As the year comes to a close you may find yourself juggling holiday prep with work deadlines and obligations. As an entrepreneur, it can be a challenge to get everything done. If you’re looking for ways to navigate the busy holiday season and make the most of your time, here are 3 important survival tips to help you do just that.

Get a Marketing Plan in Place

Whether it’s the beginning of the fourth quarter or if Christmas Eve is just a few days away, it’s never too late to get a marketing plan in place. At the end of the year, people are not only thinking about gifts for the holidays, but they’re also looking ahead to the new year. This means that often, they too may be planning their business and personal goals. As an entrepreneur, you can help others navigate the busy holiday season and set themselves up for success in the new year by promoting your own business or service.

Promote your business or service during the holidays when your ideal clients are thinking about their upcoming goals. You could offer a limited-time discount on your products or service or provide a free discovery call. Whichever way you choose to market your business, you’re likely to see some results as most people are spending anyway during this time of year.

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How to help potential clients navigate the busy holiday season

Providing content that helps potential clients is another way to market your own business. Here are a few additional ways to get your name and products at the forefront of your ideal customer’s mind as we move toward the new year.

• Publish a gift guide on your blog – be sure to include your products or services if applicable or at least make mention of them with a link to where they can find more information.
• Create a bundle of products or services with another entrepreneur and offer it at a discount for a limited time. This not only puts your name out there for your clients, but you’re providing valuable content from others and being introduced to an entirely new audience through your partner’s following.
• Support your favorite charity – You could do this in a few ways; one way is to inform your clients and customers that a portion of sales will go towards a charity. The type of business and services you provide will determine the best way to go about this; you know your ideal client best.
• Offer a holiday-themed product or service – tailor one of your items to include a holiday component.
• Provide printables – everyone loves a good printable, especially when trying to get organized and on track. You could offer them for free, or monetize your printables.

Navigate the Busy Holiday Season By Pre-planning Your Content

There are so many apps and platforms to keep track of and whether you’re on one of them or all of them, finding time to create content, edit, post, interact and engage can be a challenge. The following social media scheduling tools can help you streamline the process. This will help you navigate the busy holiday season by allowing you to pre-plan your content to leave more time for having fun with your family. You could even outsource much of this to allow for even more time to yourself.

• Tweetdeck – if you’re on a budget and want to post to Twitter regularly, the tried-and-true (and also free) Tweetdeck is where it’s at. You can schedule content in advance, include links and photos and be on your way in no time.
• Hootsuite – allows you to integrate across multiple platforms; Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin, and YouTube
• Planoly – Instagram has evolved from its early days; it’s no longer ‘instant.’  Content creators recognize its importance and have incorporated social media scheduling tools to reflect that. Planoly allows you to plan, manage and schedule your Instagram posts

Set Clear Parameters for Your Time off During the Busy Holiday Season

It’s all too easy to sneak off midday after all the gifts have been opened, pancakes eaten and dishes washed, to sit down at your laptop to do ‘just one thing real quick,’ but for the sake of your family time and risking burnout, do your best to close the laptop regularly.

Just as you would have set business hours if you were going into an office every day, as an entrepreneur you’ve likely learned that you’re never really off the clock. To successfully navigate the busy holiday season and ensure you’re well-rested and ready to tackle the new year, it’s imperative that you take time off and set clear parameters as to when you’ll work and when you’ll play.

Doing otherwise shows your family where your priorities lie and the entire reason many of us went into this home-based business lifestyle, was to be able to take time off when we wanted and spend more time with family. Boundaries are key when you’re an entrepreneur, so be sure to put them in place and enjoy the fun times with family when you can. After all, that’s why you chose this lifestyle!

It may seem difficult but if you’re determined to navigate the busy holiday season in such a way that you honor your goals and mission plan while simultaneously taking time off to rest and recharge, you can ensure that heading into the new year, you’ve done all you can and set yourself up for success.

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