How to run a franchise during December

December can be a tricky month for business owners – Christmas and New Year are fast approaching, but there’s still plenty to do and it can be difficult to stay on top of everything. If you’re struggling to get organised during December, don’t worry. We asked the Get Ahead VA Regional Directors how they run their franchises during the winter months, and put together this list of their top tips!

1. Confirm holiday dates

It’s important to get everybody’s holiday dates in the diary. First, confirm your employees’ holiday dates and your own, and then notify your clients about when you will be unavailable over Christmas and New Year. You should also find out your clients’ holiday dates, if you can, so you will know when to get back in touch with them again.

2. Arrange cover

If you’re going to be short-staffed during December, on days when your business will still be running, it’s a good idea to arrange some temporary holiday cover. Get Ahead VA can cover services such as telephone answering and responding to emails in the lead-up to Christmas, so you can keep delivering an uninterrupted service to your clients, even if you and your staff are taking a long December break.

3. Check your regular events

If you have regular standing appointments – such as networking sessions or local group meetings – make sure you double-check their dates during December. They’re likely to be different this month, or they might stop altogether, and you wouldn’t want to miss out or have a wasted journey!

4. Prepare for the new year

Now is a great time to look ahead to the new year, especially if this year’s work is already winding down. Put some dates in the diary for staff review meetings in January. You could also schedule some time to review what worked well for your business in 2019 – and what didn’t – and start putting together a plan for 2020. Check out our blog post ‘The small business countdown to New Year‘ for more ideas about how to do this.


Interested in making a career change in 2020? Get Ahead VA’s franchise opportunity is an exciting way to run your own business with the support of an established and successful brand. We’re always happy to talk to people who are interested in opening a branch of Get Ahead VA in their area, so if you’d like to know more, visit our franchise website or contact Rebecca Newenham on (01483) 332220.

Interested in becoming and Franchisee? Call 01483 332 220 to discuss in more detail.