Hey there, my fabulous listener, welcome to episode 222 of the Small Business Made Simple Podcast. 

Thank you for lending me your ears today – I know you have lots of choices, so I sincerely appreciate me being one of them!

If you’re enjoying this podcast – I’d love you to take a screen shot and share it on your socials and tag me in it.  How cool would that be!

Don’t forget you can get the show notes for this podcast at www.socialmediaandmarketing.com.au/222

If you’re listening to this in real time, then you will know it’s the eve of almost Christmas eve and therefore you are probably wanting to get out of work mode and into holiday mode!

I am SO with you there.

But, as promised, I am showing up for what will be the second last podcast episode for 2022.

Amazing how fast it’s gone right? 

Actually my son’s girlfriend who’s 21 agreed with me that the year has flown in a conversation the other day – which I found rather frightening – if she thinks it’s fast at 21 …. Imagine what it’s like at my age – 48!?!?!

So today on the podcast, I am going to quickly remind you of some things you should have done by now – or if not, go and do once you’ve finished here!

And if you haven’t listened to last week’s episode all about the year in review and my predictions for 2023 – then also make time to listen to that over the break or now – well not right now – finish this one first!

And just before I get into this week’s episode – remember a few months/weeks back I asked you to fill in a survey for my Big Small Business Survey 2022?  Well the results are in and if you’re keen to find out what we found out by doing the survey, you can download the preliminary results here: https://bit.ly/SurveyReport2022 – no pressure, just if you’re keen.

Ok, so here’s some things you should have done by now and if not, you need to do:

• Update your business hours on Google, on Facebook and on your website – and if you have a bricks and mortar store – on the window of that! And anywhere else you have your hours mentioned.  There will be lots of travelling and ordering and contacting done over the next few weeks and your customers deserve (note the word deserve because we are here to serve) to know when you are and aren’t going to be there.  Or if you’re there but with limited/skeleton staff, let them know that too.  Inform them of any delays in answering emails, getting things into the post etc
• Have your out of office on your email. Just by the way – have you ever watched those videos of people ranking people’s out of office emails – some people have a very creative way of saying “I’m not here right now”!.  In a world full of vanilla – be that person who has personality all the way down to your out of office email!  Want some inspiration, head to Pinterest or YouTube and type in the search bar – out of office emails, oh and remember everything is content – so share your funny with your audience too!
• Block out your first day back or first two days back – no scheduled appointments – just time for you to use all the recharging you’ve done to get shit done! Or if you’re in retail and days off look like public holidays only – then try to get to work early on the first day back, to allow yourself some space to breathe – or sit in the car in the carpark with the Calm app playing! I downloaded and paid for the Calm app this year – it’s changed my crazy brain life – especially at bed time – highly recommended!

You know there’s a tonne of things you need to do before taking a break – in fact sometimes I wonder whether having a day off is actually worth it because of the amount of work that you need to do before you take time off – so I’m not going to give you more than 3.  These are the 3 I find I often forget, so this podcast is as much a reminder to me as it is to you!

Amazing listening human, thank you!  Thank you for listening in.  Have a freaking wonderful, safe, food induced coma of a Christmas day – no matter how you celebrate it – or even if you don’t celebrate it – you still have time off!

From my family to yours, Merry Christmas.  I LOVE, love, love Christmas and appreciate it in all its glory – it’s my Aussie thanksgiving day – the day that I often cry because I am just so bloomin’ thankful.

So, here’s cheers and if you want to give me a gift, feel free to leave this podcast a rating and review wherever it is that you listen.

And of course,  

……..remember small business peep, as my opening song says, there’s no point in dreaming small!