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29Nov

Planning for downtime – 8 Tasks to do when business is quiet

The festive season in South Africa is not a peak time for all businesses. Many business-to-business (B2B) companies experience a downturn during mid-December to mid-January. Does this mean SMEs should simply take it easy? Not at all. This article covers how your business can use this extra time wisely.

 

Table of Contents

 

When business is quiet, do the following:

Thank your customers

First things first: thank your customers for their support this past year. Send a personalised newsletter or, if it is feasible, send your clients gifts and a handwritten card.  Also, tell your customers what your festive closing and opening dates will be.

 

Clean and organise the office and tackle all the physical admin

Now is a great time to deep clean the office, do maintenance on the hardware (i.e. the printer) or fix the pipe that’s been leaking. Also, sort out and declutter all physical files and cabinets, and restock stationary, repair furniture, electronics, or any other physical items you might need in January.

 

Clean out desktop files and tackle all the digital admin

Digital clutter slows down your devices. Either delete files you do not need any more or move them to an offline, backup storage device. Organise your digital folders and make sure you have suitable backups in place. Check whether there are any software licenses like anti-virus, accounting programmes, or communication platforms, that need renewal. Also, don’t forget to settle any outstanding invoices.

 

Get inspired

Invest in your intellectual capital. Make time for the inspirational content you’ve wanted to get to during the course of year, but never quite managed to. Read books, watch videos, and listen to podcasts. Research and plan any workshops or training you would like your staff to explore in the coming year.

 

 

Think ahead

Prepare for a successful year ahead. Reflect on the past year, investigate trends, and create new goals. What did you do that worked or didn’t work? What do you need to do more of? Now is an excellent time to sit together and brainstorm creative ideas that could benefit your business in the year ahead.

 

Master something new

Was there any programme or software solution you didn’t get to use properly this year? Master it now! Watch the ‘How to’ videos and make this technology work for your business.

 

Revamp your marketing efforts

Obtain a holistic view and insights on all your marketing efforts during the past year, and plan to do more!

If you are not online yet – register that domain name, signup for the hosting and build your own website.

Alternatively, upgrade your existing website, improve your landing pages, boost user-experience and scale up your web hosting's package, or organise additional email hosting if the online resources are nearing their limits.

Create a marketing strategy for the first quarter, write those thought-leadership articles and create briefs for your creative team to action.

 

Recharge

It is essential to make time to recharge your batteries. While business owners know this, they rarely give themselves the luxury of good old R&R. Nonetheless, your brain needs this for you to perform your best in the new year.

Don’t see yourself “doing nothing”? Then take on a hobby, meditate, go on a retreat, or hiking expedition – get out and about in nature and enjoy the fresh air, it is good for the heart, mind, body and soul.

 

KEY TAKEAWAYS

  1. Take time to personally thank your customers for their support.
  2. Organise, declutter, and deep clean the office, do maintenance, and restock.
  3. Clean up and organise all the digital admin of the business.
  4. Invest in your intellectual capital by reading, watching, and listening to inspirational content.
  5. Reflect on the past year and plan for a successful new one.
  6. Plan to invest more in your marketing efforts during the year ahead.
  7. Make time to take it "easy" on yourself.

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