As 2021 creeps upon us, it's no doubt your mind is thinking about the Christmas rush — which, is often the busiest time of year for lash artists. 

Lash lover, we've got you. We've pulled together a few suggestions that you can adopt to navigate the silly season rush effortlessly.

1. Maintain healthy boundaries

Boundaries are healthy and avoid people-pleasing. If that sounds like you, read this tip very carefully. I know you want to get your home and salon life organised. Don't we all? Truth is, you'll likely compromise yourself if you please everyone. That results in getting sick, injured in some way, hiccups on the business front or quite possibly mental breakdown or burnout — all before Christmas. 

Let's instead practise setting boundaries that keep you healthy, and help you achieve your pre-Christmas business goals. Here are my suggestions:

Don't overbook yourself or your team. Rather than trying to fit in as many clients as possible back-to-back, extending your hours and working weekends, set firm start and finish times for all your appointments. Allow for 10-minute breaks wherever possible, and relax. If you can allocate more time between appointments, I suggest stretching, taking a short stroll around the block and getting out into some fresh air. 

Exercise outside of work. I know you may not feel like it sometimes, but working out will boost your energy levels, and optimise your performance for the day ahead. Just think about all those feel-good endorphins running around in your body all day! 

Nourish yourself. Don't just survive on coffee, treats, or something from the corner store. If you know you have a hectic day ahead, prep your food the night before — or at least have a nutrient-dense food option to turn to when hunger strikes.

Running a profitable lash salon requires you look after your mental health and wellbeing. It's NON-NEGOTIABLE! Down-time must be part of your weekly schedule, especially leading up to Christmas.

If you're unable to meet client demand, maybe it's time to hire lash help, or a VA to deal with the admin side of things.

2. Book in all your clients now!

Don't wait until we're the end of November before you encourage your clients to book their next appointments — this is a recipe for disaster! You're going to book out fast over December, and won't cope if it's all last minute (with no planning). That compromises your boundaries. But you don't do that.

Chat with clients as they're about to leave your salon and make time to call your client list. Tell them you're calling to take everyone's appointment requests leading up to Christmas because you'll be closed from X-date and are already booking out fast. 

Even if you're not fully booked (yet), highlighting that you will, urges clients to secure their spots. Lock 'em in lash boss! 

3. Make time to plan staff schedules & breaks

Scheduling your staff's holiday breaks, pre-Christmas shifts and YOUR downtime will keep your business running steady during this period. Yes, you'll be busy, but with proper planning, it will be enjoyable. Chaos is optional, and it comes from poor planning. 

Talk to your staff, ensure everyone has put in their holiday leave (if any). Get rosters in order ahead of time, so there's no mistakes or miscommunication during the upcoming weeks. 

Take inventory of lash supplies and order whatever you need. Ensure you have more than enough lash stock to get you through this peak period, because, you don't want to be ordering lashes in December. It's stress you don't need.

If you're still reading, congrats! You are going to slay the pre-Christmas rush, and likely have time to get your Christmas shopping in order too! Ho, ho, ho.