E19 Planning for the Seasonal Ebbs and Flow of Business
Most creative businesses experience a natural ebb and flow when it comes to demand. Whether you’re designing custom pieces or creating a specific product, there will be times when things are booming—and times when they slow down.
Now, Have you ever felt overwhelmed by the rapid pace of a busy season? Or stressed out during slower periods when you’re wondering how to keep things going until the next wave hits? It’s something all business owners face. Retailers experience it. Creatives like us do too.
I’m no stranger to this myself. In my sewing business, I’d feel the seasonal shifts loud and clear. For example, wedding deliveries were heavy in April, May, and June. So, that meant February and March were crazy busy with designing, sourcing, and patterning—yet I wasn’t selling anything during that time! The products were all in production, but the money wasn’t coming in yet.
And then there’s my work with authentic Victorian costuming. Around mid-October, new singers would learn they were part of a quartet, and the costumes had to be ready to wear by the Friday after Thanksgiving. I knew better than to schedule anything else during that time. The company would give me a rough idea of how many costumes were needed, but the specifics like fabric, colors, and complexity wouldn’t be finalized until later when I met with each individual singer. This made it hard to plan.
But what I learned through all of this is that you can’t expect every season to be equally profitable. However, you can plan your “portfolio career” and product mix to balance out those fluctuations. By diversifying your offerings and anticipating the ebbs and flows, you can level the playing field a bit.
If you want to learn more about what a portfolio career is and how it can help, check out Episode 9.
But for now, Let’s dive in to planning for the seasonal ebbs and flows of your creative business.
Now that we’ve talked about how most businesses have these natural ebbs and flows, it’s time to get into the specifics—because the first step to managing these cycles is recognizing when they happen.
Some creative businesses, like making custom outdoor cushions or designing wedding gowns, are very clearly tied to calendar seasons. Maybe your busiest months are from March through September, and then things slow down over the winter. Or if you’re making gift items, you know your busy period starts before and around the holidays. The reality is, different industries experience their own peaks and valleys, and as a fabric creative, it’s essential to identify when your high and low seasons occur.
So, when you think about your own business, ask yourself: When are the natural highs and lows? Is it tied to a specific holiday season, a special event like a wedding, or maybe the weather? Recognizing these patterns is key to planning ahead and adjusting accordingly.
And here's where you get to be proactive. One of the best ways to track and understand your business cycles is to keep detailed records of your sales and interest throughout the year. Keep track of when your business is buzzing and when it's quiet. Are you getting more orders in the spring? If so what month? Or does your custom work slow down in the summer? Track it all. Collect data from customer feedback, order frequency, and anything that gives you insight into what’s happening in your business at different times of the year.
Here’s what you can start doing today: Start documenting when you're busy and when you're not. It’s important to record exactly what you’re doing during both busy and slow periods—what projects you’re working on, how much time each task takes, and how that relates to your sales.
If you’ve been running your business for over a year, take a moment to reflect on the last 12 months. What do you remember about those business cycles? Write it down—go ahead, think back and make some notes. And if you’re just starting out, I cannot stress enough how important it is to keep a real business journal. This isn’t some hypothetical log. This is a record of what’s happening in your business right now—what you’re doing, when you start and finish projects, and most importantly, when the money comes in and how much.
By keeping track of these details, you’ll start to see patterns emerge. Once you’ve been tracking for a while, you’ll have a clear picture of your business cycles and be able to plan for them accordingly. Three things will come out of this: #1 – You’ll be able to plan for and do better during the busy, hectic periods. #2 – You’ll know ahead of time when a slow period is likely to pop up, allowing you to be proactive about filling it and not succumb to panic. #3 – You’ll have a much better sense of when and how much to tuck away for those dry periods.
As we all know, the key to surviving—and thriving—during busy seasons is planning ahead. You don’t want to wait until you’re in the middle of the chaos to realize you’re out of stock or that your marketing plan isn't ready to go. Anticipating busy periods and preparing well in advance is critical to making sure you can handle the pressure when the time comes.
So, how do we prepare? Let's break it down.
One of the first things to consider is product readiness. This is about ensuring that everything you need to create your product is on hand and ready to go before the busy period hits. For example, do you have enough of the basic materials you use regularly? Whether it’s a specific color of thread, a type of interfacing, or pre-made items that are part of your product offerings (like blank aprons or t-shirts), having these essentials stocked up will save you time and stress.
Don’t forget about your equipment. It’s easy to overlook things like your sewing machines, but also consider the tools and equipment you use regularly, like quilt racks, hoops, looms, or wheels- even your scissors. Check that everything is in top working condition before you hit the ground running during the busy months, only to find out that you have to repair a crucial piece, or even worse, buy a new one.
