Whichever business you’re in, the holidays are busy. At Sweet Flour, we have perfected our pre-holiday checklist to ensure what needs to get done gets done, and ultimately makes our lives easier. We wanted to share three tips that have helped us over the years, in case they’re helpful for your business too. Whether you’re a seasoned holiday all-star or this is your first kick at the season, these three tips can help ensure you’re set up for success before December hits.
Create a “what worked and what didn’t” list
The best time to make tweaks to what worked and what didn’t is well before it happens again. We always review the previous years’ notes to review what worked and what didn’t so we have adequate time to adjust, improve, and remind ourselves of best practices before we enter the busy time of year. Hot tip: create your list the first week of January while December is still fresh in your mind. Then, review that list in the peak of summer with your team to give yourselves adequate time to execute your goals and initiate improvements.
Hire seasonal staff
If it’s your first holiday season, or you’re still learning the flow from your post-pandemic metrics, you may not have ‘hiring seasonal staff’ on your to-do list. However, hiring seasonal staff not only helps with the overflow of tasks, it also helps ensure your core team doesn’t get overworked. Consider getting a role (or roles) posted early so you can help train them before it gets too busy. Hot tip: add a calendar reminder for September 2024 to begin drafting your seasonal staff wish list, so they’re ready to join the team come November.
Plan your holiday products in the summer
As a local online bakery, we change our products often, but the Holidays is really our time to shine and introduce new products, new gift opportunities, and ensure our customers have the treats they want and need for their work events, holiday parties, or special moments at home. We spend a lot of time perfecting our holiday gift lineup – and we do that research and development in the summer. This gives us the time and runway to test, optimize, and finalize so our products are ready to go come November.
What are your holiday tips that keep you afloat (and thriving!) during the exciting holiday season? We’d love to know.