What you will learn in this episode: 

• The steps you do for yourself to set you up for success during the holidays

• Why you need to proactively communicate with your clients now

• Gift giving tips for contractors and clients

It’s early November, and that means the holidays are upon us! But – there are proactive steps that you can be taking right now to set up you and your project for success during these crazy busy times!

Firstly, what can you do for yourself?

Take the time this week, sit down with your calendar if you haven’t already, and figure out what your plans are for all of the holidays. 

What I like to do is sit down and figure out if I will be out of town, what days those will be and what days I want to just rest, relax and hang out with my family. And then I declare it. I email my clients and let them know what my holiday plans will be.

You may be worried about getting pushback from your clients. I know I did the first time. But actually, I either didn’t hear from anyone, or they respond to say that that sounds wonderful and let me know what days they’ll be off as well. If they don’t let you know, you need to get that information from your clients now. It won’t necessarily occur to your clients to let you know, so don’t wait to hear from them. 

Also, their plans are slightly different than what you are sharing with them. You are sharing with them your days off. What you need to know from your client is not only their days off but if they are entertaining. If they have guests coming and they need the guest bedroom and bathroom up and running, even if you aren’t working on those rooms, you may be doing something down the hall, so that is important information that you can start processing now. 

Planning this out can allow your client to host as successfully as possible in a maybe not-so-comfortable situation. 

The other people you need to be touching base with now are your contractors. 

You will find that all of the contractors take different days off, and yes, it is extremely frustrating. 

You may have many different teams to work around, and that can be a lot to keep track of. I explain in more detail in this episode what I did to keep track of it all!

The other thing I want you to be thinking about now is gift giving. 

I’m going to share with you what me and my firm does, but by now means is it what you must do for your clients and contractors. It is just a practice that my practice started long ago when I watched the women in New York and what they did. 

You can get things for the people on your team, maybe not all of them, depending on the size, that are meaningful yet doesn’t cost a lot of money.

And some people may be hesitant to give gifts to contractors because they are getting paid for what they do. But these gifts are just an acknowledgment of a job well done, and know that they are doing the best they can to move your project forward. 

What do I do with my clients? I also do what I learned from the New York designers I worked with. And again, this is just an acknowledgment that you appreciate them and the work they are providing you, and you are looking forward to a new year. 

All of this is just what I do in my business and what I have found successful, and to give you some ideas to incorporate into your own companies.

Like this Episode?

• Be sure to check out Episode #46: Prepping for the Holidays – Even During Construction! with Jill Kalman

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