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Writer's pictureMiranda Ubong

Your Guide to Closing for the Holiday!

Updated: Jan 18

Its holiday season! And I’ve never felt this excited writing a post before! What??! We all love the holidays!

But before we get carried away by the excitement, here is a compulsory naughty list to tick before taking off for your vacay!



Notify your Stakeholders of Closure: First, be sure to notify your stakeholders at least three weeks ahead of closure. Let them know the closure and resumption dates and you can communicate in this manner:


Your Clients: Through newsletters, social media handles, websites

Your Vendors: Through emails, telephones

Your Employees: Through emails, meetings, memos



Draw Up an Emergency Operations Backup Plan: Especially if you're in a round-the-clock industry, like retail, ICT, Hospitality and the likes.


You can draw up a schedule or rota for when certain members of staff should be on call during urgent and emergent situations. Be sure also to inform these people of their schedule on the formal closure notification mail.


In some cases you may consider outsourcing these emergent situations to external parties like ad hoc staff, freelancers, virtual assistants. This is because you do not want to deny your employees their holidays by calling them in abruptly.



Reinforce your Security: Make sure your security detail is running round the clock as uninhabited spaces (during the holidays) fall prey to security breaches and buglers.


Make security provisions for both your tangible and intangible properties and make sure your security has an updated emergency contact list.



Prepare your Budget for the New Year: Do not close without preparing your budget and making projections for the coming year. This will help you know what strategies to deploy for the new year - would you need a new team, a different marketing strategy, an improved technology, a change of vendor and so on.



Secure your Cash Flow for the New Year: Before closing be sure to follow up aggressively on your receivable accounts. Hold account managers accountable for this task.



Discuss the New Year’s Business Goals with your Team: And draw up expectations for each department/employee. This is necessary to give your team an informed start right after the holidays.


Now your naughty list is done!

Here is wishing you a memorable holiday season!

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