I know firsthand that finding the right balance is hard, but I promise it’s within reach. To be honest, the first few years of selling my handmade items were kind of a seesaw. I swung wildly between exhaustion and missed opportunities. The first year, holiday orders started coming in November. I had to source materials, make the items, pack them, and ship them all before the first week of December. Sure, I met my deadline, but I also felt frazzled and exhausted by the end of the holiday rush. I really didn’t know if I even wanted to keep selling. And I can’t honestly say that I did my best work or provided the best customer service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The second year, I closed my shop for the holidays to protect my peace of mind. That year, at least I avoided leaving a bad impression on customers. But obviously that cut my year-end profits quite a bit. Now imagine how it went when I started taking holiday orders again and also selling at holiday markets. Truly, nightmare fuel\u2014until I realized that what I needed to do was plan ahead and get my small business organized.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When should a small business start preparing for holiday orders?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Holiday preparation often begins much earlier than shoppers (or new SMBs) realize. Faire wholesale data<\/a> shows that retailers start researching and sourcing holiday merchandise as early as May, with demand accelerating in August. For many small businesses, July is a practical time to order materials, begin building inventory, and prepare for the season. If you’re starting a business like mine and you make your own products, you might need to begin even earlier. For example, depending on how many Christmas markets I sign up for, I may start in June and spend all summer making items just for the holiday rush.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That timing is directly connected to getting organized for the holidays. The small business organization ideas that work best are the ones you put into practice as materials begin arriving\u2014not after production gets busy. So for me, I actually end up organizing my small business for the holidays in late spring. That’s when I decide in advance how I will sort and store supplies, finished inventory, packaging, and shipping materials. Otherwise, incoming boxes just pile up and soon I’m stressed and grumpy because I can’t find anything. Chaos like that can even leave me feeling like I have “maker’s block.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n The small business organization ideas in my checklist cover six parts of getting ready for holiday orders. In the next sections I’ll show you how I work through what I need to get done. Then, depending on what you make or sell, you can adapt it for your own business operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What products do I already have? What do I think my customers will be looking for, and what am I inspired to make?<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n I start by pulling out my finished products and taking stock of what I already have. Every time I do this, I go in thinking I have nothing. And I’m always surprised that I’m not actually starting at zero. That’s very important for morale. It also keeps me from wasting time on things I already have plenty of and shows me what to prioritize restocking. When I do that, I have the brain space to consider what my customers want and what I’m actually inspired to make.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once I know what I plan to sell, I decide where the finished inventory will live. I group products in whatever way will make them easier for me to find. This can be by product type, design, price tier, or event. I also keep products that are completely ready to sell separate from anything in progress. In other words, anything that still needs a tag, label, photo, repair, or other finishing step. Most importantly, I leave room for the new inventory I’m about to make.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What raw materials do I need, and are my tools ready to go? Sometimes I need a new tool; sometimes an old or broken tool needs to be replaced.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Like many people who sell handmade products, I shop for materials all year and take advantage of seasonal sales. Because I use a lot of floral elements, I’m always on top of end-of-season sales, even if I don’t use what I buy until the following year. This saves me a lot of money. It also means I can turn into a little squirrel stockpiling supplies without necessarily sorting or organizing them. That usually takes me down one of two bad roads. Either I get so overwhelmed that I can’t focus, or I forget what I bought and pay more for something I already own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the simplest small business organization ideas is to check what you already have before buying anything new. Before I order anything new for the holidays, I sort through my materials and also check my tools. Sometimes that keeps me from buying duplicates, and sometimes it shows me that I need to make an unplanned purchase. For example, I use heat tools to work with thermoplastics. Finding out that my heat gun is broken when I am already on a production deadline would be a disaster. Checking my equipment, cords, and other tools ahead of time is crucial. It gives me a chance to replace damaged things and account for the expense before production begins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Do I have enough printable shipping labels, boxes, tissue paper, and packing filler for the number of orders I expect?<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n To calculate what I need to stock up on in advance of the holiday season, I have a simple formula. I use the previous year\u2019s holiday sales as my starting point and add 10% for possible growth. To use an easy round number, if I had shipped 100 holiday orders last year, I would make sure I had enough supplies for 110 orders this year. For me, 10% feels optimistic without overshooting and spending money I could have saved instead. If your business doesn’t have previous holiday sales, you can start with your usual order volume. From there, adjust based on any markets, promotions, or growth you expect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I use this formula for the functional supplies I need to pack and ship an order. That includes printable 4″ \u00d7 6″ thermal roll labels for postage, boxes, tissue paper, and packing filler. Before ordering, I check what I already have and subtract that from what I need. These are supplies I use year-round, so having a few left after the holidays is not a problem. I print shipping labels for postage at home but order my custom packaging labels and logo stickers professionally printed. You can see how that combination works in my complete shipping-label workflow<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n How can I give my branded materials a seasonal twist and also account for holiday discounts or other promos?<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Once my functional shipping supplies are covered, I think about the branded materials customers will see. I normally close my boxes with a large decorative packaging label and add a logo sticker that says thank you. To get my business ready for the holidays, I create seasonal versions of both. Even though these labels go on the shipping box, I consider them customer materials. Their job is to make the package feel like it came from my business and make opening it feel special.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I also create a special holiday insert card for each package, sometimes with a discount or another promotion. I’m actually a big fan of including custom postcards with orders<\/a> in general.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If I’m selling at holiday markets, I may need coordinating freebie stickers, cards, or DIY promotional items there too. Planning the designs early gives me time to order everything and make sure the pieces work together. I can also organize my seasonal materials with my functional shipping supplies before holiday fulfillment starts.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nStart with a holiday readiness checklist<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
Organize products and finished inventory<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
Sort materials, tools, and production supplies<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Stock up on labels, packaging, and shipping supplies<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Prepare promotional and customer materials<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n