Ep32 - Earn While You’re Off - 4 Easy Tactics to Keep Cash Coming In Over Christmas

Episode Show Notes

It’s December, and while the festive season brings joy, for business owners, it can also bring financial stress. In this episode, I dive into four straightforward strategies to help you generate income now and set your business up for a successful January. Whether you're a healthcare professional, dietitian, or entrepreneur, these actionable steps will help you take time off and enjoy the season without the constant worry about finances. Tune in to discover how to break free from the feast-or-famine cycle, stay visible, and set your business up for success.

1. How to sell your January slots now with early bird offers or incentives.
2. The power of gift vouchers to generate income and attract new clients.
3. How to pre-sell a limited-time New Year offer to boost engagement.
4. The importance of pre-scheduling content to maintain visibility while you’re offline.

• Prepare financially for time off by securing clients now.
• Gift vouchers can be both a revenue stream and a way to grow your audience.
• Pre-selling workshops or mini-courses keeps your business top of mind.
• A few hours spent scheduling social media or email content can provide peace of mind.

• Episode 22: How to Automate Your Business

This week, create and announce a simple offer tailored to your audience, such as a pre-booking discount or a gift voucher campaign. Don’t forget to share it on social media and with your email list.

Join Us Next Time:

Discover the biggest mistake clinicians make when creating online courses—and how to avoid it.

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Episode transcription:

Beyond the Clinic EP32

[00:00:00] Sarah Almond Bushell: Welcome to episode number 32. It's December at last and the festive season is here, but if you're a business owner like me, you might be facing that familiar dilemma, how to take a break and enjoy time off with your family without the worry that your income is going to suffer in January. In today's episode, we are going to tackle exactly that.

[00:00:24] Sarah Almond Bushell: I'm sharing with you four simple and effective strategies that you can implement right now to bring in income and set your business up for a successful January so that you can truly switch off and enjoy the holidays. By the end of this episode, you'll have the exact steps that you can take this week to ease that financial stress and make the most of your well deserved break without having to build complicated funnels or create new things.

[00:00:54] Sarah Almond Bushell: So, December is here, and while everyone around you is gearing up for that family, cozy time, festive celebrations, there's one thing that may well be lingering in your mind. What might taking time off do for your income?

[00:01:12] Sarah Almond Bushell: If you're a business owner and in a business where you're the one actively working to bring in revenue, it can feel like every single day off in December could mean a low income January. There is this Constant push and pull. This feast and famine cycle isn't there? You really want to make the most of your time to really switch off and connect with your loved ones and be present and enjoy the magic of the season.

[00:01:38] Sarah Almond Bushell: And actually, if you're a dietitian like me, No one really wants to be thinking too much about food at this time of year, so it's easy to let things naturally slow down a little. But then there's the other side, when you're doing those sort of mental maths calculations, you're thinking about the increased spending at this time of year, you're worried that time off from social media or writing emails or blogging is going to leave you scrambling for clients in January or you just have that nagging worry that maybe you should be doing something to keep the income steady even if you're not directly working with clients.

[00:02:17] Sarah Almond Bushell: And Maybe this isn't the first time you've felt this. If you've been in business a while, you might be all too familiar with this feast and famine cycle. Maybe last year, you remember taking time off only to feel that financial pinch as a result. And here it is again, like clockwork. That feeling Can be so frustrating because as healthcare professionals, we are so committed to taking care of other people.

[00:02:45] Sarah Almond Bushell: We want to be present for our families to actually experience the joy of the season. And yet as business owners, there's this added layer of pressure, this undercurrent. We just can't leave it all at the office and walk away knowing that payday will come, whatever. It's up to us to bring in the income.

[00:03:04] Sarah Almond Bushell: And that undercurrent can feel A bit unsettling, a bit consuming. So here you are, caught between wanting to fully enjoy the festivities and the need to keep your hand in your business, making it really feel impossible to truly take a break. But hopefully, deep down, there is a little voice that's saying, isn't there a way to take time off without feel like you're losing revenue?

[00:03:32] Sarah Almond Bushell: Well I'm so glad you So imagine for a moment you're at a Christmas do, a gathering of friends and family, but instead of being able to immerse yourself fully in the warmth and the joy around you, your mind keeps wandering back to work. You're here, you're there, but you're not really there. You feel this sort of invisible tug back to your business.

[00:03:55] Sarah Almond Bushell: This weight that keeps reminding you of what isn't getting done while you're here enjoying yourself. Softness. And actually this can feel a bit isolating as well, because most people around you, whether it's family members or friends or partners, they might not get it. Especially if they're employees, rather than entrepreneurs or business owners, they can relax with the security of a regular paycheck at the end of the month.

