Managing the Slow Times

It happens to every small business. There are times that are so busy that you struggle to keep up. And then there are periods that are - excuse the colloquialism - slow as molasses. As I am learning, there are upsides to both.

Owning an outdoor business in Texas, as we do, August is understandably a slower time for us. Besides the heat, the beginning of the school year also means fewer guests on our property. Rewind to August, 2020, and that was not the case. We had people glamping in 100+ degree heat, even with a two night minimum (not currently a requirement), because during the height of the Covid pandemic most indoor activities had been curtailed. Everyone wanted to be outside.

Whenever I complain about how slow business is (or conversely, how busy it is), a close friend who has been in business her entire adult life reminds me to be grateful for each season. When she first told me that, I was in the middle of a time where I could barely hold my head above water, so swamped were we with guests. Now, a few years and several busy/slow cycles later and I can attest to the wisdom of her words. 

Since I have some down time right now, I looked at the booking calendar for our glamping business for the past year or two. That exercise confirmed what I already knew: October, November, March and April are when we host the most glamping guests. Our busiest weeks, hands down, are the weeks of Thanksgiving Break and Spring Break. And our slowest months are typically February and August.

I’m trying to be diligent in using the current downtime to plan for the fall rush, when we’ll need multiple sets of linens, extra supplies for the bathhouse, plenty of batteries for lanterns and additional help prepping tents. Now is also a great time to plan events, like future Chef’s Table Experience meals, retreats and a ladies’ night. Also, now that we’re expanding our business to downtown Corsicana, this lull is providing an opportunity to plan events there as well.

Financially, it can be very stressful  to look at how little business we do during the hot summer months, but I have to remember to breathe. Before I know it, I’ll be so busy I’ll barely be able to catch my breath. 

This piece first appeared in Sherry’s column, Finding Myself in a Small Town, in the August 24, 2024 edition of the Corsicana Daily Sun.