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201: Holiday Program Profits: Plan Now For November And December · Early Childhood Business Made Easy

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_01: You've got a good feeling about November and December.
• 0:04
  SPEAKER_01: More families are in the building, more energy, more requests for extra days or extra time.
• 0:10
  SPEAKER_01: But when January hits, your holiday programs will somehow that cost you more time, sanity, and margin than you thought it would instead of actually building your time.
• 0:21
  SPEAKER_01: So you've tried throwing something together because families expect it, but often it's at a cost and without a plan.
• 0:28
  SPEAKER_01: So holiday programming, well, it becomes another unpaid shift for your team, or more work added to their plate, or a break-even favor for your business.
• 0:38
  SPEAKER_01: And that's not what we want for this year.
• 0:40
  SPEAKER_01: Now, confident early childhood operators, they plan their holiday season backwards from profit, not from panic.
• 0:48
  SPEAKER_01: So when you build your calendar with intention, that busy of busiest seasons becomes one of the busy times that actually fund your family's own holiday season instead of stealing it.
• 1:15
  SPEAKER_00: It is my goal to make your life a little easier working with our most prized possessions in life.
• 1:19
  SPEAKER_00: If you're ready to control the chaos, ditch the exhausting overwhelm, and keep the joy, then be sure to join us at KellyPeak.com.
• 1:30
  SPEAKER_01: Well, hey there, friends.
• 1:31
  SPEAKER_01: Welcome, CEOs.
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_01: Welcome to the Early Childhood Business Made Easy Podcast.
• 1:35
  SPEAKER_01: I'm Kelly Peak here to help you find more of that time, freedom, lifestyle.
• 1:39
  SPEAKER_01: Now, we are going to talk about holidays.
• 1:42
  SPEAKER_01: They are just around the corner, believe it or not.
• 1:45
  SPEAKER_01: And your holiday programs, well, they're not a favor that you are doing for families, even though they create the most meaningful memories and magical moments.
• 1:55
  SPEAKER_01: And that is so important.
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_01: But they're one of the most profitable weeks in your calendar as well, if done right, when you plan them like a CEO instead of an afterthought.
• 2:04
  SPEAKER_01: Now, every fall, I watch business CEOs decide in October that they should probably be doing something for Thanksgiving week or maybe winter break or that holiday that every parent keeps asking about.
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_01: And because there's no plan, no pricing model, and no margin built in, that program often gets thrown together at the 11th hour.
• 2:25
  SPEAKER_01: Team members pull double duty, supplies get bought on personal credit cards to get them quick and turned around.
• 2:33
  SPEAKER_01: And by the time those holidays roll around and are over, you're exhausted.
• 2:39
  SPEAKER_01: Your team is resentful.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_01: And you can't say whether that whole season made you money or just made you super busy.
• 2:45
  SPEAKER_01: So in 20 years of operating my own boutique preschools and play cafes through this exact season, I've learned something that a lot of business coaches never really understand about early childhood operations.
• 2:58
  SPEAKER_01: Holiday program is not an expense of doing business.
• 3:02
  SPEAKER_01: It can be one of the higher margin opportunities for you if it's built with intention instead of just goodwill.
• 3:09
  SPEAKER_01: So today I'm going to walk you through the three stages that turn November and December from one of your most exhausting seasons into possibly a more profitable one.
• 3:19
  SPEAKER_01: So we're going to cover how to map your holiday calendar for margin, how to find your sweet spot holiday offers, and how to protect your team while doing it.
• 3:29
  SPEAKER_01: My friend, holiday program isn't something you offer out of guilt or obligation because you think you have to.
• 4:09
  SPEAKER_01: So every quick ad event that you throw together without a margin plan, well, that's actually diluting your team's energy and your bottom line at the exact time of the year that you can least afford either one of those.
• 4:22
  SPEAKER_01: So here's an interesting fact about the season that you, my friend, are about to walk into.
• 4:46
  SPEAKER_01: Now, that's general retail data, not early childhood specific.
• 4:49
  SPEAKER_01: I get it.
• 4:50
  SPEAKER_01: But here's why it matters for your early childhood business.
• 4:54
  SPEAKER_01: Families are already in a mindset of spending on meaningful experiences for their kiddos during these two months.
• 5:00
  SPEAKER_01: And CEOs who understand this data, well, they don't treat November and December as one more thing to survive.
• 5:06
  SPEAKER_01: They treat them as the two months of the year.
• 5:09
  SPEAKER_01: The families are really primed to say yes to a well-priced holiday program or holiday experience.
