Wondering how you can prepare yourself in advanced for a successful 2025?
Here are some our team’s top tips for wrapping up the year celebrating all your business has achieved, as well as establishing plans for the New Year in advance:
Know your obligations – make sure you are up to date with staff holiday pay and leave entitlements, and know about any public holiday trading restrictions, if relevant to you. Be aware of any upcoming tax obligations, like preparing for your December BAS which is due for lodgment on 28th February 2025.
Keep clients informed – use your social media, website and email marketing to announce any changes to your operations like Christmas closure dates. Automatic email and social media message responses and phone messages should be updated to include closure details, and if relevant to your business, contacts that can help your clients in case of any emergency (like emergency vets in your area, or out of hours real estate support). Retail businesses should also consider Christmas cut offs for orders and postage, and make sure you have a clear returns/refund plan in place.
Staying present – social media activity spikes about 70% during the holiday period, so it is a fantastic time to boost your presence and grow your audience. Take time before the break to schedule regular posts across your social media platforms, and update your website before you go to boost your search engine positioning.
Protecting your premises and systems – security is crucial over the break, so ensure you have adequate systems in place like alarms, CCTV or motion detection cameras to keep your premises protected. Encourage staff to take home any valuables. Cyber security is particularly important during the holiday period, with scams and cyber threats on the rise, so also check your virus protection software is up to date and that all non-essential computers are logged out and shut down. You should also check your computer and servers are backing up correctly in case something does go wrong over the break. This includes Cloud systems like OneDrive, as your computer may have stopped syncing your documents to your account without you realising.
Allocate tasks – ensure you have a plan for critical tasks over the break, like payroll or bills that are due in this period. Discuss these tasks with your team and make sure the tasks have been allocated appropriately. You should also allocate jobs between your team to make sure your office/premises are ready for the break – things like cleaning out fridges, emptying bins and making sure all windows and so on are shut.
Celebrate your team – for many of us, without our team, our businesses would not exist. Take the time to thank your team, and ensure staff moral is refreshed ready for the new year. A Christmas party is a great way to wrap up the year as a team, or something quieter like a handwritten card and thoughtful gift goes a long way.
Thank your clients and suppliers – like your staff, a handwritten note to thank your clients and suppliers for their support during the year goes a long way. If you want to go a little further, organise a gift hamper or similar to be delivered to their door.
Make use of the quiet time – economically speaking, January and February can be quieter months as people recover from the expense of Christmas. Use this time to update office procedures, like document templates, contact lists and websites, and plan out your job and marketing schedule for the year. You can also use this time to catch up on office maintenance while there is less traffic in your premises – things like air conditioning servicing, carpeting cleaning and pest inspections that are harder in busier times of year.
Reflect ready for 2025 – what worked this year, and what didn’t? Were there things you would have like to do but didn’t organise in time? On the topic of Christmas, this might be things like setting dates to order corporate Christmas cards and hampers, or being more aware of what your Christmas budget looks like for celebrations and office closure. You’ll probably find yourself reflecting on your business over the break, so take 5 minutes to write some notes down here and there so you can address these factors when you are back in the office.
We hope you all have a wonderful Christmas with family and friends, and look forward to continuing to work with your businesses in 2025.
