For those of you with product related businesses, Christmas is often a hectic, stressful time and it’s all too easy to suffer burnout and overwhelm. By the time Christmas Day comes you are exhausted and too tired to enjoy the time with your family.

I ran a jewellery business for 5 years and about this time of year I would take a deep breath before diving in to events every single weekend, followed by frantically making the orders during the week, and all the time trying to keep my marketing going!

Over the years it did get easier as I learned how to get more organised so that the silly season didn’t feel quite so overwhelming.

Here are my tips:

1) Book all your events now

Do your research and work out which events are worth your time – are they well marketed? What kind of footfall do they get? The good events will already be selling out of stallholder spaces in the next couple of weeks.

2) Schedule your social media posts around these events now

Using a tool like Buffer you can schedule your social media posts months in advance. If you’re going to be attending events as a stallholder, you need to promote this in the weeks leading up to the event, and in the few days before and especially on the day of the event. If your product is a considered purchase, this gives potential customers time to think about buying, so they will come ready to buy.

Remember advertising events is also a great way to get brand awareness as people may be googling the event and your info will come up. If you have a Facebook Business Page, create events for everything you take part in. 

3) Pre-prepare gift boxes / packaging

With my jewellery business each piece was presented in a box, with shredded paper, in a little bag with a polishing cloth and a business card with a referral offer. I would get these all made up at this time of year (in front of some daytime TV) and line them up on the shelf, so when I was busy I would have them all ready to use. It was a godsend when December hit! 

4) Get your processes in order

• Clear your workspace, throw out all the rubbish and make room
• If you are selling online, check that the user journey is smooth
• Make sure your accounts are up to date
• Get your ordering process streamlined
• Have a process for collecting email addresses at events and sending out an automated email to follow up (using Mailchimp, Aweber etc)
• Get a loyalty programme set up to reward returning customers (this can be as simple as a sticker on a flyer or a business card)
• Create eye catching graphics of your products to share in the run up to Christmas

5) Delegate

Is there anyone who could help you out at events? Or packaging up the products? Start reaching out now and asking people if they are willing to help when things go crazy. Perhaps your partner or an older child who you could pay a little pocket money to? Now is the time to call in favours! You don’t have to do this all alone. Sometimes it’s worth spending a little money on help to make it more manageable.

6) Schedule rest days

When you’re attending weekend events and rushing to make orders it’s so easy to forget that you need downtime. You must schedule in a couple of days a week (one minimum!) where you will step away from work and focus on self-care. If you struggle to put yourself first and do this, see it as time to rest so you are less tired and snappy with the family, as they are often the ones to suffer when we burn out!

Now is the time to get all your ducks in line so that you can get the best out of the Christmas season without ending up a wreck.

Good luck!

Erin x

You may also be interested in: 4 Tips For A Successful Stallholder Experience. Read here.