Surviving the 4th Quarter and Thriving in the New Year

Discover four things you can focus on right now to not only survive the 4th quarter, but to thrive in 2024.

2023 brought its share of challenges. Whether it’s been good, bad, or ugly, 2023 is something we won’t soon forget. But it’s not over yet. We’ve got a few weeks to go and what we do now can not only help us survive the rest of the 4th quarter as subscription box business owners, it can set us up to thrive in the new year. 

It seems almost funny - not funny haha, more like funny are you even kidding me to be talking about another year that kicked us in the pants. Another year that brought us challenges, obstacles, and some pretty unpleasant surprises. Another year that threatened the survival of small businesses. 

The economy is a mess. The war in Ukraine wears on and now there’s a war in the Middle East to worry about, too. The cost of absolutely everything continues to go up. That includes product costs, packaging and shipping costs, and everything else we need to run our businesses - and our lives.

Yes, 2023 has been another challenging year. But, right now? It’s the 4th quarter. And the 4th quarter of the year is our Super Bowl - the holiday buying season. That time of year when we make more sales than any other time. 

But, we’re tired. And overwhelmed. And maybe feeling a little bit beaten up by all this year has thrown at us. 

I get it. I feel it, too. I’ve fought my way through business and personal struggles. My team and I have worked incredibly hard this year to try not to finish this year down from last year. Some months have been up. Others have been down. But I haven’t given up. And I don’t want you to give up. 

As entrepreneurs, we all have one thing in common. A drive - deep down - to make this work. Our dream. The business we’ve worked so hard to build. 

So let’s talk. Let’s talk about four things we can focus on right now that will help us not only survive the rest of this year, but head into 2024 ready to kick some butt!

Keep the focus on serving and selling to your audience.

No matter what your year has looked like so far. No matter what last month looked like. Don’t give up. 

I was down throughout November. I was still down with only a couple days left in the month. And I was looking at a LOT of inventory. I could have shrugged and just said, “That’s how it’s going to be.” 

But I didn’t. 

Even though I was exhausted, overwhelmed, and emotionally drained (I know I’m not the only one), I pushed myself. 

I kept selling. I showed up and served my audience by showing them what I had that would help them solve a problem. 

• Need a gift for someone on your list? I’ve got that. 
• Need a cute holiday t-shirt or sweatshirt for yourself? I’ve got that, too. 
• Need some accessories to go with your holiday party outfit? I’ve got a ton to choose from. 

When I showed up? When I went LIVE, connected with my audience and showed them how excited I was about the products I was selling? It made a difference. A BIG difference.

I’m asking you not to give up. Don’t give up on your business and don’t give up on your customers.

Instead, ask yourself every day until the end of the year, “What can I do to generate sales today?” 

• Can you send an email highlighting a product or promotion? Listen to episode 95 of the Launch Your Box podcast for more about how to leverage email marketing to gain sales during the 4th quarter. 
• Can you go LIVE to connect with your audience, show them what you have to offer, and ASK FOR THE SALE? 
• Can you show up more consistently on social media with posts, stories, reels, and short videos that show your products? 

Serve your audience by selling to them. 

And remember, this year’s not over until it’s over.

Remember that the 4th quarter is just a season in your business.    

The 4th quarter will come to an end. 

Along with all the excitement the 4th quarter brings - all the people buying all the things - comes the hard parts. 

I’m not sure there’s another kind of tired that feels quite like 4th quarter tired for a small business owner. That bone-deep, not sure when I last washed my hair, pretty sure I forgot to eat kind of tired. 

If your sales haven’t been what you hoped and planned for, you might be feeling defeated. 

If your sales are good and you’re busier than you can handle, you might be feeling like you can’t keep up and the only thing left to do is give up sleeping altogether.

I get it. I have felt all the feelings this year. All of them. 

But I want to remind you that this is just a season. 

Things will look different in January. You’ll have time to breathe. To plan. Heck, you’ll have time to take a nap, take a shower, and eat a healthy meal. 

We can do hard things.

Keep showing up - because when you stop, you have to restart.

I go LIVE inside Launch Your Box, on my public Facebook page, and on my YouTube channel every Monday for what I call Monday Momentum. These are some of my favorite ways to serve my members and my larger audience. 

I talk about audience building, serving before selling, marketing, and - right now - showing up and asking for the sale. We talk about all the things that help you move your business forward. Check out this recent Monday Momentum where I talk about the importance of going LIVE right now. 

It’s my hope that my students and my followers have all been doing what they need to do to make the most of the 4th quarter. Just like you. And, it’s my hope that they’ll continue to do those things into the new year. Just like you. 

When you make a change or start doing something new and seeing the benefits to your business, it’s important to keep doing it. 

• If you started emailing your list every week, keep doing it. 
• If you started consistently posting on social media, keep doing it. 
• If you made more short videos… you guessed it. Keep doing it. 

Anything you started doing to generate more sales during the 4th quarter, I want you to carry that into the new year. Because if you stop and then go to restart later in the year, it will be that much harder to see the difference. 

Don’t lose the momentum you’ve gained.

Analyze the data inside your subscription box business. 

Know your numbers. 

I added a member to my team this year who focuses a lot of her time and attention on all the numbers in my business. And it has made SUCH a difference. I have a better-than-ever grasp on what’s working and what’s not. And that knowledge helps me make better decisions in my business. The kind of decisions that have a positive impact on the bottom line. 

It’s important to know and understand your numbers all the time. But it’s even more important during this time of the year. 

When we’re exhausted, we’re more likely to make decisions based on emotion. I’ve certainly done it. And those are the times I’ve made mistakes and paid what I like to call “the stupid tax.”

Get to know the analytics inside your email CRM. What is your open rate? What is your click-through rate? How many of your sales are coming from the emails you’re sending? 

Get to know and use Google Analytics so you can see what’s happening when someone gets to your website. 

Know your sales numbers - this year and previous years. Know them by month, by quarter, and by year. Use them to track how you’re doing, use them to set goals, and measure actual sales against those goals. 

Knowledge is power. Knowledge leads to making good decisions. And knowledge is the best antidote I know to the stupid tax!

This year is almost over. I for one am not going to be sad to see it end. But for these last few weeks of 2023, I’m going to give it all I’ve got. I want you to do the same! Let’s focus on surviving the rest of 2023 and setting ourselves up to thrive in the new year! 

If you haven’t grabbed a copy of my book, One Box at a Time, you can get one- and a FREE Beginner Bundle Bonus - here!