Black Friday and Your Home Business – 7 Ways to Get Ready

What are you doing in your home business to prepare for Black Friday – the biggest shopping day of the year?

After you are done eating turkey and everyone is watching the National Dog Show  (or football), here are some things you could do to make sure your home business is ready for the big day and the holiday season:

1. Check last year’s sales.  If you were in business last year, check to see what sold and what didn’t.

2. Check your website.  Make sure all of your links are working and your pages don’t end up in a “Page error” (404 thingy).

3.  Check your Search Engine Rating.  See where you are on Alexa, Google Analytics, and other websites, and decide if you should change keywords to move up in the ratings.

2.  Check your inventory.  If you’re selling products, make sure you have enough of everything.  If you need to make more, get going.

3.  Prioritize holiday tasks, personal and business.  What must be done and when?  What can you do online now to save time when you are busy filling holiday orders later?

4.  Decide on gifts to vendors, suppliers.  If you give gifts to other businesses, now is the time to get those purchased online or in stores.  You can have them shipped later in December.

5.  Check your cash flow.  Make sure you have enough cash to pay employees or to buy inventory.  You may need to set aside some money for year-end expenditures.

6. Synchronize December business and personal calendars.  What events must you attend?  Do you need employees to cover for you? Reviewing your schedule now may prevent some difficulties later.

7. Relax and enjoy the holiday.  Whew! If you have done all of these tasks, you are ready for Black Friday and the holiday season, and you deserve a break.  Egg nog, anyone?