ways to Keep Your Business (and Sanity) Intact in the Holidays
Blocking off personal days, communicating well ahead of time and prioritising urgent client needs can help
When you’re a business owner, the holidays can be a hectic time of closing out the year, planning for the next year, managing clients’ needs and preparing for personal and family events. So how do you balance it all and keep your business, family and sanity intact? Here are seven tips for preparing your business for a break while keeping your clients cared for from Patricia Lee, a professional organiser based in San Francisco, USA.
There’s no shame in whatever you decide, whether you take no days off or three months off. Each of us has different earning and personal goals. But do think honestly about where that threshold lies for you.
For me, my non-negotiable days off include my daughters’ birthdays, several days each time my daughter is home from university, Christmas, and time off for annual visits to family members in other states. What are your non-negotiable days?
For me, my non-negotiable days off include my daughters’ birthdays, several days each time my daughter is home from university, Christmas, and time off for annual visits to family members in other states. What are your non-negotiable days?
2. Communicate your availability early
If your schedule is more limited than usual during the holidays, I recommend communicating this to your clients well ahead of time so they can plan accordingly.
For my business in home organising and move management, our services are in higher demand this time of year as clients prepare their homes for holiday decorating and party hosting. Our available working days may also be more limited as my business partner and I balance our personal schedules. So we remind clients in September or October to start thinking about their potential organisational needs and booking our time early to ensure they get as much help as they would like before the holidays begin.
If your schedule is more limited than usual during the holidays, I recommend communicating this to your clients well ahead of time so they can plan accordingly.
For my business in home organising and move management, our services are in higher demand this time of year as clients prepare their homes for holiday decorating and party hosting. Our available working days may also be more limited as my business partner and I balance our personal schedules. So we remind clients in September or October to start thinking about their potential organisational needs and booking our time early to ensure they get as much help as they would like before the holidays begin.
3. Assess client needs to prioritise your projects
As the holidays approach, you may have more requests for work than you can realistically take on. My business partner and I find it helpful to understand which needs are urgent and which can wait until after the holidays before committing to specific projects.
Knowing this, you might be able to break some larger client projects into several smaller ones. For example, if my client’s goals are for a whole-house declutter leading up to hosting a New Year’s Eve party, I might suggest decluttering and preparing the areas that would affect the party – the kitchen, dining room, living room – and scheduling less-urgent areas such as the garage, children’s bedrooms and office for after the new year, when schedules are a little calmer.
Similarly, if you and your client have determined that their project should be completed by Christmas, consider booking that project for early December instead of early November, which can be saved for clients with end-of-year goals.
Of course, the timelines for projects will vary depending on the work. Obviously the time involved in a complete kitchen renovation is quite different to the time involved in simply wallpapering a dining room. But the same principle of prioritising projects according to need can help you keep your sanity amid a flood of project requests before the holidays. Ultimately, this approach allows you to continue providing top-notch service while keeping calm during a hectic time of year.
As the holidays approach, you may have more requests for work than you can realistically take on. My business partner and I find it helpful to understand which needs are urgent and which can wait until after the holidays before committing to specific projects.
Knowing this, you might be able to break some larger client projects into several smaller ones. For example, if my client’s goals are for a whole-house declutter leading up to hosting a New Year’s Eve party, I might suggest decluttering and preparing the areas that would affect the party – the kitchen, dining room, living room – and scheduling less-urgent areas such as the garage, children’s bedrooms and office for after the new year, when schedules are a little calmer.
Similarly, if you and your client have determined that their project should be completed by Christmas, consider booking that project for early December instead of early November, which can be saved for clients with end-of-year goals.
Of course, the timelines for projects will vary depending on the work. Obviously the time involved in a complete kitchen renovation is quite different to the time involved in simply wallpapering a dining room. But the same principle of prioritising projects according to need can help you keep your sanity amid a flood of project requests before the holidays. Ultimately, this approach allows you to continue providing top-notch service while keeping calm during a hectic time of year.
4. Have a stopping point before the holidays
If your project will start before a holiday and extend beyond it, be sure you and your client agree on a good stopping point for the break. Communicate the timeline clearly so your expectations and your client’s align. Again, dividing a large project into small chunks may be a good way to ensure there are no loose ends.
For example, in the upcoming weeks my business partner and I will manage a large move that will begin before the holidays and continue afterwards. We have scheduled the decluttering, donations, disposals and packing for November. In December, we will handle wardrobe installations in the new home, arrange for movers to deliver belongings to the new home and begin unpacking and organising there.
After the client is moved in, we will have only three working days before the Christmas holiday. Our priority for those three days will be to set up all items needed for daily functioning. A second priority will be to create a warm, decorated environment that will contribute to an unforgettable first Christmas for our clients in their new home.
Since the project will continue after the new year, for January we have prioritised less-urgent tasks such as unpacking and organising off-season clothing, camping and backyard supplies, the garage and the kids’ art and play area.
