10 Business Tips for the Upcoming Holidays from Brian Moran

In this Episode:  As business owners prepare for the upcoming holidays, Brian Moran gives them 10 critical steps to take to make the most of their opportunities while avoiding costly mistakes.

Brian’s Holiday Tips for Business Owners

• Set Goals: Set achievable goals for your business for the year-end. Create milestones to monitor progress, and to make quick adjustments as needed.
• Secure Capital: Make sure you have enough financial resources to sustain your business throughout the holiday season. 
• Hire Seasonal Help Early: Secure your seasonal workforce early before the big companies do. Consider hiring recently retired people or even remote workers from different time zones.
• Create a GPS Plan: A live, actionable plan that should guide you toward your year-end goals, indicating any detours or roadblocks.
• Website Functionality: Check your website to ensure it’s running smoothly. Every link should work, and the user experience should be seamless. Visit the site as a customer to ensure a smooth purchasing process.
• Shipping Deadlines: Clearly mention the last date for shipping before Christmas. This is particularly important for B2C companies.
• Mobile Experience: Make sure the website is mobile-friendly. A lot of people shop on the go, so the mobile experience should be as smooth as the desktop experience.
• Dedicated Staff: Assign a dedicated person or team to manage your website and social media throughout the holiday season.
• Marketing & Branding: Focus on what differentiates your brand from competitors and promote that across various platforms. 
• Customer Communication: Be respectful of your customers’ time. Don’t overwhelm them with text messages or emails. Instead, engage with them on their preferred social media platforms.
• Do Your Homework: Analyze past successes and failures, check out competitors, and talk to partners and employees about the market.
• Solidify Relationships: Ensure strong relationships with everyone in your supply chain to prevent any hiccups during the holiday season.

Backup Plans: Always have a contingency plan in case something goes wrong in the supply chain or with customer service.