The holidays don’t have to feel like an emergency.
Yup, for many of us in the apparel decorating space, that is a bold statement. But I share this because I don’t want your fourth quarter to turn into one long panic attack. I’ve been the guy sleeping on the blow-up mattress I brought in knowing we didn’t have a handle on the flow yet, and as part of the management team, I had to wear more hats that year. I’ve also had years where we wrapped up with a celebration, closed for a few weeks, and came back in January feeling ready to go.
The difference wasn’t luck. It was planning.
Holiday chaos doesn’t usually come from having too much work. It comes from letting the work control you instead of setting things up to support how you want to operate. And the truth is, that work will always expand to fill the space you give it. Without a well-thought-out plan, you will take on everyone else’s problems when you have the least amount of time to do that.
Stop Trying to be Ready for Everything
The worst Q4 seasons I’ve had were the ones where we tried to say yes to every order, every request, and every last-minute panic from a customer who “just found out” about the Christmas party. The more I tried to do, the less we actually got done well. That led to do-overs, refunds, wasted blanks, and tired people.
And it led to unhappy customers who forgot that you were helping them out because you said yes to something your gut told you to say no to.
Q4 preparation means choosing your limits now so you don’t burn out later. Decide your order cutoff dates. Decide on your production capacity, your plan for handling requests beyond your ideal capacity. If your team can step up, include them in the extra, but don’t put more expectation on them just because you want to say yes. Also, decide how you’ll handle rush requests. Then communicate those clearly with your team and your customers. People don’t mind structure. They mind surprises.
If your usual mode is “take it as it comes,” you’re inviting stress. This is the season to flip that.
Read the rest of this story on Apparelist, a publication of PRINTING United Alliance, ASI’s strategic partner.
