A seasonal business requires special planning and a very co-ordinated, focused approach.
A recent article from Entrepreneur.com gives some insights into running a seasonal business, explaining that seasonal businesses
depend heavily on the revenue generated during a single season to carry them through the year.
Typically, seasonal businesses fall into one of two categories: those that can shut down in the off-season and those whose owners have to find another way to maintain cash flow during the rest of the year.
Christmas Seasonal Business
You've seen Christmas stores in the mall. These are often short term seasonal stores with a short casual lease for the holiday period, and then they are gone.
Other seasonal businesses may include
- Ski hire
- Swimming pools
- Santa photos
- Letters to Santa
- Boat hire
- Landscape gardener
- Campgrounds
- Bed & Breakfast
Seaonal Businesses In The Off Season
For many seasonal businesses, the off season is a time for maintenance, planning and marketing. It is not necessarily time off.
Seasonal Business Planning & Cash Flow
Cash flow and financial planning is key in a seasonal business, as a poor season still has to carry them throughout the whole year. Many seasonal businesses are influenced by weather and outside influences to a larger extent than a regular year round business.
Some seasonal businesses need to supplement their income with other activities or jobs in the off season.
Your Year Round Business
Can you learn lessons from studying the way seasonal businesses operate in terms of forward planning, cash flow and marketing?
There are elements of running a seasonal business which can provide useful insights for year round businesses too.
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