Five Ways to Give Your Seasonal Business an Off-Season Boost There are a number of ways to keep the money coming in, even after your high season has passed. Think creatively, learn more about the needs of your customers, and test new ideas, even if they may seem a bit zany.
By Gwen Moran •
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Whether it's a rush of leaf-peeping tourists in autumn or a fast-ringing register during the December holidays, seasonal businesses are often faced with the challenge of generating a year's revenue in just a few months. But there are some ways to keep the cash coming in all year 'round.
To keep the money coming in, even after the key season has passed, you may need to think creatively, learn more about the needs of your customers, and test new ideas -- even if they may seem a bit zany, says business consultant Elly Valas, whose firm, Valas Consulting Group, is based in Glendale, Colo. Here are five ideas for getting started.
1. Add complementary products and services. One of the most obvious ways to move into a new season is to add products and services to serve the other seasonal needs of your customers, says Valas. Joe Densieski's Nu Green Landscaping in Riverhead, N.Y., did this when he shifted his company's cold-weather focus from snow removal -- the obvious choice for many landscaping companies in cold-weather climates -- to becoming a supplier of de-icing products.