Next, let’s talk about marketing. It’s easy to get caught up in production. But marketing is just as important to keep your business visible and ensure a steady stream of customers during peak periods. But it’s even more important to keep some business coming in AFTER! If you let the marketing piece lag while you’re deep into production, it won’t be working for you to build business for the slow periods. And, it will need to get warmed up again to try and fill the next “hopefully” busy period. Marketing takes a little while to warm up and get humming. Don’t let it go cold. Start planning your promotions, emails, and social media content in advance. It helps to have as much of this prepared as possible so that once you enter your busy season, you’re not scrambling for content every week.
Having pre-written emails or social media posts queued up will save you a lot of time and mental energy. It will allow you to focus on executing your tasks without worrying about what to post or how to keep your audience engaged. You can simply schedule the posts and focus on delivering great products.
Now let’s talk about Outsourcing or Delegating
Sometimes, the key to surviving a busy season is recognizing that you can’t do everything yourself. This is where outsourcing or delegating comes into play. In my own business, I’ve outsourced some basic tasks—like sewing the simpler parts of a project—to outside sewists while I focused on the design and specialty work that I’m known for and only I could do. But outsourcing doesn’t have to be limited to just skilled labor. There are plenty of other tasks that can be delegated to help lighten your load.
Consider things like basic administrative work, packaging, or social media posting. These are tasks that don’t require a lot of specialized knowledge but can take up a lot of your time. Sometimes, teenagers or college students would love the opportunity to earn some extra allowance by helping out with those non-essential tasks. This can free up your time to focus on the parts of your business that only you can handle.
Outsourcing isn’t just about hiring professionals. It’s about being smart and utilizing the people around you—whether it’s family, friends, or local teens—who can help keep your business running smoothly when you’re in the thick of it.
Now, here’s another quick tip I want you to start this week: Create a pre-season checklist that you can refer to when it’s time to ramp up. This checklist should include all the things we’ve discussed: checking inventory, checking equipment, planning your marketing strategy, and identifying areas where you can outsource or delegate tasks. It’s like one of those wedding planning lists, or your travel checklist of all the big, little and in between things you need to check off before you head out.
Having a written plan in place will make it much easier to prepare for the busy season ahead. You’ll know exactly what to do and when to do it, helping to take the guesswork and stress out of the equation.
Now, let’s talk about the flip side: managing your creative business during the slower months. We know that every business has its highs and lows, and while you can plan for the busy periods, the slow months require some strategic thinking-not only about finances, but about how you use your time.
One of the most important things you can do is financially prepare for those off-seasons. The key here is to budget and build a buffer fund for the slower months.
But perhaps the most important financial strategy is also a time strategy – and that is diversifying your income streams. In my own experience, I made sure to find projects with a different timeline than the wedding business, where I knew the demand would drop during certain months. For example, I would seek out other projects or contract jobs that ran on a different schedule, so I always had something going, even in the slower months.
Take custom outdoor cushions and patio goods, for example. If you’re a sewist who creates beautiful outdoor living spaces, you know that this business is super seasonal. You’ll be busy and productive from March to September, but from September to March? It could be a total dry spell. The solution? Find something else to work on during those months.
Take a cue from the many lawn maintenance services we have here where I live. ALL of the people I know who run these companies do something different during the winter months. One cuts and delivers firewood. One hangs Christmas lights and sets up other holiday yard decorations. Yet another does fire pit, patio and deck installations when it’s cold outside- ready to be enjoyed at the first sign of spring.
Perhaps you could branch out into making pet beds, creating indoor décor, or designing holiday-themed gift items. These types of products can carry you through the months that fall outside your busy season. And don’t forget about digital products. Nothing says you can only offer sewn products. You likely have a wealth of knowledge that could be translated into digital products—like patterns, eBooks, or small courses—that could generate income while you’re not physically making products
When it comes to generating income during slower months, look at ways to pivot your offerings to match the season. Think of products that are more in demand during the winter or fall, or services that might appeal during the off-peak months.
Offering pre-orders is a great way to maintain consistent income. Pre-orders give you money up front, and subscriptions can provide recurring income.
Take a cue from the hotel and hospitality business: Offering discounts or bundles during the slow months can incentivize customers to make purchases, especially if they know they’re getting a deal or special pricing.
I personally have a whiteboard with monthly financial goals on it. Each month, I look ahead to see what I want to bring in. Then, I assess what’s guaranteed (e.g., repeat customers, ongoing contracts) versus what’s a little more flexible (e.g., seasonal sales, new product launches).
