1. Forecast Your Cashflow
Cashflow pressure can get real over the festive season, it’s just a reality of this time of year. Clients head off on holiday, invoices take longer to be paid, but your bills don’t take the same break.
For some businesses, though, this is your time to make hay while the sun shines. Where it’s your busiest (and most profitable) few months ahead. That’s great, but it also means managing higher costs, longer hours, and bigger stock demands.
Whether you’re gearing up for a rush or bracing for a slowdown, the principle stays the same: plan your cashflow carefully.
👉 Action: Map out your cashflow from now until March. Look at what’s coming in, what’s going out, and where the tight spots might be. Chase overdue invoices early, request deposits on December projects, and if you know things will dip, line up a buffer now – not when you’re already stressing mid-January.
A simple cashflow forecast gives you confidence and breathing space. You’ll be able switch off much easier knowing the numbers are covered.
2. Decide on Shutdown Dates
Every year, chaos happens because businesses aren’t clear on when they’re closing. Staff assume one thing, clients assume another, and suddenly you’re working Christmas Eve against your will.
👉 Action: Lock in your shutdown dates early. Publish them in your email signature, put them on your website, and make sure your team and clients know.
Remember, It’s your business – you get to choose when to rest. Setting boundaries now protects your team, your clients, and your sanity later.
3. Organise Leave, Rosters, and Skeleton Staff
The holiday period in NZ and AU is a juggling act. Half your team want leave, some industries (like trades, construction, and manufacturing) shut down completely, while others (like hospitality, retail, and tourism) are flat out.
👉 Action: Lock in leave requests now and finalise rosters early. For quieter businesses, this might mean scheduling annual leave or skeleton staff. For busy ones, it could mean hiring casual help or setting realistic roster rotations so your team isn’t burned out before New Year’s.
Clear communication keeps things fair and prevents last-minute stress as everyone enters the festive season.
P.S. check your legal obligations and that you’re compliant with public holiday pay rules (especially in Australia where each state has different dates).
4. Book Your Christmas Party (and Client Thank-You Gifts)
Whether you’re closing the books or working through, take time to celebrate. Your team’s effort deserves recognition, and your clients deserve thanks for keeping your doors open.
👉 Action: Lock in your Christmas party venue before it’s all booked out. It doesn’t need to be fancy but something your team will genuinely enjoy. A relaxed BBQ, Lunch or Fun Day Out are just some ideas.
And don’t forget your clients. Send a thank-you card, small gift, or handwritten note. Kiwis and Aussies love practical, thoughtful gestures – think local produce, wine, or a voucher for an experience. Gratitude goes a long way in building loyalty. The key? Do it early, before the mad Christmas rush.
5. Communicate Clearly With Clients and Suppliers
No one likes surprises at Christmas. Silence is stressful and confusion over deadlines, delivery dates, or availability can quickly turn into chaos. Don’t leave clients wondering if you’re when their project will be finished.
👉 Action: Send out a festive-season update to all your clients and key suppliers. Outline your shutdown dates or operating hours, last-order cut-offs, and reopening details.
If you’re staying open, let people know how they can reach you and what service levels to expect. If you’re closing, make sure clients have everything they need before you log off. Clear communication avoids last-minute stress for everyone.
6. Order Stock and Materials for Jan/Feb Now
Here’s what happens every year: most businesses come back from the break refreshed and ready to go… only to realise their suppliers are still shut and materials are delayed due lack of supply.
This is especially critical for tradies, retailers, and anyone relying on imports—don’t assume supply chains will magically work in January.
👉 Action: Order what you’ll need for Jan/Feb before Christmas. Yes, it can be an upfront hit on cash, but it saves you from starting the new year standing still.
Getting ahead now keeps you productive later.
7. Fill the pipeline for the New Year
The worst feeling as a business owner is opening the doors in January to a dead calendar, or needing to turn away your loyal customers who support you regularly. The easiest fix? Get bookings and sales locked in before you take your break.
👉 Action: Encourage clients to pre-book jobs, projects, or appointments for January and February. Remind them that space is limited…people respond to urgency.
That way, you’ll roll into 2026 structured with certainty and not in panic, scrambling, trying to find ways to make it work.
8. Reflect, Review, and Plan Ahead
Without a plan, January feels like starting from zero. With one, you’re ahead before the year even begins.
Before you check out completely, take a moment to look back. The end of the year is the perfect time to assess what worked, what didn’t, and what you want next year to look like. Keen to get started, check out of End of Year Business Review Post.
👉 Action: Meet with your coach or mentor. Review your wins, challenges, and financial performance. Then map out your goals and priorities for the first quarter of 2026.
For busier businesses, this might mean setting performance targets and systems to manage growth. For slower ones, it’s about tightening focus, planning marketing, and setting up the year intentionally.
A thorough review and planning session now, saves months of drifting later.
Bonus Tip: Say “No” (or Charge a Christmas Tax)
December has a way of bringing out last-minute client demands. “Can you just squeeze this in before Christmas?” Sound familiar?
👉 Action: Decide now where your boundaries are, it’s your job to protect both your and your teams, time and energy. If a job is high-stress or low-value, say no. And if you do take on urgent, last-minute work, charge accordingly.
Your time and sanity is valuable, and you should not sacrifice that because of other people’s poor planning and organisation skills.
A festive-season surcharge (“Christmas Tax”) helps cover the extra mile and effort it takes to deliver a service, when you’re already fully booked.
The Bottom Line
Because at the end of the day, your business should fuel your lifestyle, not ruin your summer holiday.
The festive season doesn’t have to mean chaos, burnout, or a bank balance on life support. With some planning, you can enjoy your summer – whether that means a full shutdown, a busy trading period, or something in between.
By forecasting your cashflow, setting shutdown dates, managing your team, ordering stock, booking in work, and resetting your strategy, you’ll not only survive December, you’ll roll into 2026 rested, organised, and ready to grow.
Because at the end of the day, your business should fuel your lifestyle, not ruin your summer holiday.
Are You Dreading Another Festive Season?
At Change State, we help Kiwi and Aussie business owners plan ahead, manage cashflow, and create strategies that work – whether you’re ramping up for your biggest season or taking a well-earned break.
👉 Reach out and let’s have a chat, together we can make this summer your smoothest (and most profitable) one yet.