Before you listen to this episode, May has now ended but you can still get ahead!
I’ve also got some new Christmas planning resources, including the free Christmas checklist and The Better Christmas Plan mini course.
What to do now to have your best Christmas yet
No, you haven’t missed a big chunk of the year. Yes, it’s still May. I haven’t lost my marbles!
The truth is that if you’re a maker, the owner of a product-based business, Christmas is a big deal to your business. I have clients who make 50-80% of their turnover in the last three months of the year.
So yeah, Christmas is a big deal.
And it’s worth preparing early.
Getting ahead for Christmas allows you to:
- Make the most of the opportunity
- Reduce stress and burnout
- Avoid sleepless nights and 10-14 hour days
- Create a Christmas range and marketing content that you’re really proud of
- Build sustainability into your business
3 top tips for makers who want to do Christmas differently this year
1. Cultivate creativity – and release fear
When things are high in opportunity, the more primitive parts of our brains can get a little stressed out. They don’t want us to try and fail. They’d rather we just kept it safe.
There can be this huge pressure to design a new bestseller, to do everything perfectly, and to hustle hard.
When we’re in that zone, unsurprisingly, we freak out. We either burn out way too early, or we find 10,000 things to do other than work on what we actually want: a Christmas season that’s aligned with your values and your wellbeing.
So before you start letting your anxious, over-analytical, fear-induced brain take over, I invite you to cultivate ease and creativity and FUN into your Christmas season!
Set some intentions:
- How would you like this Christmas to feel?
- How would you like to serve your customers?
- What feels important and inspiring this Christmas?
- How can you infuse the season with meaning and merriment?
- How can you support yourself through it all?
Let yourself create this really lovely, nourishing approach to Christmas this year.
2. Give your future self a gift: plan ahead
While I’m a woman who believes in doing things your own way, there is a law of Christmas that I have seen to be true: The later you leave your Christmas planning, the less likely it is you’ll feel like you’ve given it your best shot.
Whether it’s your fear brain encouraging you to self-sabotage and procrastinate, or a billion things demanding your attention, it’s really easy to leave things until September.
You don’t fancy spending spring and summer on Christmas planning. You find it hard to get into the spirit. Then there are summer holidays, distractions, and the old habit of not getting ahead of the retail calendar.
It’s time to change that habit.
A few things to nail down now:
- Book a photoshoot. Whether it’s a week to do it yourself or a day with a professional, book this now – and stick to it. You’ll find it helpful to have something to work towards so that your designs are ready, and it’s so valuable to have your photos done and dusted.
- Plan Christmas into every week. Put a recurring appointment in your calendar
- Start dreaming up the support you’d like
- Decide when your Christmas shop will open, and whether you’ll do an early bird offer.
3. Stay connected with your people
One of the best things you can do now for a successful Christmas is think about your audience. Not just the people who follow you on Instagram (who may or may not be your true audience), but your ideal customers, the people you really want to help, inspire, and sell to.
How can you connect with them, now and at Christmas? What will they find useful, desirable, beautiful, essential, inspiring? How can you expand your connection with them? Maybe deepen it, too?
Go and find your customers. Speak to them directly with the content you share now. Invite them to your newsletter list and send them inspiring emails.
Building your dream audience isn’t a quick fix. It takes a long time, and requires regular tending. So starting now will not only make Christmas feel easier, but it’ll create lasting results into next year and beyond, too.
BONUS TIP: Join The Better Christmas Plan!
In the podcast episode, I mention a free 5-day challenge, which has now finished.
BUT you can get the recorded DIY version now for just £37!
Together we’ll move past the stress and overwhelm to create a unique-to-you plan that equips you with all the practical tools and support you need to feel totally prepared, in control, and ready for your best season yet.
To read more and sign up now, head to thejennypace.com/betterchristmasplan