I also consider what I control versus what I don’t. Once I have that assessment, I start brainstorming (yes, I often do a sticky note party where I write down all my ideas) for ways to fill any potential shortfall. Could I offer a special promotion or a new service? Is there something I can pre-sell or introduce to my customers to create more demand? Brainstorming new ideas will help you get creative about generating revenue.
If you know there are a few months that, no matter what you do, will still be a bit short on income, I highly recommend putting aside a little bit of your “excess” income from your busy months. This “buffer” will help smooth over the slow periods so you’re not scrambling to make ends meet when things dip. It’s the same principle as saving for retirement or a rainy day—you’ll feel much more at ease knowing you have a cushion to fall back on.
Now, we’ve talked about managing your finances during slow seasons—putting aside the excess from the busy months, budgeting, and diversifying income. But what about staying productive during those slower periods? How do you ensure that even when things are quiet, you’re still moving forward in your business?
Let’s imagine this: you know January is always a slow month. You’ve been planning for it, and you’ve got the financial cushion to carry you through. Now I’m not saying that you can’t take the whole month off to enjoy the fruits of your labor. Many very successful entrepreneurs do just that. They intentionally plan for a full month off to relax, rejuvenate and reset. They don’t touch one thing that is business related and come back fully recharged and ready to pick up where they left off. That’s wonderful if you can do it. But I’m guessing that if you’re listening to this podcast about building your small but mighty fabric centered business, you’re not quite there yet. Maybe almost – but not quite!
So, Now that you’ve prepared for the downtime financially, it’s time to think about how you can use this time productively to set yourself up for success in the coming months.
Slow months can be a great opportunity to dive into personal projects or create new products that you've always wanted to try but didn’t have time for. Without the pressure of client deadlines or an overwhelming to-do list, you can get creative. You can try out new designs, experiment with different materials, or explore other areas of your craft that you’ve put off.
Think about expanding your product offerings. If your business revolves around custom pieces, maybe use the slower months to build a new collection or experiment with new designs.
Sometimes, the off-season is the perfect time to step back and reflect on the big picture. How has the past year gone? What worked during your busy periods? What could you improve upon? This is a great time to reassess your business goals, look at your processes, and make any adjustments needed to improve your workflow for the next busy season.
Take a moment to look at your business from a strategic standpoint. This is the time to reflect on:
• Your pricing structure
• The customer experience
• How you market your work
• Your overall goals for growth and expansion
Looking back at your busy periods—what worked well, and what could have been better? Did you struggle with meeting deadlines? Were there any recurring challenges in your workflow or customer interactions? Use this time to document the lessons learned during the hectic seasons and think about how you can improve for the future.
I encourage you to set aside some time during the slower months for a seasonal review and planning session. It’s a great way to stay focused and energized, making sure that even when the business slows down, you’re moving forward with intention. During this review, focus on your financial status and projections. Evaluate what’s working (and what’s not) in your business. Set new goals for the upcoming months
This is where the biggest mindset shift comes into play: You are a business owner. Say it. Own it. Act like it.
Taking this time to reflect, plan, and experiment allows you to truly embrace the role of a business owner. And when you start thinking like a business owner, you’ll see opportunities in the slow months that you might have missed otherwise.
Now, we've talked a lot about how to handle the busy and slow periods in your business, but let’s take it a step further and think about long-term sustainability. The goal here isn’t just to survive your busy months and get through your slow periods—it’s about maintaining balance year-round so that you’re not constantly feeling like you’re on a roller coaster.
Here’s your do-it-now tip: Take some time to brainstorm additional income sources that would complement your business model. Could you offer an online course? Could you launch a seasonal product line or a subscription service? Start thinking about ways to make your business more resilient to seasonal fluctuations. When you diversify, your income becomes more stable, and your business becomes more sustainable in the long run.
Remember, every business will experience peaks and valleys. But with the right mindset, flexibility, and preparation, those peaks will feel less overwhelming, and the valleys will feel more manageable. It’s the balance that makes the difference.
Now, I encourage you to take the steps we’ve talked about today. Prepare for your own seasonal business cycles by keeping track of when you’re busy, when you’re slow, and diversifying your income streams. This way, you can move forward with confidence, no matter the season.
If you want to dive deeper into time management or need a little more help with staying organized, feel free to check out my time management course for creatives. The strategies in that course will help you stay on top of your goals, even during your slow months. You can also join in the monthly SEW Successful workshops where we talk about various business building tools and strategies to keep you on track for years to come. I’ll link both in the show notes.
Thanks for tuning in. come back next week for episode 20 where We’ll explore the deeper concept of owning your expertise—not just overcoming doubts and obstacles, but fully embracing and owning your knowledge, skills, and place in the creative and business world.
