Seasonality can be both good and bad for a small business. The good part is that you have a chance to make most of your yearly earnings during the peak periods. On the other hand, the idea of having one or more slow months with low revenue while bills still need to be paid can feel like a burden. The upside is that seasonality is, by nature, predictable, allowing you to get ready for the slower times. Here are some tips to help your business during the tough months:
Understand your fixed and variable costs:
You’ll need to cover your fixed costs, but some of them can be delayed. Variable costs rarely drop to zero during slow times, but you can cut them down quite a bit. Update your monthly budget to show your lower spending. If your cash isn’t enough to cover your expenses, reach out to IOU Financial for a fast business loan, which can be available in as little as 48 hours. Our loans are simple to repay without putting too much pressure on your cash flow. Since these loans are short-term, your total interest costs are limited.
Conserve your cash:
Build up your cash reserves during the busy season so that you can enter the slow months with a cushion. Once the slack season begins, execute your budget imperatives, including labor reductions and furloughs. A good strategy for seasonal businesses is to maintain only a minimal employee count and fill with hourly temps during the busy seasons. You can postpone inventory purchases until the end of the slow months and consider factoring your accounts receivable to speed up cash collections.
See the world:
Your vacation schedule will no doubt coincide with your slow season. This is especially feasible for mom-and-pop businesses. If you own an ice-cream store in Maine, then it makes sense to shutter the store during the winter and head off to warm climes. Your variable costs will be reduced to the greatest extent with this strategy.
Renegotiate with your suppliers:
Speak to your suppliers about your seasonal requirements and work out better credit terms during the slow period. For example, if your normal terms are 2/10 net 30, see about extending the payment due date to 60 or 90 days. If you’ve been a good customer, your suppliers will be more likely to accommodate your request. After all, suppliers want you to succeed, and it makes no sense for them to force you out of business and thereby lose a customer.
Adjust your marketing plans:
If you don’t have the ability to shut your business during the slow season, try bringing in more customers through sales events and promotions. You can program special events like raffles, classes, and bonus loyalty points for the slack periods.
Shore up your social media footprint:
If you have extra time during the slow period, put it to good use by increasing your social presence. Exploit your accounts on Facebook and Twitter to push out information about your special promotions. Startup or re-engage a newsletter and/or email campaign with useful and timely content that elicits readership.