Baseball, shorts, tan lines, these are just some of the things that take the winter off. If you work in the construction industry, you may be taking the winter off too; inclement weather, icy conditions, the wintry, blustery cold increasing the frequency of jobsite injuries, all of these challenges can be costly. Luckily, there are ways to keep your business running smoothly, and keep your coffers warm during the off-season.
Move Indoors
Focusing on indoor operations can keep your business steady in the cooler months. Develop a strong team of multi-faceted employees that can pivot into smaller jobs and operate independently of large crews. Use the winter months to divide your team into smaller, efficient, higher-volume workforces.
Time to Travel
The colder months are the best time to attend conferences and trade shows. Keep engaged with your industry’s community and look for opportunities to participate and perhaps even take a leadership role in local, state, and national conferences. In addition to learning critical skills that may help you as a business owner, conferences can also be extremely beneficial for landing new business and lucrative partnerships that can help propel your business forward.
Educate.
Educating your community and becoming a thought leader in the construction industry can help you build other revenue streams for your business. Developing local workshops, attending seminars that help teach other pioneering professionals important sets of skills, from operating their business, to technical training, can keep your business income thriving, and will improve your reputation as a leader in your industry’s community.
Simply Ask.
Reaching out to old contacts, asking for referrals, and digging up old leads can be one of the simplest ways to garner new business during the off-season. When business is slow, connect with previous clients and offer them referral incentives for sending clients your way.
Adapt.
Adapting and diversifying, as discussed earlier, can be an essential part of off-season survival. Although this can lead to purchasing new equipment, or hiring new staff, being able to quickly pivot into multiple disciplines is well worth the investment. Building homes in the summer months, and remodeling during the winter, can be a great method for keeping your cashflow steady.
Apply for a Merchant Cash Advance.
Your company may struggle in the off-season, but it doesn’t have to be challenging. A cash advance can help you bridge the gap between seasonal downtime. With a cash advance, you only pay when you get paid, so repayment during the off-season won’t cripple your business, nor cause you any undue financial duress. And since cash advances use your business’s earnings, rather than your credit score to determine eligibility, a strong performance during the warmer months almost guarantees you a substantial enough loan to stave off the cold of the winter.