The golden rules of starting and running a seasonal business

Just because customers won’t buy your products or services throughout the year, doesn’t necessarily mean your business idea isn’t viable.

Sometimes ideas have seasonal appeal. If you’re lucky, you might be able to generate enough profit not to have to worry too much about income for the rest of the year. Alternatively, you might run your business for, say, six or eight months and run another seasonal business for the rest of the year. 

Many of the challenges seasonal businesses face are the same as any other business. However, some are unique. So what are the golden rules of starting and running a seasonal business?

1 Know your market

You must be sure there’s enough demand for your products or services. If you lack knowledge, carry out some simple market research. Ask potential customers whether they would buy from you at the prices you’re thinking of charging. If so, what would they buy, how much would they buy and when? Find out also what competition you face and try to set yourself apart. Markets change, so your knowledge must remain current.

• Learn how to carry out basic market research.

2 Let people know you exist

Seasonal businesses must often work harder to promote themselves, often simply to remind customers they’re there. To hit the ground running, you’ve got to leave enough time for your publicity and advertising to attract punters. When it comes to marketing, proper planning prevents poor performance, so create a plan. You must also commit enough time and money to marketing and use all channels that could bring you sales.

• Get some basic advice about how to promote your business.
• For more in-depth guidance on a wealth of marketing challenges, visit the Marketing Donut.

3 Don’t run out of cash

Cash is king. Successfully managing cashflow can present a significant challenge for seasonal businesses because they receive most of their income in a set period, but may have outgoings at other times. The temptation can be to spend too much when cash is plentiful, creating cashflow issues when revenue is down. Such irregular cashflow requires careful planning and management. 

• Learn more about cashflow management.

4 Only buy what you need

Being left with unsold stock will cost you dearly. You must accurately estimate demand by using your market knowledge/research. Spend every pound as if it were your last. Getting favourable terms from suppliers can be a “big ask” when buying within a limited period, but there's no harm in asking. Shop around for best value and try to establish good relationships with suppliers.

• Read our case study – “How I found and manage my suppliers”.

5 Employ enough of the right people

If you need a helping hand, make sure you have enough bodies when you need them. Failure to do so will lose you sales. Temporary or fixed-term employees provide a cost-effective solution, but always leave yourself enough time to recruit the right people.

• Get recruitment tips and find out about employment rights

6 Make sure you’re legal

Ignorance won’t stand up as a defence in court – nor will being a seasonal business. Some businesses require a licence to trade or must be registered, of course, while all business have legal responsibilities when it comes to health and safety and employment. If you lack sufficient legal knowledge, seek professional advice.  

• Read our introductory guidance to laws that may be relevant to your seasonal business.
• Access a huge volume of legal advice for small firms on the Law Donut.

7 Seek reliable tax advice

Much will depend upon the legal structure of your business, its turnover and your total personal income, but seek professional advice to ensure maximum tax-efficiency. You might need to become VAT registered. It might be wiser to form a company (“incorporate”) rather than operate as a sole trader . You need to make sure you claim all available allowances and reliefs, too. You might need an accountant to help you with your returns.

• Read our basic introduction to bookkeeping, bank accounts and allowable expenses.

8 Last longer by diversifying

If offering discounts and holding promotions don’t help you to make sales when sales slow down, maybe you could modify your offer to give it wider (and therefore more long-lasting) appeal. The changes might only need to be subtle and therefore inexpensive. Targeting other customers might boost your turnover. Perhaps you might be able to sell your products online.

• Find out more about targeting markets.

9 Use quiet times to improve your offer

If you cannot change your products or services to give them longer-lasting appeal, make sure you “mothball” your seasonal business properly. Use quiet periods to think of ways you can improve the business for when it becomes active again. You might want to introduce new products or services or operate in a new location, as examples. Also try to devise ways to market your seasonal business more effectively.

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