Creative Income

The blog dedicated to all things crafty business!

  • Home
  • About
  • Giveaways
    • Win a Ticket to Snap!
  • Newsletter
  • Free eBook
  • Join our Facebook Group

How to Keep Your Holiday Spirit During the Busiest Time of Year

November 28, 2012 by Maggie

This time of year can be crazy for a creative business owner.

Double or triple sales volume (we hope), customers who want their purchases YESTERDAY, glitches in shipping or computers… all of it can make a creative business owner feel more like Grinch than Santa.

Here are a few tips from a woman who has not only owned a few businesses but also worked retail for many years around the holidays.

And survived.

Image source

 

Give a little. When you feel like the season has gotten out of hand and you just want to lock yourself away in a room until it’s over stop thinking about what’s so rotten and GIVE. Pay for the coffee of the gal in line behind you, help someone shovel a sidewalk, keep small candy canes on hand to give out. You’ll be surprised at what even small gestures of kindness will do for your mood. Not to mention the mood of the folks around you.

Give a little more. Is the customer asking a little too much and in a sort of cranky way? Try to imagine that she’s having an awful day, not just awful like the one you are having but something like this; She finally got all of the kids off to school and was ready to head off to the office (even though she REALLY didn’t want to) only to realize that there is peanut butter on her best suit. She had a flat tire on the way into work, her boss was out sick and she had to do twice the work today AND to top it all off she got yelled at because even though she was doing twice the work she apparently wasn’t doing it fast enough.Yeah, it’s highly unlikely that all of that happened to one person but what if it did? Isn’t it a little easier to give a little more now?

Have an office party. Even if you are the only one in the office most of the time invite a few friends, fellow creative business owners or your own family to a small office party. It doesn’t need to be expensive, elaborate or even very long but simply taking the time to celebrate the season and the people who make your life  more pleasant is a great way to cope with holiday stress.

Decorate your space. Whether you have dedicated office space, a basement studio or garage, be sure to put up a few holiday decorations. Especially decorate the area near where you deal with customers the most (near your computer, customer service desk, or phone) so that you may have a boost in spirit when in those areas. Even if you aren’t dealing with people face to face, the decorations will boost your mood and that will come across in your communications.

Support other creative businesses. You know that saying, “What comes around, goes around”? It can apply here as well. If you want others to support local/creative businesses then be sure to check your list and see where you can buy gifts from other locals/creatives. It will help to complete your shopping list while making you feel great to support other creative business people. Not only will you feel better for supporting others but that is bound to come back to you in a good way.

Put yourself in time-out. Don’t be afraid to take a time-out if you need to. Keep a favorite chocolate, tea, or other treat on hand, turn everything off even for just a few minutes, and have a little break. Breathe deeply, think positive thoughts and relax. You’ll be in a much better mood when you get back to business.

Always remember that this busy time is only temporary. Don’t let the season get to you and leave a bad impression with possible future customers. By putting your best self forward you are making positive connections that will see you though the rest of the year.

What other tips would you add to this list? How do YOU keep the holiday spirit flowing among the hustle and bustle?

By: Vicki O’Dell , The Creative Goddess

  • Author
  • Recent Posts
Maggie
Latest posts by Maggie (see all)
  • Real Life Sales: Getting Your Crafts Into a Shop - November 10, 2022
  • How to Make Money Blogging - November 3, 2022
  • Real Life Sales: Getting Your Crafts Into a Shop - November 13, 2021

Filed Under: General Advice Tagged With: customer service, holidays, time management

Email Email Facebook Twitter Pinterest YouTube RSS

Subscribe to the Creative Income Newsletter.

Getting Started

5 Easy Steps to a Successful Handmade Business

Start a Handmade Business: Free CreativeLive Class You Don’t Want to Miss!

Categories

Craft Fair Tips

Pricing Your Handmade Goods for Craft Shows

How to price your items is a common source of confusion when handmade artists are starting to sell at craft shows. Not just business-wise (how much to … [Read More...]

Archives

Blogging

How to Make Money Blogging

Craft Fairs

Pricing Your Handmade Goods for Craft Shows

General Advice

7 Essential Tips for Accepting Credit Cards at Craft Shows

Getting Started

Starting a Business? Don’t Make These Rookie Mistakes

Organizing

Craft Fairs: Find Success, Make the Sale

Sales Tips

Real Life Sales: Getting Your Crafts Into a Shop

Prime Publishing Craft Group
Copyright © 2023 · Creative Income - A Prime Publishing LLC property. All rights reserved.

About Us Advertise Contact Us FAQs Privacy Policy Do Not Sell My Personal Information Subscribe Terms of Service Unsubscribe

Copyright © 2023 · Tidy Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in