Your Business Guide for the Holidays

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Last year’s gloomy holiday sales have caused business owners to be concerned about what’s in store for their businesses this holiday season.

2008 was a rough year for small businesses.  According to a report released by the Small Business Association, approximately 627, 200 small businesses were opened in the United States in 2008.  This is the smallest number of new businesses to open in a year since 2003.  In the same year, approximately 595,600 businesses closed and 43,546 filed for bankruptcy, the highest bankruptcy count in 10 years.

For those that did survive the year, however, last year’s gloomy holiday sales have caused a great deal of concern about what’s in store for their businesses this holiday season.  These business owners are developing plans and devising methods designed to bring in customers and increase and/or stabilize sales.

For extra help, use the following holiday guide to find out what the experts advise for your business this holiday season.

Plan Ahead

“…the holiday season is a crucial make-or-break period during which [small business owners] earn the profits that they must live off of for the slow first months of the next year,” wrote Elizabeth Wasserman in her Inc. article titled, “How to Maximize Holiday Sales and Profits.”

Starting early allows you time to develop plans that can bring customers into to your business.  Wasserman advises that small business owners, generate customer loyalty, implement timely marketing and determine inventory size.

Don’t Forget about the Web

Lots of small business owners are having a jolly old time decorating their store windows and floors for the holidays.  But according to Entrepreneur’s Dani Babb, it’s important that you don’t neglect your online store.  “…make your site festive,” wrote Babb.  You can do this by giving your company logo a holiday redesign, or even by changing the colors of your site.  Babb also advises small business owners to put their money back guarantee logos on the homepage, large enough for visitors to see it immediately.

Get a Merchant Cash Advance

Whether you need additional cash for inventory, advertisements or anything else, a business cash advance may be your best bet.  As bank lending remains low, your chances at receiving a bank loan are also low.  Even if you were approved for a bank loan, it’s highly unlikely that you’d receive your funds in time to help for the holidays.

Merchant cash advances, on the other hand are easy to qualify for and they can be funded in as little as five business days after approval.