Five Tips So Holidays and Changing Schedules Don't Disrupt Your Business

The holidays can be a great time of year. Many people have time off of work and school to spend time with their family and friends. However, for those small business owners, the stress of the holiday can really affect their business. They may have less time for their business because their children and spouse are home from school and work. They may be spending more time shopping and getting ready for the holidays. Not to mention, the days of traveling as they go to and from homes visiting their relatives. 

That being said, small business owners can continue to grow their business and work around the holidays. Here are some tips to help. 

Set a schedule (and stick to it).

When you know the next month or two is going to be extra busy, you are going to have to schedule a time to work on your business. However, you also should schedule time at home and with family. Once this is set, you need to stick with it. Focus on your work when it is time to and enjoy your off time with your family. 

Let your customers know about your holiday schedule. 

Once you come up with a schedule, you should let your customers know. Let them know that your hours are changing and what they should expect. If you run a business that offers services to customers, let them know that you are cutting back this month and turn-around times may be slightly longer than normal because of it. 

Get some help. 

It may help to hire someone for your business for a few months. Delegate everything that you can to them so that you can focus on the tasks that you need to do. However, you may also want to get some help at home too. Ask your family to help with the shopping, cooking, and decorating. If you have to, hire a maid to help you keep up with the house when you can't do it. 

Don't feel guilty when you are home. 

Too many business owners feel guilty for taking time off during the holiday season. However, you work hard every day to provide for your family, and you deserve to spend every second of the holiday with them if you want to. If your customers are bothering you, remember that you told them you were cutting back this month. Don't put in extra hours because they didn't plan well. 

Find a co-working space. 

While many small business owners don't have a physical location for their business, they might want to consider finding a co-working space for the holidays. This will give them a place to go when they need to focus on their business. They can also leave their work there, instead of having to clean up the dining room table for every meal! 

The best way to balance the holidays is by setting a schedule. Not only should you schedule time to work on your business, but you also need to schedule time with your family too. It also helps to remember that, when you are home with your family, you should be focused on them, not on your business. You can't feel guilty. You deserve to spend time with them. 

It also helps to keep your customers aware of the changes around the holidays. Make sure that they know when you are working and when you are going to be off. Let them know that turn-around times may be slightly longer because you aren't working as much during the holidays. It may also help to find a co-working space. This way, when you are there, you can focus on your work. When you leave, you can leave your work there too!