Coping with the notorious April public holiday stress as an entrepreneur might sound frivolous, but if the expenses remain the same while the income tanks, it is no joke! Smile and wave just does not cut it and trying to fake it till you make it, might be the last thing you want to hear. So how on earth do you cope through these tumultuous times?
Are the April Public Holidays worse for Entrepreneurs?
That is a very good question indeed. It always seems as if your group has it the worst. My teacher-niece explained over Easter Weekend how difficult it is during these April holidays to stay with the curriculum and achieve the results they should accomplish with the kids. (My niece is a highly dedicated teacher who takes her calling to teach very seriously.)
On the other hand I have kids who’s studies are disrupted through these Easter Public Holidays. I know of workers who are paid-by-the-the-hour who loose out on a lot of work during these disruptive April Public Holidays. So the question is who is hit the hardest during these public holidays in April and who needs the coping skills the most.
It might sound seriously wicket, but I love to hear that other people don’t have it as easy as I originally thought they did. Yes, I know it sounds insane, but it is always a reminder that we all go through not so easy times as what we have thought we should. And to me, it is like a ‘get out of jail’ card.
Are the April public holidays worse for entrepreneurs? Probably if you are an entrepreneur.
How to Cope with Public Holidays in April as an Entrepreneur
I believe that the best coping mechanism is to keep your sense of humour intact. If all else fails, laughing about it helps to lift the spirits. The biggest snag in this scenario is that expenses remain the same, while income drops. And to make things even worse, you feel like you deserve a break! And to go on a break, you need more money. Not ideal!
The clever people reckon you should plan and budget ahead of time. Yes, it does seem so easy to say you should anticipate the seasonal dip, but when you find yourself in the middle of it, just the thought of someone telling you that you should have planned makes you cringe.
However, this is the time to diversify and offer seasonal promotions to keep things going. If all else fails, staying busy helps you not lose your mind completely. I wonder how much money can be made with stand-up comedy shows.
On a serious note, cutting non-essential expenses is always a good idea. We often waste money as if there is no tomorrow. I am a big believer in a minimalistic lifestyle. Wasting money is never a good idea—not for ourselves and definitely not for the planet. A positive spin-off to April’s public holidays can definitely be cutting out the non-essentials.
April could be your creative month. And no, we are not talking about how to become creative with your budget. This is the time to write those blog articles you never get time for. And yes, I can help you write them! My saving grace is that writing blog articles feels like holiday for me. I can do it all day every day. Especially when it is cold and raining outsides. And if I can help you to write your blog articles, you would make me the happiest person on this planet.
Is April Worse Than December for Disruption?
While December is traditionally a slow month due to the festive season, April stands out because its holidays are often spread out, resulting in multiple short weeks and extended periods of low productivity. If I Google “coping with April Public Holidays” all I find is how to maximise the leave potential of the April Public Holidays. Nothing about how to improve your productivity. Just how to make the most of the leave potential. Probably because it is human nature. If I am dead honest with you, I’d rather be on holiday right now. Sadly reality dictates that I cannot be on holiday forever.
I do believe that the April public holidays are worse for entrepreneurs than the December break—or at least in South Africa. We generally plan for the December holiday break. With April, we expect it to be business as usual, and then all of a sudden, we are caught in this slump. The best part is that there is only one way out of the slump, and that is to get up and get going.
Let’s have fun while coping with the April Public Holiday entrepreneur stresses and strains.