• 5:17
  SPEAKER_01: So there was an enrichment studio owner that I worked with once who was completely overwhelmed around this time.
• 5:24
  SPEAKER_01: She was throwing together a holiday recital because families kept asking about it, pricing tickets at whatever felt reasonable.
• 5:30
  SPEAKER_01: She just thought this is what you were supposed to do.
• 5:32
  SPEAKER_01: She paid her team members overtime with no plan for where that money would come from.
• 5:36
  SPEAKER_01: And she was operating in pure reactive mode, saying yes to every holiday request without ever asking whether the season was actually going to make her money.
• 5:46
  SPEAKER_01: Now the turning point came when she built her annual family special events calendar.
• 5:51
  SPEAKER_01: She did this three months before the holidays instead of three weeks before.
• 5:55
  SPEAKER_01: And she priced her signature holiday showcase around margin instead of guesswork.
• 6:00
  SPEAKER_01: She added a photo package upsell that covered her entire team bonus pool on its own.
• 6:05
  SPEAKER_01: And that mindset shift, well, it happened when she realized she didn't need to add more events.
• 6:11
  SPEAKER_01: She just needed to price the one event she was already doing like a CEO.
• 6:16
  SPEAKER_01: And she had to pull in the things she knew families wanted and price those with margin.
• 6:21
  SPEAKER_01: Now, that season, she brought in$14,000 in showcase of photography package revenue on an event that had barely broken even the year before.
• 6:31
  SPEAKER_01: She cut her team's holiday overtime by 60% because everyone, well, they knew their role and they knew everything advanced.
• 6:39
  SPEAKER_01: And they took the entire week between Christmas and New Year's off with their own kiddos.
• 6:44
  SPEAKER_01: And that happened for the first time in years.
• 6:47
  SPEAKER_01: Now, this enrichment program owner was so ecstatic about being able to take that time with her own kids, and so was her team.
• 6:55
  SPEAKER_01: So today she leads her studio's holiday season as a confident early childhood operator, a CEO who plans her profit before she plans her party.
• 7:05
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, my friend, this is exactly what I want for you.
• 7:08
  SPEAKER_01: I want you to find that same level of time, freedom, and profit.
• 7:12
  SPEAKER_01: So we're gonna dive into our strategies and we're gonna start with strategy number one, the holiday profit calendar.
• 7:18
  SPEAKER_01: I want you to map your season before that chaos maps you.
• 7:23
  SPEAKER_01: When you're operating in manager mode, holiday programming, well, it happens to you.
• 7:28
  SPEAKER_01: Someone asks about a break camp.
• 7:31
  SPEAKER_01: A parent mentions a holiday party, and by the time you decide to act, you're pricing under pressure and getting your team to work on favors.
• 7:38
  SPEAKER_01: Now, CEOs who are professionalized in this area, well, they plan their entire holiday season by early fall before a single parent asks.
• 7:47
  SPEAKER_01: This is how CEOs, confident early childhood operators approach profit booster number four, key services and sales strategies.
• 7:55
  SPEAKER_01: They build their annual family special events calendar backward from the end of December, deciding every holiday touch point between October, November, and December.
• 8:05
  SPEAKER_01: They put the date on the calendar, the capacity, and a price if there is one.
• 8:09
  SPEAKER_01: And they do this before October ends.
• 8:12
  SPEAKER_01: Now, unlike a retail store that can restock inventory to meet holiday demand, your holiday capacity is fixed sometimes by your ratios, sometimes by your square footage of your building, sometimes by how much team you have available, sometimes by what you're licensing or if you're a cafe, your health and safety department.
• 8:32
  SPEAKER_01: There's all different rules and regulations that you have to follow that a retail business does not.
• 8:38
  SPEAKER_01: So this means that every seat in a holiday program, well, it is worth more than a regular tuition day, a regular birthday party, a regular stay and play, a regular dance class, and it has to be priced that way.
• 8:51
  SPEAKER_01: Remember, you are creating moments that are going to be photographed and shared for years to come.
• 8:57
  SPEAKER_01: That is valuable, my friend.
• 8:58
  SPEAKER_01: That is worth a lot.
• 9:01
  SPEAKER_01: So there's a lot of generic small business advice out there that says start your holiday marketing early.
• 9:06
  SPEAKER_01: Well, early childhood businesses, you need something more specific.
• 9:09
  SPEAKER_01: You need to know any of those regulations, requirements, issues, anything that's going to cap your ceiling before you promise any type of party.
• 9:21
  SPEAKER_01: So your two action steps here.
• 9:22
  SPEAKER_01: Action step number one, I want you to build your annual family special events calendar.
