As I work with small business owners, the biggest thing I help them with is reducing their feeling of overwhelm – specifically in the area of marketing, because that’s what tends to overwhelm them the most. But as much as someone like me can help reduce that feeling, overwhelm still tends to be an ominous presence in the life of most small business owners.

I think the reason for this is that small business owners are in a constant state of “go”. We are forever hustling, forever busy, forever feeling guilty for something we’re not doing. It sounds overwhelming just typing that out. Most of that scrambling can be solved by preparation, but most of us don’t even have time to think about taking a step back to analyze, plan, and prepare.

So let me encourage you right now, before the craziness of the holiday season hits, to take a deep breath, take a step back, and let’s talk about how every business works in seasons – including yours!

When was the last time you took a bird’s eye view of your profit statements? Newer business owners tend to ride by the seat of their pants, reveling in every good month and making themselves feel like junk on months that don’t hit the mark. But more seasoned business owners know that there are ebbs and flows in every year, and it’s much better to work with and prepare for those ebbs and flows.

Let’s take a retail store for example – I can’t tell you how many stores I know that make more than 50% of their profit in December alone! So you know how they run their business? Revolving around December! They plan, prepare, and do everything they can to maximize profits in December, and they don’t worry about it in March when sales dip.

For many businesses, the holiday season is the busiest time, but for others it might not be. A photographer, for example, may be busier in October when people need photos for their holiday cards. Doing a photoshoot in December to get the cards out by Christmas is cutting it too close. That same photographer may do weddings, and wedding season is in late spring/early summer. How crazy would it be for that photographer to plan around the holidays when that’s not when most of their profit comes in?

Busy seasons change based on your niche and industry. There are some times of year that the collective consciousness is consumed with your industry. For example, health coaches often see an influx in business in January (when New Year’s Resolutions are fresh) and again in late spring (when people think about upcoming beach trips or vacations). Accountants are run ragged in April and October preparing for major tax deadlines. Health insurance companies have open enrollment (usually in November). Each of these different types of businesses should have a different approach to their year, when they do their promotions, and how they spend their time.

Understanding the seasonality of your business allows you to plan and prepare, not just for your busy seasons, but for EVERYTHING. It tells you when you should be working on your promotions vs running them. It tells you when you can afford to take a break, schedule a vacation, or develop a new product or offering. It takes away the stress of not having enough on your lean months, and prepares you for handling the stress that comes in the busy months. Knowing what to expect is half the battle when it comes to handling overwhelm.

So for the rest of this month, we are going to focus on seasonality in your business: how to identify, handle, and plan your year to make your business more efficient and you more effective. Share this with your other small business owner friends and give them the link to subscribe so they can join us on this journey this month!