If your project will start before a holiday and extend beyond it, be sure you and your client agree on a good stopping point for the break. Communicate the timeline clearly so your expectations and your client’s align. Again, dividing a large project into small chunks may be a good way to ensure there are no loose ends.
For example, in the upcoming weeks my business partner and I will manage a large move that will begin before the holidays and continue afterwards. We have scheduled the decluttering, donations, disposals and packing for November. In December, we will handle wardrobe installations in the new home, arrange for movers to deliver belongings to the new home and begin unpacking and organising there.
After the client is moved in, we will have only three working days before the Christmas holiday. Our priority for those three days will be to set up all items needed for daily functioning. A second priority will be to create a warm, decorated environment that will contribute to an unforgettable first Christmas for our clients in their new home.
Since the project will continue after the new year, for January we have prioritised less-urgent tasks such as unpacking and organising off-season clothing, camping and backyard supplies, the garage and the kids’ art and play area.
5. Charge for unavoidable overtime
If it’s inevitable that you’ll work on days that would typically be your non-working days – such as weekends and public holiday dates – consider setting a higher rate that’s fair for your client and would adequately compensate you for your time.
To maintain trust and professionalism, communicate the higher rate with your client as soon as possible so they have time to decide if it will work for them or make other arrangements if it doesn’t. I recommend requesting acknowledgment and approval of the special-circumstances rate from your client before starting the project to be certain there are no miscommunications or inaccurate expectations.
If it’s inevitable that you’ll work on days that would typically be your non-working days – such as weekends and public holiday dates – consider setting a higher rate that’s fair for your client and would adequately compensate you for your time.
To maintain trust and professionalism, communicate the higher rate with your client as soon as possible so they have time to decide if it will work for them or make other arrangements if it doesn’t. I recommend requesting acknowledgment and approval of the special-circumstances rate from your client before starting the project to be certain there are no miscommunications or inaccurate expectations.
6. Don’t take a break from excellent customer service
If you’ll be taking extended time off, continue to be responsive to calls and emails as much as you can without impeding too much on your well-deserved break. Additionally, for regular clients it’s courteous to let them know your holiday availability ahead of time and whether you’ll be responding to requests.
It’s important to draw boundaries between work responsibilities and personal life, but your clients also deserve to be informed. Figure out what works for you to balance providing excellent customer service with preserving your personal time.
This could be as simple as setting an automatic email reply specifying that you’re off work, when you will return and who people can contact if the issue is urgent. Remember also to change your voicemail message in case clients contact you via phone (and to change it back to your standard greeting afterwards).
If your schedule allows, you may want to carve out half an hour every morning to respond to emails. This can help minimise your email pile-up when you return from your break.
The bottom line is that you want to communicate enough so that you don’t leave potential and existing clients wondering if you’re still in business.
If you’ll be taking extended time off, continue to be responsive to calls and emails as much as you can without impeding too much on your well-deserved break. Additionally, for regular clients it’s courteous to let them know your holiday availability ahead of time and whether you’ll be responding to requests.
It’s important to draw boundaries between work responsibilities and personal life, but your clients also deserve to be informed. Figure out what works for you to balance providing excellent customer service with preserving your personal time.
This could be as simple as setting an automatic email reply specifying that you’re off work, when you will return and who people can contact if the issue is urgent. Remember also to change your voicemail message in case clients contact you via phone (and to change it back to your standard greeting afterwards).
If your schedule allows, you may want to carve out half an hour every morning to respond to emails. This can help minimise your email pile-up when you return from your break.
The bottom line is that you want to communicate enough so that you don’t leave potential and existing clients wondering if you’re still in business.
7. Show your appreciation
While your relationships with your clients may be mutually beneficial, keep in mind that your clients are your bread and butter and contribute to your income. During this season of thankfulness, why not express your gratitude? Appreciation can be conveyed in many forms – an email, phone call, card or gift. It’s always nice to acknowledge those who referred new clients to you.
Similarly, colleagues who have helped you achieve your goals throughout the year may also deserve some recognition. Expressing your thanks is a great way to end the year and prepare yourself for the new one.
More
Need more practical advice about running your business? Read Houzz’s stories for professionals
While your relationships with your clients may be mutually beneficial, keep in mind that your clients are your bread and butter and contribute to your income. During this season of thankfulness, why not express your gratitude? Appreciation can be conveyed in many forms – an email, phone call, card or gift. It’s always nice to acknowledge those who referred new clients to you.
Similarly, colleagues who have helped you achieve your goals throughout the year may also deserve some recognition. Expressing your thanks is a great way to end the year and prepare yourself for the new one.
More
Need more practical advice about running your business? Read Houzz’s stories for professionals
One of the great benefits of owning your own business is the ability to set your own schedule. However, this is also one of the disadvantages of owning your own business. Time off is often directly proportional to lost income and potential loss of clients. So setting boundaries for personal time can easily become difficult.
Still, I advise looking at your work life through a big-picture lens and creating non-negotiable days off throughout the year. Which events are more important to you than a day’s income?