How To Keep Your Small Business Running Through The Summer Holidays

The summer holidays often bring with them a love-hate relationship. You might relish the downtime and the chance to spend some time with your children without rushing out the door for school drop-offs and after-school activities. But, as any working parent or small business owner will tell you, the summer holidays also present a somewhat unique challenge. 6 weeks of having to spin all of the plates, and navigate work and family life all the while trying to do your best both personally and professionally. It can be a trying time, to say the least. 

You can expect to come up against some challenges over the 6 weeks but the key is to not let them overwhelm you. With the right team and some careful planning, you can take charge of the summer holidays and breeze through them, honestly. 

Start planning early 

You know when the summer holidays are so you know you can start planning as early as possible. If you need to find and source additional help for the holidays, start looking asap. Let your customers or clients know that this period may be affected by delays or disruptions to the usual business services they might be used to and come up with some contingency plans on how to manage the workload. Book your summer camps early, make childcare arrangements as early as possible and complete as many essential work-related tasks in advance of the holidays. Take as many steps as possible to clear your plate of work (as much as you can) so you can embrace the summer holidays confidently. 

Get extra help

As a small business owner hiring help may not be something you are accustomed to. However, for your business to thrive this may be the time to loosen the reigns just a little. Here are some ways you can get a little extra help; 

Virtual assistants; A VA can be a great addition to your workload as they can take over some of the time-consuming yet administrative tasks leaving you free to dedicate your precious time to more pressing tasks. They can cater to all industries, from medical virtual assistants to accounting assistants, so they are a great hire for anyone.

Freelancers; freelancers are the perfect option for ad hoc help that is needed as and when. Freelancers can step in and pick up tasks without the formal bind of traditional employment. 

Outsource professional matters. If you have urgent or important matters that need tending to then now is the time to outsource to professionals. Why give yourself the added stress of trying to get your head the latest contract on your desk or an accounting issue that has been raised? Outsource the matters to the relevant corporate law services or accountancy departments. By over-committing your time you could end up doing more harm than good, so let the professionals handle the matters for you. 

Put someone in charge. If your company is going to continue to operate in your absence then it may be a good idea to find a replacement for you. At the very least you will need a point of contact for urgent queries from customers or clients. It may also help steady the ship for your smooth return to business as usual as the holidays draw to a close.