Managing a seasonal business can be really rewarding. You have the power to generate a lot of income quickly during seasonal periods. However, it can also be challenging in the fact you experience eerily quiet periods of the year too.

The question is, how can you keep your business afloat during these quieter times? Here, you’ll discover some of the best advice you can follow to protect your seasonal business when it’s quiet.

Work on your marketing strategy

Even when times are quiet in your business, you can still generate some extra income by keeping your marketing strategy active. In particular, creating and managing social media accounts can prove invaluable.

Staying active in your marketing continues to remind customers you’re there and ready to take their orders. You can offer tips, advice and report on industry news when you’re not operating, helping you to build up your number of followers. Then, when your busiest times come back around, you’ll have potentially a lot more customers who want to buy from you.

Save money during busier periods

Another thing you can do which will really help is to save money during the busier periods. This can sometimes be easier said than done, but if you do manage to set some money aside, it can help to tide you over during the quieter times.

Work out how much you’ll need to save to cover your expenses and income during the quieter times. That way, you’ll know exactly how much you need to set aside.  

Seek financial help

If you find you’re really struggling, you may be able to seek financial help. There are a lot of business finance options available these days, from loans to a merchant cash advance. Therefore, you’ll want to look into each option before deciding what’s right for you.

A small business loan is the standard type of finance available. Providing you with a lump sum, you’ll repay the loan over a set period of time. With a merchant or business cash advance, you’ll also receive a set sum. However, you’ll only pay a portion of it back when your customers pay you. This can make it a better option for seasonal businesses as you won’t need to pay as much during those quieter times as you would with a business loan.

Running a seasonal business can be challenging financially. However, the above are some of the best ways you can counteract those quieter times. The more you plan ahead, the less likely you will be impacted by quiet periods. So, create a plan, aim to save where you can and don’t hesitate to seek the finance you might need if you’re really struggling.

By Eddy

Eddy is the editorial columnist in Business Fundas, and oversees partner relationships. He posts articles of partners on various topics related to strategy, marketing, supply chain, technology management, social media, e-business, finance, economics and operations management. The articles posted are copyrighted under a Creative Commons unported license 4.0. To contact him, please direct your emails to [email protected].