As the holiday frenzy peaks, service-based business owners face the same old end-of-year reckoning. Here’s how to reset your approach, reclaim your time, and stop dreading your own “annual review.”
It’s Not the Holidays—It’s the Pattern
Level with me: the end of the year is wild—not just because of the holidays, but because it shines a spotlight on every crack in our business systems. Whether you’ve prepped all year or got blindsided again, this season has a way of magnifying what’s working... and what desperately isn’t.
For solo business owners, it’s more than finding new clients, keeping current ones or surviving another “promo season.” It’s "Where am I headed?", "Should I raise my prices?", and "How come everyone else makes it look so easy?" Maybe you’ve already started picking apart your books, feeling the urge to shake up your offers, or just wishing you could call a time-out.
I’ve been there—three years in a row once—and can confirm: You don’t have to live in rinse-and-repeat chaos. Let’s tackle three big stressors head-on, with real strategies you can use.
1. The Eternal Pricing Tug-of-War
Why does raising rates feel like a thunderstorm on the horizon? As service providers, there’s always that gut-clench when we think about upping prices. We picture clients grumbling, worry about being “fair,” and sometimes talk ourselves out of it before starting. The wild thing is, most people expect cost-of-living bumps. What they don’t like? Sudden changes with no explanation or added value.
The fix: Give yourself permission, but anchor it in a plan.
- Labor is a cost. If you do the work—and especially if you wear all the hats—you deserve incremental growth. If you were an employee that obtained a new certification, or took on more administrative duties, you'd ask for a raise, right?
- Communicate shifts clearly. Even “I need to make more” is valid when put in the correct context. Be honest and be specific while also respecting your right to keep private information, private. (Less is more, simple is better-remember that.)
- Map your changes in advance. Show your professionalism by establishing an organized and consistent communication tactic. Small bits of information at regular intervals, are more digestible than a two page email. The style of visual and its consistency are key here, too.
2. Time Management: Are We Booking Ourselves Into Burnout?
End of year = maximum overbook mode. We squeeze in those “just one more” appointments or projects… right alongside family, year-end paperwork, and attempts at festivity. And let’s be brutally honest: half those bookings don’t even feel worth the hustle in hindsight.
Here’s how to get off the hamster wheel:
- Track your busy/slow months now, not later. Even a sticky note tally helps.
- Consider a “seasonal schedule.” Who says your hours must be set in stone? Take full advantage of slow spells, recharge when you can, and prepare your schedule for busier times.
- Recovery isn’t a luxury. Overbooking leaves no time to breathe, rest and unplug. If you need me to insert more filler to convince you that your wellness routine comes first, send me a text. I have no problems reminding you of just how important you are.
3. Add, Add, Add—Wait, Do We Need to?
The urge to “freshen up” our offers or chase something shiny is REAL at year’s end. I used to announce new workshops, cute inclusions and all sorts of things that barely made a blip. Most of it? Unnecessary stress, extra work and late nights.
You don’t need to keep inventing—sometimes “more” is just busywork.
- Do a gut check: is this new thing for you, for your clients, or just to keep up with the Joneses?
- It’s okay for your evolution this year to be about simplifying—not expanding. Where does your business or work efforts feel complicated? List them, take a breath-walk away from the list. Come back to it after a few days of letting it flutter out in the universe.
- An honest simple money or schedule review counts. That’s real growth, too. The great part is, you don't really have to decide anything AFTER you find the results! You could just sit there and say "Okay... I'm aware of that." Just because SOMEONE may tell you that it's a problem, doesn't mean it's actually a problem.
Give Yourself Grace—And Fix the Root, Not Just the Rush
If there’s one pattern that’s doomed to repeat, it’s tackling the symptoms and ignoring the system. Use this season’s chaos as your signal. Pause. Patch the holes. Set one or two clear intentions now, and let the rest wait. Give yourself time to sit with the awareness of what's not working, before you quickly tackle the solution. Give yourself credit for what IS working.
Soon enough—you’ll thank yourself.
