It’s that time of year again!
Cards, gifts, late nights, cocktails, a few too many sweets, and, here in New England, add the requisite snowfall. At Richardson Media Group, we’ve willingly embraced all that the season brings, but the reality is that the holidays can put extra stress on small businesses like ours.
Here are a few tips we’re trying to follow to consciously take care of business and ourselves during this season of lights. We’d love to hear about the choices you’ve made to keep your business running smoothly throughout this busy time of year.
- Bring everyone’s ideas together. It’s always important to celebrate the unique talents and ideas inherent in your staff, no matter what time of year. The holiday season should be no different! At our office, we started brainstorming back in November about how we wanted to express our end-of-year greetings to clients and strategic partners. It’s important that our holiday greetings reflect our brand as well as our individuality. The result is a light-hearted and brand-centered message combining Erica’s keen sense of humor and my slightly more formal persona.
- Pick your parties. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like our dance card was totally jammed, but we did have a few enticing invitations this year. We’ve elected to go to some, and not others, mainly trying to focus our energies around events where we’d see the largest critical mass of people. It’s always a balance during the holidays to be social while trying not to stay up too late during the workweek.
- Plan for some time off. When you’re the CEO of a small business, like I am, you’re surrounded by content that encourages the 24-hour entrepreneurial focus, being “all-in” and completely consumed by our passions and pursuits. While much of that is accurate, recognizing the need to shut down and step away from the fray, at least for a little while, is also a good idea. I suggest finding out what your clients and vendor partners are planning to do and following suit. Even a few days off can make a big difference towards feeling refreshed in the new year.
- Recognize the holidays can be stressful. Remember, it’s not always jolly on the homefront for some. Not everyone has the good fortune of friends and family around their table. Work colleagues may put on a happy face, but in reality they may be just barely holding it together. Let’s all practice a little extra tolerance and kindness and keep in mind that we are doing the best we can under challenging circumstances. It can make a huge difference, especially this time of year.
Here’s wishing you joy, peace and little time to reboot before January arrives.
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