4 Ways to Keep Your Seasonal Business From Going Into Hibernation This Winter

Off-season has the potential to take quite a toll on sales for your business. Being a small business owner is hard enough, but a small business that specializes in a season-specific market? That's another challenge on its own. An ice cream and beach-themed shop in Cape Cod comes to mind. So, what can a seasonal business do to avoid hibernation? BBB has a few ideas for you to consider:

Extend Your Season. When your inventory is strictly summer-related, such as kayak rentals or swimming lessons offered at the local beach, it can be hard to find a reason to stay open when the water is frozen-over. For businesses like these, it may be beneficial to offer a winter-related option as well. For example, if you’re an activity-themed business, invest in winter-gear for snowshoeing, ice-fishing, or snowmobiling. Or, if you are an ice cream parlor, switch to hot apple cider and warm cider donuts during the winter months. Even when it’s cold outside, people will always go the extra mile for some seasonal comfort food. Although buying the gear may seem expensive in the start, you’re cash flow will extend throughout the year. Read Is Year-Round Expansion Right for Your Business? to learn more about the process.

Hire Once and Hang On. Good employees are extremely important for small businesses. Finding someone who works hard, has been trained in their responsibilities, and is willing to be flexible with seasonal hours can be a challenge to find, let alone keep. Seasonal employees tend to pursue other opportunities during the off-season when they are not needed. A perfect candidate to hire might be a student wanting to make a little extra cash during their summer break. They’re friendly and eager to add a position to their resume. Chances are they won’t be balancing another job on top of working at your business. To make sure those employees come back the following year, give them a reason to stay. Of course, what you can offer depends on what you can afford. Whether that be a small percentage annual raise, additional days off per month, or providing an employee lunch once a week, there are ways to reward your employees for their loyalty.

Advertise, Advertise, Advertise. Consistent promotion is a vital component to staying afloat during the off-season. Flyers stating your opening and closing dates should always be put up around town, in your local newspapers, on your website, and anywhere else you think your customers might frequent. Offering special opening and closing deals can also help hype your season. ‘First 100 customers receive 25% off’ or an ‘End of the season’ sale are great promotions to reel in customers. Try popular websites like Groupon and LivingSocial to advertise special promotions. New customers -- out of town included -- will check these popular sites in search of deals during a short stay in the community. If your business isn’t advertising, customers will likely find the competitor that is. And that’s the cold truth.

Hey, Don’t Spend It All In One Place! For any small business, seasonal or not, owners should always keep a close watch on their sales versus their spending. But for seasonal businesses, their sales must be higher during their opening months than their off-months in order to keep up with their inventory throughout the year. According to Inc.com, “It is not unusual for many retail businesses to see sales rise by 15 percent above normal monthly sales [during season] and then drop 30 percent below normal monthly sales [in off-season] each year.” Consider cutting-back during your off-season by shortening hours of operation to keep payroll down and editing your inventory. Keep your most popular and seasonally-unaffected items in stock, but take some of your less-popular items off the shelves during an off-peak season.

What does your seasonal small business do to combat the challenges of an off-season? Share this post with your advice and we’ll repost it on BBB’s social media channels.

Written by Emma Kandrac, Copywriter for Better Business Bureau Serving E. Massachusetts, ME, RI & VT. Get current news, scam alerts, trustworthy tips and more on BBB’s website. For the latest business trends, follow the blog or like BBB on Twitter and Facebook.

ABOUT BBB: For more than 100 years, Better Business Bureau has been helping people find businesses and brands they can trust. In 2015, people turned to BBB more than 172 million times for BBB Business Reviews on more than 5.3 million businesses, all available for free at bbb.org.