Christmas Preperation: Having a Plan

Preparing for Christmas: Having a Plan

You might be thinking--"It's not even Halloween yet--I should be thinking Christmas" as I am screaming through the computer--YES!!!!

Last Christmas was my first on etsy and I was taken off guard. I was not expecting the volume of customers that came through my shop and I was not prepared. This year I have promised myself it will be different.

I will be doing a series of articles on preparing for Christmas. My Christmas preparation plan hinges on this idea:

• There is a time to grow your business and there is a time to maintain it.

Growing your Business:

From January to September most of my energy goes into growing my business. I spend time developing new designs, introducing new products, and researching less expensive vendors. These months are fantastic because I get to focus my time on designing! Researching and testing new advertising tactics, product presentation, and marketing consumes my life for 9 month out of the year and it has been rewarding. I have had some real success in my endeavors and really enjoyed having time to focus on designing. The actual creating is rewarding and just fun! But, there are 3 other months in the year. . .

Maintaining your Business:

We are fast approaching the "other" 3 months in the year--the months where maintaining your business is a survival tactic! From October through December my focus is solely on maintenance. These 3 months are spent ordering supplies, stocking up on my prep work, completing orders, and customer service. This is not a time to design, research, or introduce new products--this is a time to sell the perfected items you spent the last 9 months developing. These three months, if planned well, can financially support your creating endeavors throughout the rest of the year.

Both parts are equally important to a successful business. You can not survive without growth and you cannot grow without maintenance. Each part of your yearly business plan has a specific focus that can truly accomplish your goals.

So, now that we have a plan--we can start to put it into action in the upcoming months. Each week I will be adding to our Christams Preperation series in an attempt to complete my business plan for the yearso that when December 25th rolls around--I am sipping hot cocoa with Santa and all 8 of his little reindeer!