[00:04:21] Sarah Almond Bushell: Maybe you've tried to counteract this by already putting in the extra hours, squeezing in clients. Doubling up on work in the hope it's going to give you a bit of a buffer, but actually that's left you feeling exhausted, dare I say it, on the brink of burnout. It's not sustainable and now you need that time off more than ever.

[00:04:43] Sarah Almond Bushell: So what if this year could be different? What if instead of feeling torn, you could put a few simple things in place now and actually take some time off without that financial worry? What if you had some practical, easy to implement strategies that you could do today or this week ahead of the holiday season so that you can take some much deserved time off with friends, with family, and truly enjoy the festivities without worrying about money?

[00:05:13] Sarah Almond Bushell: It sounds great, doesn't it? Let me share with you the story of, let's call her Josie. Josie was a one to one client of mine who I worked with a couple of years ago now. She was actually a psychologist, and just like many of you, she was feeling stretched to her limits as December approached, which is why she and I did this piece of work together.

[00:05:34] Sarah Almond Bushell: It's together. So, Josie ran her own practice from a really cosy converted garage attached to her house in Tunbridge Wells, and every day she would welcome new clients into her home office. It was a space that she had meticulously designed to feel professional and really warm as well. So, she loved her job.

[00:05:58] Sarah Almond Bushell: Her work was truly fulfilling, but it was also overwhelming. Absolutely draining. Josie's business model meant that she was constantly juggling individual 50 minute sessions with clients, Or she would sell them in blocks of six, working with clients one on one, hour after hour.

[00:06:18] Sarah Almond Bushell: She said she rarely had a moment to go to the loo, let alone step away from the business. Now, Josie and her husband had two young children who attended a nearby private school and they had four weeks off for Christmas every year, which meant that the festivities started early with the nativity and the school Christmas fair in November and the holidays actually starting the first week of December.

[00:06:45] Sarah Almond Bushell: She had started her business in the first place so that she could work whilst her children were at school and be around from them when they weren't, which meant that those four weeks off were usually a whirlwind of festive activities and family time. So this particular year, Josie, she also had a sister living nearby who had a couple of children of her own, and between them they were planning a full house.

[00:07:13] Sarah Almond Bushell: This Christmas, their aging parents would be staying with Josie for two weeks, as well as her in laws. So essentially, every bedroom was full. It added this extra layer of hustle and bustle to what was already going to be a busy home in a busy time of year. So as December got near, Josie found herself preparing not only for a month of entertaining her excited children and family gatherings, but also mentally calculating what it would mean for her business.

[00:07:44] Sarah Almond Bushell: She had felt that pinch the year before. Taking time off had been wonderful, but the aftermath was financially quite tough. January had begun with an empty client calendar and minimal income. And this year, as she thought about, the big Christmas dinner that she was hosting, the cousins running around, the grandparents in every room, and all the expenses of that mounting up, she couldn't shake this.

[00:08:10] Sarah Almond Bushell: Ignoring worry of how she was going to manage what was going to be effectively two months of downtime

[00:08:18] Sarah Almond Bushell: without any income. So last year, what she'd done was she'd worked in the evening throughout November to try and compensate and build in that buffer, but she vowed she was never going to do that again because she was. Absolutely exhausted and that was just not what was needed in the run up to a busy festive season.

[00:08:39] Sarah Almond Bushell: This year, she wanted to do things differently. So together, she and I worked out a few straightforward tactics, really, that she could implement before the holiday season kicked off, which worked beautifully. And I'm going to share them with you in a moment, because you can do exactly the same thing in your business.

[00:08:58] Sarah Almond Bushell: And Josie, she took her four weeks off. She wined and dined and entertained. She had visits to Santa with her children and afternoon tea with her sister. She truly switched off. She knew her business was prepared for January. She had booked sessions waiting for her when she went back. Her finances were in order, which meant she could allow herself to Let go.

[00:09:24] Sarah Almond Bushell: So what are these tactics? Well, you know what? These are not complicated strategies. They don't require large tech setups or huge time investments. They're straightforward actions that you can do today, this week ahead of the holidays to give you peace of mind without that additional stress. So I've got four tactics that I want to share with you, and I'll take you through them one by one now.

[00:09:52] Sarah Almond Bushell: So the first one is to sell your January slot now. So one of the easiest ways to prepare financially for time off is to secure your clients for the new year in advance. The way you do this is by offering a special incentive. So it could be a small discount. It could be an added bonus, like a free gift.

[00:10:17] Sarah Almond Bushell: It could be a limited time rate for clients who book January's appointments now. And this tactic works for a few reasons. Firstly for you, it brings in immediate income. And it guarantees you a full income. When you return to work, but it also allows your clients to plan ahead and get it at a reduced rate or with an incentive like that free gift.

