by Sharon Early

Created on: December 08, 2011   Last Updated: December 09, 2011

How to survive the ups and downs of a seasonal business

Seasonal businesses can be quite lucrative, at one general time of year at least. Whether your business is seasonal due to the industry, location, or clientele makes little difference. What matters is that you need to, as your grandmother used to say, “Make hay while the sun shines.” Which is a colloquial way of saying that if there is a lean time or a slack time for work, when there is work to do, do it, and gather in as much money, or as many assets as you possibly can, while you can. This type of mindset would be especially beneficial to people with a seasonal business, or who work in seasonal jobs.

Holiday Season, Seasonal workers

Pre-Christmas is a seasonal income period which benefits a great number of people whether their holiday season income is earned by doing side jobs, selling goods and crafts, or taking on a job in either retail or supply chain roles. There are tree cutters, tree lot owners (who often rent an empty lot in a high traffic area giving the property owner seasonal income as well), retail sales people who are hired specifically for the holiday season, personal shoppers, gift wrappers, child care providers, party planners, even bakeries, delicatessens, and caterers see a marked increase in their income, which they need to weather the rest of the year. It is also the shortest if tge seasonal income periods. The holiday season may be the time of year in which individuals and families may see seasonal income but the holiday season is The Season for retailers both large and small and the majority of the extra jobs that are created by the holiday season are in retail.

The National Retail Federation estimates that for 2011 the retail industry will see an incerease in their earnings of 2.8 percent. Not earth shattering increases there right? Yes if we were talking about the individual income of a wage or salary earner. For the retail sales industry that 2.8 percent totals an estimated $465.6 billion. This is nearly half of the 5.2 percent increase that retailers saw in 2010. The retail industry will also hire an estimated 480,000-500,000 seasonal workers. 12011 Oct 6, Grannis, Kathy, NRF Forecasts Holiday Sales Increase of 2.8 Percent To $465 Billion.

Most of the people that take seasonal jobs in the retail industry are people who are seeking to supplement their income or want to produce a secondary income specifically for some planned expense like Christmas, a used car, or

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