Do seasons impact your business? If so, how? 🍂🌷❄️☀️

[isabelle]

Hiiiiiiiii Seller Community! Hope everyone is having a lovely Wednesday wherever you are.

Today I'm wondering...

Do seasons impact your business? If so, how? Are some seasons more profitable than others? Is your business strictly seasonal?

Can't wait to read your responses! 🤓

[aarontw]

Same for us on the Community Team, we see consistent swings at the same times, but we're working to determine why we see what changes when.

[ProsperityPools]

Here in Pearland, Texas, people use their swimming pools year-round, however, many use them less in the winter (which is only like 2 months. LOL) Spring is busy with remodeling/updates/renovations, while in the summer we are busy beating the algae and working 7 days a week to keep up with the workload. The fall and winter do taper off a little bit, but many people focus on getting much-needed repairs done during those times. So, to answer your question, our business is seasonal, but there's an abundance of work throughout the year. And with more people moving here from around the country, we don't expect to slow down anytime soon!  

PS - I really love the SQUARE tools that show the growth graphs and charts from previous years! Thanks for providing them to us.

[aarontw]

Thank you for the kind words about the growth graphs, we can share that internally to the teams that build them. My friend recently got a house with a pool, I had no idea how much work goes into caring for them! Thank you for your work!

[wbo38961977]

No season impact my business and I think it might be more season profitable than others because the type of business is going to be

[lookgoodsm]

I Have A Business Look Good Smell Good and over the seasons I sell products for that season to attract customers

[renewyouspalon]

Unfortunately, yes! I am in the tanning industry. I am a Day Spa, but when I purchased our local tanning salon, I also took on the task of changing everyone's thinking and concept of my business.  So, with the tanning part, we are busiest during January thru end of May. The dreaded JASON season is here...(July, August, September, October, November). This can be a killer for our business, especially now.  I'm still fighting problems from last year, especially since I didn't get any PPP assistance. Hopefully, with the spa part being advertised heavily, that area can pick up the slow tanning season and be a good season for skin and body image, along with hair and other services.  Any advice is appreciated!!!  Have a great day everyone!!! 😁

[isabelle]

One of our Super Sellers @JessPoynter owns a salon (not tanning), but perhaps could provide some advice or suggestions? 

I've never heard of the JASON season. Very clever. I hope business picks up! 

[JessPoynter]

@renewyouspalon 

Like @isabelle said, I have a hair studio and I definitely know what you mean in terms of seasonal work. In order to combat that, I appeal to the supplemental services within each season.

For example, in the summer months, people still want to have their vibrant reds and luscious brunettes, but I also recommend a boosted glaze to lock in their current tone when they're enjoying sunny days. 

For your business, you can still encourage the tanning in the summer months to maintain their current tone, but then also advertise a "sunkissed" blonding service, or a treatment masque to enhance their current services. You don't need to turn your back on your big services. Instead, just pivot and boost those services so guests are visiting multiple locations of the spalon rather than only doing one service at their visit. 

Hope this helps and I'm always available for more insight. 

[21Carpet]

Yes! I am in the Carpet cleaning industry. Our slowest months are Sept, Jan and Feb. 90% of homes that we provide carpet cleaning folks are moving out of their home or putting their home on the market. The other 10% are repeat clients or new customers who want cleaning.

[isabelle]

What an interesting pattern. Did you know that going into this business @21Carpet ?

[SewAndSewsPlace]

I sell fabric and teach sewing in SE TN. I am dead right now, and have been for about 6 weeks. I had my shop in NC but we moved to get away from awful politics and high taxes. I reopened here during the middle covid and  all of that is much better here but summer is so slow I find I must do one big event each quarter to keep customers interest and grow my base. I added quilt fabrics and they are a finicky/clique bunch, not like my previous dressmaker clients who are much more loyal. Social is hard because they limit you now to groups instead of spreading out. I am always looking for ways to reach more customers on-line. There is no reason for my business to be as constrained by seasons, but it does have a seasonal flow. I must think now about next Spring and look to order those fabrics. My Christmas fabrics are arriving now, the customers are sewing Christmas quilts now. But some are also sewing late summer early fall outfits. It's a jumprope game. I need sleep.🙃😊

[TheRealChipA]

Very much.  All of our seating is outdoors in our garden area under the shade of two 75+ year old maple trees.  Not only are we at the mercy of the seasons, but the weather in general.  Our business has three components — a full service ice cream shop, an outdoor garden bar with weekend entertainment, and a coffee shop.  During “season” (April through October ish) all three components are operational.  We close the bar once the weather turns for the winter, and only run the coffee and ice cream components as takeaway during those months.

It’s probably obvious, but season sales are roughly 60-75% of annual sales.  The variation depends on how long the actual season is.  We never have hard “season open” and season close” dates, but spend a lot of time watching long-term weather forecasts so that we can maximize the season.

Lastly, our “high season” starts at the time schools let out and continues until they are all back in session.  This is due to the fact that less people are walking around looking for ice cream when school is in session.

[isabelle]

Totally makes sense that when school starts things slow down a bit @TheRealChipA - thank you so much for sharing. 

The old maple trees sound just lovely 🍁 

[Freida]

yes they impact my business. I sell artwork and generally Christmas is my busiest time of year.

[jjgard]

We operate a 32 acre Zoo that is mostly outdoors in North Dakota, so seasons definitely impact our business.  We used to only be open from Memorial Day through Labor Day when the Zoo was founded, but in recent years we've pushed the season further into the fall.  Two years ago, we made the decision to stay open daily ALL YEAR.  We obviously don't see the foot traffic and revenue during the depths of winter, but we're positioned quite well to take advantage of unseasonably warm winter days.

[isabelle]

@jjgard Year around in North Dakota?! I'm surprised and impressed! Love to hear it. Thanks for sharing ✨

[ABCPhoto]

Definitely! I am a sports photographer so sports seasons as well as actual seasons have a huge impact on my business. Not only with income but time management as well. One football game a week is a lot easier to manage than softball and baseball season when there can be multiple games per week for each one. Not to mention Rec leagues!!

[isabelle]

I hadn't thought about that! Very interesting. Thank you for sharing @ABCPhoto  📷 

[thepetalpusher]

we are hugely impacted in the summer months, the floral industry thrives during the first and fourth quarters, but summer and early fall are tough, even with weddings, we still have decreased sales.

[CrazyHill_GNB]

Absolutely. I run a boutique style nursery and funky little art gallery. We're good spring/summer and even fall but winter is not ideal for our industry at all. No vacations this year (year one) but winter of year two we are spending as much of January in Costa Rica as possible!!

[ShavedIce]

we sell snow cones so yeahhhhhh

one big bell curve

LIFE CHANGING SNOW CONES !