The best to-do list for a stress free holiday season

With just three days until Christmas and 10 days until New Year’s Day, the holidays are upon us. Is your firm prepared?

Before things get too hectic, there are several small steps you can take to ensure your firm and your team are positioned for success through the end of 2018, and to make sure you can actually enjoy some time off around the holidays.

Keep your clients in the loop

It is important that your clients know which days your office is closed, new policy updates for 2019, and what to do if they need to reach you over the holidays.

Consider sending an email newsletter with the following:

- Holiday announcements including office closures and the best way to reach you over the holidays;

- What to expect in 2019, such as your firm’s policy updates regarding tax season; and

- Reminder about using technology that helps to make their lives, and yours, more stress-free.

All business aside, in a world where your clients have seemingly endless options for who they work with, don’t forget to thank your clients for their loyalty and trust. If you have time to handwrite cards that is wonderful, but if not, there are several great online options for sending fully customised, festive cards.

Minimise back office work

If you spend all of your time ensuring that clients’ books are up to date, be sure not to neglect your own.

Take care of all the housekeeping now so that you can come back in 2019 to a clean back office.

If there are things you need to send through the mail, remember the post can take a bit longer this time of year.

Perform a health check

Health checks are a good way to spot problems before they happen. Just like going to the doctor for an annual check-up, you should perform a check-up on your business’s health. It can be hard to slow down from the day-to-day and examine your own financials but without a health check, it can be easy to lose control, especially of your own finances.

Closely examine your revenue, expenses and accounts receivable to start. Then take a look at other KPIs you’ve identified as important measures of success. Setting aside uninterrupted time to focus on the financial health of your own business now ensures you will have a strong start to 2019.

Maintain momentum

Preparing for the holiday season hopefully leads to less stress in the end. Depending where you are in the world, and what the holidays look like for you and your loved ones, it can be easy to lose steam towards year end.

Make it a priority to get all your ducks in a row before taking time off and the momentum will carry you through into the new year.

Consider incentivising your team to finish the year strong with work from home flexibility, catered lunch at the office, or even a holiday bonus.

Celebrate your 2018 successes

What’s a holiday season without a little celebration? No matter the size of your team, or the size of your success, celebrate all the hard work you put in this past year.

Together as a team, reflect on what you are thankful for, as well as what you are most proud of. Champagne optional. Then, give yourself and your team some well earned time off to recharge for the year ahead.

Molly Gunion, content marketing executive at Receipt Bank