The summer months can be one of the busiest times of year for small business owners, especially those with seasonal ventures.

But it can also throw up a number of headaches, from soaring temperatures and low productivity in the office to train problems and absence caused by staff holidays.

According to David Robertson, chief executive at Bibby Financial Services, it‘s also an opportunity to plan for future growth. “Summer can be one of the most challenging times for small business owners and managers, with staff holidays and seasonal surges in demand to cope with,” he said.

“But, with a little forward planning, it‘s surprising how much time can be saved in the long-term,” he added. “This time of year needn‘t be a headache for owners and managers. In fact, it can be a really prosperous time.”

Bibby Financial Services has developed the following top tips to help owners and managers manage their workload during the busy periods:

  • Plan, plan and plan some more. Try to anticipate summer demand for your products or services by looking over orders for previous years. Seasonal trends are likely to occur on an annual basis and should be factored in to your business plan and sales forecasts Monitor your stock levels regularly. While over-stocking will deplete cashflow and may prove difficult to shift, under-stocking could cost you sales and may even result in the loss of valued customers

  • Under-promise and over-deliver. Never take on board contracts that you can‘t fulfil, particularly in the summer months when you may have a skeleton staff. This will damage your reputation and endanger your business

  • Consider seasonal cover. Many of your staff will want to take time off over the summer months, particularly during the school holidays. Consider taking on temporary staff to fill the gap and ensure that your customer service levels are uninterrupted
  • Plan your absence. If you want a holiday, be realistic about when you can go. If your business is affected by marked seasonal variations, take your break when you anticipate a lull in demand

  • Delegate responsibility. For the duration of your holiday, empower a trusted member of staff to make decisions in your absence, check email and voicemail and open the post. This will ensure you can ease yourself back into work gently on your return and won‘t spend the first few days sorting a mountain of mail and messages

  • Keep the cash flowing. As the temperature heats up, don‘t let your cashflow dry up. If necessary, explore alternative funding methods such as invoice finance, freeing up to 85% of the cash tied up in unpaid invoices and helping you ensure you have a flexible supply of working capital during your peak sales season
  • Practise good housekeeping. Keep clear, concise documentation, send out invoices and statements quickly and maintain clear records. This will ensure that when you are extremely busy, the day-to-day business runs as smoothly as possible. If you go away, staff can pick up where you left off