How the Founder of Baked by Melissa Recovered From Her First Holiday Sales Disaster Melisa Ben-Ishay talks about her first big mistake (during the holiday rush!) and what it taught her about prepping for sales spikes.

This is an episode of our podcast, Problem Solvers. Each week, an entrepreneur reveals how they overcame an unexpected problem in their business -- and were happier and more successful as a result. The show is hosted by Entrepreneur's editor in chief, Jason Feifer. Listen below, or subscribe on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts.

The holidays can be a killer. For many entrepreneurs, particularly those in retail, the stretch between Halloween and New Year's is when teams get stressed, systems get strained and even the smallest inefficiencies can amplify into crises. If a young company builds itself well enough to survive into January, it'll be in great fighting shape for the rest of the year. If it can't, it won't. And that was the crossroads Melissa Ben-Ishay found herself in back in 2009.