Page 22 - CFAN_Jul2014

REMOVING THE ‘SLOW’ FROM YOUR SLOW SEASON
Editor’s
Last month, we discussed how important it is for business owners to prepare for the peaks and valleys of sales or service activity and cash flow. This month, we’ll share some ways you actually can make money if your enterprise is mostly seasonal.
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• Expand your merchandise. We read about a bicycle shop that had great income during the warmer months but a big drop in sales during colder weather. So, the owners decided to add indoor bikes and other exercise equipment to even out the cash flow during the wintertime. All of the shop’s merchandise related to personal fitness, so the owners weren’t reaching when they added to their product line.
• Expand your services. Locally, we know about a young man who started a lawn-mowing business. He did okay during the grass-growing seasons but saw his income dry up during the winters. What did he do? He started to offer other services, including landscaping wall construction. He also got into tree trimming and eventually bought a bucket truck to trim large trees during the dormant season. Today, this young man has so much work coming his way, he finds it difficult to schedule a family vacation.
• Go where the sales are. If you’re open to traveling, hop in the van with your products and head out to where people want them. At the very least, market in these other regions and offer mail-order service. If yours is a service or consulting company, use today’s technology to provide “virtual” services to people outside the local area.
• Find niche markets. If you have a general but seasonal customer base, try to focus on a subset of your business and target a smaller audience. One example we saw was a bakery shop owner who found additional sales opportunities— and success— when she began to offer gluten- and sugar-free goodies.
• Build excitement. Promote special events at the shop. Hold an open house. Get your hands on a list of unique holidays and observances and build specials around them. Never underestimate the benefits of getting people inside your doors.
All of these suggestions won’t work for everyone, but even if just a couple are practical, moving forward with them might set you on course to forever removing the “slow” in your business “slow season.”
by BAXTER TROUTMAN
BIO: Baxter Troutman is founder and chief executive officer of Labor Solutions, a staffing company with offices in Bartow, Winter Haven, Lake Wales, and Arcadia. A citrus grower who served in the Florida House of Representatives, Troutman understands the challenges and concerns of today’s farmer.
Good News to Share
SO MANY GOOD THINGS are happening in our ag community, we simply don’t have enough space in the magazine for it all. For example, I’ve just received word that the Wild Game Food Bank is expanding its efforts to Hillsborough County. Wild Game Food Bank is an organization that coordinates the donation of wild game meat to those in need in Central Florida. Although just recently established in September 2013, the organization has done much to help end hunger in the region.
Fortunately, we’ve got the tools that allow us to share news like this as it’s happening, while keeping you plugged- in to our Florida agriculture industry. Our website and e-newsletter, as well as the Central Florida Ag News profiles on Facebook and Twitter, are several means we utilize to keep you informed.
If you like what you read in the magazine, and you haven’t already liked us on Facebook and Twitter, then this is your next must-do. On Facebook, we regularly update our readers on local events, news, exclusive photos, features, and much more. Don’t forget to like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and sign-up for our e-newsletter. It’s a simple way to help you stay connected to the agriculture industry and the ag lifestyle in our great state of Florida!
CELESTE JO WALLS, Editor celeste.walls @centralfloridamediagroup.com
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