Taking unlimited time off without the pressures of a staff rota or annual leave allowance may have been one of your main motivators to start your own business. Perhaps you wanted to pick your children up from school without having to fund childcare, or you yearned to enjoy key seasonal periods such as Christmas in presence of family and friends without the dreaded ‘back to work’ fear on Boxing Day. If so, you’re like me and Christmas is a time for some well-deserved rest and relaxation, unless you have young children…
Preparing for this period is always a busy time. In your personal life you may be wrapping presents and decorating trees, but for your business, you need to ensure all bases are covered to save any interruptions and you ensure your business is just as intact as you left it, come January.
How to prepare your business for the Christmas break
At Admin Guru, I am all about preparation and the great thing is, before any break from your usually day-to-day, it is possible to prepare for it all in advance; before, during and after.
Check out my blog ‘How you can take time out of from your business without feeling guilty’ for some practical tips on preparing yourself and your business for some hard-earned time off.
Specifically for the festive break, here’s some tried and tested top tips:
Marketing Preparation:
Content Calendar Planning
Prepare all your social media ideas for the festive break in advance. Curate a robust marketing calendar to save a lot of time mid-December as you scratch your head on what to talk about. It’s easy to become distracted amongst the pressures of this hectic season to forget to post or know what to share, so preparation and scheduling here is key.
Do you need help planning your content I the lead up to Christmas?
If so, I have a limited time only Black Friday offer on until 1st December 2022, to get your social media planning in good shape and ready for the Christmas period…
What’s included?
· A 1- hour done with you social media planning session where we will map out a Christmas content plan for your business.
· We will go through content ideas, the information you need to provide to your clients and the best way to pre-schedule your posts.
· You will also receive a copy of the content plan which can be used to help you plan your content into the New Year
The offer details:
The cost for this session is usually £69.99, the offer price is just £49.99.
For just £49.99 you will have the peace of mind that your content is planned over Christmas and you won’t need to worry about showing up on social media
Spaces are limited so book now to avoid disappointment.
If you book this service before 30th November 2022, I will also provide some useful extras including:
- Canva tips to make your posts ready for the festive season
- Hashtag examples for your industry
- Content Matrix to help you achieve balance with your content
Please note that the price of the session will increase to £69.99 from 1st December 2022.
email sarah@admin-guru.co.uk for more information and to book your place.
Business Operation Preparation:
Share Availability
Set your Christmas holiday operating hours and share them in advance with your clients and customers. Agree a mode of communication that suits you best for any business emergencies and inform all needed upon your return date. Setting expectations with your customers and clients is key!
Out Of Office
Set your ‘OOO’ automated email response to cover any enquiries received in your absence. Share links to any available FAQs or new business forms on your website that may be useful and remind them of when they’re likely to get a response.
Get Cover
If your business is unable to run without you there, or your inbox / phonelines need managed through this busy period, arrange cover to support you as you enjoy your time off. Utilise the support of a Virtual Assistant to help with managing emails, sales enquires and more. Remember VA’s can hit the ground running and can be a flexible and affordable way to offload some of your day-to-day tasks.
January Preparation:
Diary Organisation
Prepare all of your meetings, calls or business activities ready for your return by blocking out your calendar in alignment with your back-to-work date.
Inbox Clear Out
No one wants to return to work after a blissful time off to a loaded inbox with no organisation. Get filing and flagging to reduce your January stress and start the year afresh.
Remember, getting prepared for this busy period can help you:
· Feel assured that your business is well taken care of as enjoy your mulled wine at the Christmas markets
· Allow you to take some time for some self-care and the all-important, uninterrupted time with friends and family
· Relieve back-to-work stress and amounting to-list
· Have uninterrupted time watching Christmas films and eating mince pies!
If this blog helped you, check out my other useful hints and tips on the Admin Guru Blog or check out my website www.admin-guru.co.uk for more information on how I could help you with your business. Remember, my Black Friday offer only lasts until 1st December, so remember to email sarah@admin-guru.co.uk to find out more information and to get planning!