For many, this time of year is their favorite. The holiday season represents a time of togetherness and family that many businesses seem to fully understand. More companies become lax with attendance policies and may even give an additional day off here and there to accommodate traveling and school holiday pageants. Mostly everyone during this time of year is looking forward to that extra time at home in bed or surrounded by their family. We say mostly everyone because that story is a little different for entrepreneurs.

Yes, this is that one of year where working for a big company may seem more appetizing than being in business for yourself. While it is extremely important that entrepreneurs take time off to recharge their batteries, spending as much time away from their business as their associates is not a luxury they can readily afford. In fact, many entrepreneurs still find themselves working over the holiday break, whether it’s checking an email or readying the business plan for the following year. If this is your first year as an entrepreneur or startup, you’ve probably been feeling the pressure since Thanksgiving hit. Well, fret not. We’re here to help.

The name of the game is to work smarter, not harder during the holidays. In order to survive your first holiday as an entrepreneur or startup, we suggest you consider the following ideas:

1. Strategic Planning
   Surviving the holiday season is all about planning. Marketing creatives, sales goals, ideas to kick off next year, the list goes on and on. To make these as effective as possible, they need to be planned and refined. End of the year goals go into overdrive between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve. Once the clock strikes midnight, it’s time to reset your energy and move forward to the plan you’ve put in place for the following year.

2. Sales and Incentives
   Nothing puts people in a better mood than saving money. This is a great time of year to offer discounts and incentives on products and services that you offer. These initiatives practically sell themselves during this time of year. Implementing a process that allows you to give discounted services or free products makes it easier for your business to function seamlessly and continuously during the holidays.

3. Holiday Automation
   Despite the conspiracy theories that robots will take over the world, automation is your friend. Implementing tools such as online appointment scheduling or automatic bookings makes it easier for people to reach you when they need you. Having a completely automated website brings the customers to you without having to do extreme amounts of legwork to get them in the door. You can easily fill up your appointment schedule for the beginning of next year.

4. Relax
   As an entrepreneur, this may be easier said than done. However, it’s extremely necessary. If you don’t take time to relax and recharge your batteries, you will burn out. It’s inevitable. The holiday season is about spending time with those we love. Your staff is doing it, your clients are doing it, and you should too. Make the opportunity to find some time yourself so that when the New Year starts, you’re refreshed and ready to go.

The holiday season doesn’t have to always be go, go, go. If you plan smart and work smarter, you can make your first year as an entrepreneur or startup a good one. Set the foundation now, and it can only go up from there.