[00:10:42] Sarah Almond Bushell: So a quick email to your existing client list, including past clients who may have worked with you before, Or just people on your list who are interested, who haven't become clients yet is all you need. Or you could create a social media post or actually do both. And it could be something as simple as kickstart your new year with an early bird discount.

[00:11:03] Sarah Almond Bushell: This can be all it needs to take to secure a successful January. Number two is gift vouchers. So these are an excellent way to generate income without the need to do any work in December because what you can do is you can market your services as a really thoughtful Christmas gift. Something that friends and family members can give to a loved one who values health and well being.

[00:11:33] Sarah Almond Bushell: Again, you want to post it on your social media and you want to send it to your email list and take advantage of the fact that health conscious people are often more motivated and buy into this whole new year fresh start malarkey in January. So if you wanted to add a little bit of extra value, you could create themed vouchers.

[00:11:53] Sarah Almond Bushell: So for example, another client of mine, she's a plant based nutrition professional and she has a New Year's Veganuary Reset Session. Just a one to one session with clients who want to start afresh in January. So this not only gives you that income now, but it also generates interest and awareness in your services, and it might bring in new clients with those gift vouchers who'd never heard of you before.

[00:12:22] Sarah Almond Bushell: They might not have thought of working with you for this particular project.

[00:12:28] Sarah Almond Bushell: The third tactic I've got for you is to pre sell a new year offer. So a fantastic way to start January with momentum is to create a limited time new year offer that attracts potential new clients. So it could be something like a limited availability workshop or a mini course. That you haven't created yet, but you plan to.

[00:12:54] Sarah Almond Bushell: So the idea here is to just spark an interest before it's available so that you already have lots of hot leads in your pipeline come January. So let's say, let's keep with the Veganuary theme here, let's say you decide to offer a how to go vegan in January workshop. You can pre sell this at a discounted rate for clients who book their tickets by the end of December.

[00:13:19] Sarah Almond Bushell: Come January, you can promote it again, but at its full price. So you promote this special offer, and it might be something as great as 50 percent off. You promote it to your social channels. You promote it to your email list. You could have a banner on your website, and this allows you to make sales now.

[00:13:40] Sarah Almond Bushell: But also to test your idea, as well as creating a sense of anticipation for both you, because once you've sold it, you have to go and do it. And your potential clients, of course. Number four, last but not least, is to pre schedule content. And this is important for ongoing visibility. So you do not have to be on social media every single day.

[00:14:08] Sarah Almond Bushell: During the festive season in order to stay visible. A little bit of preparation here can go a long way. So I would spend a couple of hours now, maybe a day or so, creating and scheduling some social media posts, some blogs and email newsletters. Now these posts, these can keep your audience engaged without you requiring to actually be online, helping you just stay top of mind for when they're ready to work with you in the new year.

[00:14:39] Sarah Almond Bushell: So you can set up an automation like ManyChat to respond to any comments that come in on your social media whilst you're off. And I've got a whole episode on automations in your business if you want to dive deeper into what this actually entails. It's episode number 22, and I'll link to it in the show notes.

[00:14:58] Sarah Almond Bushell: But with just a bit of planning, you can really go into the festive season with a clear mind, knowing that your business is prepared, that you've got some financial security in place. These small actions don't require a lot of time, they don't require a lot of energy, and they certainly don't require much work, but together they can really create a powerful sense of readiness that allows you to sit back and relax and breathe.

[00:15:26] Sarah Almond Bushell: Truly enjoy the season. So there you have it. Four straightforward tactics to help you ease financial worries and set yourself up for a successful January without the need to work through this festive season. So you can pre sell your January slots. You can offer gift vouchers. You can plan a really simple new year offer and you can pre schedule your content.

[00:15:52] Sarah Almond Bushell: And these steps will give you that peace of mind To really sit back and enjoy a true break. So my action step for you today is just think about what's one thing that you can do right now, this week.

[00:16:06] Sarah Almond Bushell: I encourage you to set up a simple offer. Something as straightforward as a pre booking incentive or a gift voucher announcement. Think about what would resonate most with your ideal clients. A January booking at a small discount, a limited edition new year reset your health goals session, or even a give the gift of health and well being style voucher.

[00:16:32] Sarah Almond Bushell: Think about what resonates most with your ideal clients when you're putting this together. I'd love for you to create a quick social media post announcing it and then pop it into something like chat GPT and ask it to rephrase it. So you have multiple variations of the same message and get your word out to your audience and your email list.

[00:16:55] Sarah Almond Bushell: Honestly, this one small step at the beginning of December can really help ease the financial pressure that might come in the weeks ahead and it allows you, of course, to enjoy some well deserved time off over Christmas. So join me next time where we are talking again about online courses and I'm going to reveal to you the biggest mistake that clinicians make when creating online courses and, of course, how to avoid it.

[00:17:24] Sarah Almond Bushell: Bye for now.