I love Christmas.  I love the lights, the carols, wrapping presents, baking treats, preparing Christmas dinner, all of it. Christmas is the best of humanity on display, and joy is everywhere.

But Christmas is also the hardest time of year.  Its the time of the most extreme weather your little corner of the world will experience, its bills, and kids, and passed loved ones, and hard business decisions.  Emotions are high, and people are under a lot of pressure.

Tis the Season to question your Business Future

Anyone that has attempted to visit the mall at Christmas knows just how nuts people become when the tinsel comes out.  People yell at each other over parking spaces, arguments start over whose Mother is harder to buy for, the kids want every shiny thing they can see or think of, and you feel more like burning your Christmas tree than trimming it.

If you run your own business, add to that the stress of second-guessing every decision you have made that year, and maybe even into the next.  Should you open a store? Can you afford to keep that extra staff? I’m not making enough money, should I give up? I hear this A LOT.

I can hand on my heart tell you that EVERY business owner, regardless of what they do, has felt the same way. So what can you do? Don’t let yourself flounder, ask for help.  That help could be talking to someone within your local area that runs their own business, talk to family, and of course, check out the Business of Baking, with American Cake Decorating’s own Business Expert, Michelle Green.

She is the Cake Yoda, and her Facebook group is filled with small business Cakers learning how to make the most of their businesses, and work out what they really WANT from their business.  I know I would not be where I am without Michelle’s help.  I had all of the enthusiasm, but no direction.  If that sounds like you, or if you need to sort out your Business, check her out.

How do you deliver a 5 tier Wedding Cake in a Blizzard?

No idea honestly.  December and January weather can be brutal, quite literally, and unless someone can find Queen Elsa and get her to let it go, we’ve got weeks of snow ahead.

That’s pretty stressful for a small business. How do you continue to function, when the weather gets in the way? How do you get your cake where it has to go when you can’t even see your car?

There are some situations that cannot be planned for but mitigate where you can.  Contact customers or venues, and discuss the plan B in case of snow-mageddon.  Will you deliver the day before? Is there another way the cake can get to the location? The more you plan ahead, the better prepared you’ll be. If nothing else, you can sleep knowing that there’s nothing else you can prepare for, and let the flakes fall where they may.

Here in Australia, it is not uncommon to have weeks of 100 ℉ plus weather through Summer, and we even cracked 118℉ here at my house last year.  Cakes aren’t impressed by those stats just FYI #hotmess.

Not everyone is feeling the Christmas cheer

Christmas is a very emotional time.  The pressure of Christmas gifts, strained family relations, and bills piling up can have a disastrous effect on your Mental Health. Even if you think you are immune to depression and anxiety, no one can predict how stress will affect them.

There is no situation that improves without you here, and more people care than you think. If you or someone you love is struggling, please, PLEASE reach out, there is ALWAYS a way forward.

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255 (US Only)

Have a safe, fun, Christmas. Eat way too much ham, find 23 million recipes for leftover ham and Viva La Buttercream xx