Knowing Your Seasons
Feeling the heat in more ways than one this summer? There are few guarantees in life but one of them is that when holidays, summer, spring break, and flu outbreaks are in season your business can feel the effects. But, that doesn’t mean you have to feel it in your wallet or your bottom line. Knowing your business’s seasons and working them is key for making money, and feeling in control of your business. Here are some questions I love to explore with anyone I am coaching:
Do you know your busy and slow seasons?
How much do you want/need to gross each year?
How many weeks a year do you work?
What is your average hourly wage?
Business Season Months
When you have these answers then we can get really honest and clear. One studio might be in the suburbs where the calendar is pretty easy to follow. They are busy January-March and then spring break starts to distract people from consistency. Then April-May starts to level out. June-September is “slow.” September-mid November is consistent. And as the year winds down the cancellations wind up.
But, you may live somewhere where it’s busy 6-9 months a year and dead zone for 3 months. That shouldn’t freak you out. Instead, it makes it super easy and clear for you to know when you take your breaks, how much you need to be working those busy months. And enjoy a few months of your time. I think I would like that very much.
If you’re someone who has a major seasonal influx and you’re not setting goals in your business to take advantage of the busy months then you will feel it during the slow months.
No business is the same as another. Take some time this week to look at your previous year. When were you the busiest? When were you the slowest? How many sessions a week do you need to come through your schedule/studio during the busy months vs the slow months? What weeks can you just take off?
I would love to hear what your answers are and help you create a plan to make the most of your busy seasons and live guilt-free on the slow seasons. Hit me up here or post in the comments below.
xx~LL
This is great —- figure it out and be guilt free.
I typically take holiday weekends off (ie sat and Mon if lands on that day.) I work Mon-Thu heavy, and never Fridays / people cancel and light Sat/another cancel day that clients can’t commit to.
And I am finally to the point of feeling guilt free!
It’s just me —- trying these features more… I’m determined to get thru this scheduling app.