• 9:27
  SPEAKER_01: So sit down, map out every holiday touch point you want to offer this season onto a single calendar.
• 9:32
  SPEAKER_01: So this could be from October, maybe it's Halloween party, it could be into Thanksgiving, into winter break camps, into a Santa party, into a holiday party, something for Kowanza, something for Hanukkah, whatever you decide, map it out.
• 9:48
  SPEAKER_01: For each event, write the date.
• 9:50
  SPEAKER_01: If you have a ratio-based capacity, if you have a building square footage type capacity, that meaning you can't house a certain amount of people all in your space.
• 10:01
  SPEAKER_01: If you have a specific item that you need to purchase beforehand, what that's going to look like.
• 10:07
  SPEAKER_01: A big example of that is you'll hear me talk more about this, but we do a big Santa party every year.
• 10:13
  SPEAKER_01: And people love our Santa party.
• 10:15
  SPEAKER_01: And my number one, number one rule, Santa is Santa.
• 10:21
  SPEAKER_01: And Santa has to perform in a certain way, has to look in a certain way.
• 10:27
  SPEAKER_01: Santa has to be the Santa that we all remember as a kid.
• 10:31
  SPEAKER_01: And we want our kids to remember this amazing magical Santa.
• 10:35
  SPEAKER_01: So I'm very specific.
• 10:37
  SPEAKER_01: And so sometimes it can be hard to find.
• 10:40
  SPEAKER_01: Over the 20 years, we've had to have a couple different Santas as Santas uh move on to different responsibilities.
• 10:47
  SPEAKER_01: And so that can be sometimes difficult to find.
• 10:50
  SPEAKER_01: So we start in October.
• 10:51
  SPEAKER_01: We've already started looking for this year's Santa.
• 10:54
  SPEAKER_01: Now, if you're a solo single preschool, for example, this might be one calendar with four or five entries.
• 11:00
  SPEAKER_01: If you're running multiple locations or a play cafe, maybe you build one master calendar plus a site-specific version.
• 11:07
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe your locations are doing something different, again, because of your capacity or some other rules or regulation you have to follow.
• 11:14
  SPEAKER_01: This is exactly what our free annual family special events calendar walks you through step by step.
• 11:19
  SPEAKER_01: So go download that at KellyPeak.com where you're going to find information on this podcast, episode 201.
• 11:25
  SPEAKER_01: Now, just a little tip: if your holiday calendar isn't complete until every entry has a number next to it, capacity and price, a date with no number is a wish, my friend, not a plan.
• 11:38
  SPEAKER_01: So make sure you have the date and you have the capacity, the price, anything around there that you might need.
• 11:45
  SPEAKER_01: Action step number two, I want you to set your break-even and your target profit numbers per event.
• 11:51
  SPEAKER_01: So before you promote a single holiday event, calculate what it's actually gonna cost you and your team and your supplies.
• 11:59
  SPEAKER_01: Again, any special ratio team that you have to have or regulations you have to follow.
• 12:04
  SPEAKER_01: Then set the enrollment number where you break even and the number where you hit your target margin.
• 12:09
  SPEAKER_01: Then I want you to take that total cost and divide it by your price point.
• 12:13
  SPEAKER_01: That's gonna tell you your break-even headcount.
• 12:15
  SPEAKER_01: So for a small program, this might mean your winter break camp, for example, needs eight kids enrolled to break even and 12 to hit real profit.
• 12:24
  SPEAKER_01: Now, for a larger program, you might run this per classroom, per age group, per building to know your actual margin by group.
• 12:31
  SPEAKER_01: This is up to you.
• 12:32
  SPEAKER_01: But an even more simplified example is right now we are looking at our Halloween party.
• 12:40
  SPEAKER_01: We run a big Halloween party at Play Boutique and our boutique play cafes.
• 12:44
  SPEAKER_01: And it's wonderful because it's free for our Peak Academy families.
• 12:47
  SPEAKER_01: Um, we charge a fee for uh the people who come in on Saturdays and play and stay and play.
• 12:53
  SPEAKER_01: And looking at all of that, we know approximately how many kiddos are going to come.
• 12:57
  SPEAKER_01: And we know not only how many kiddos we need to have to break even on supplies, the food, all the things that we offer, but don't forget, we also are offering it as a member benefit to our Peak Academy families.
• 13:09
  SPEAKER_01: So again, we really look at all of those numbers when we're planning, not only to determine our break-even and our profit margin and all of those, but also we want them to have a good experience.
• 13:19
  SPEAKER_01: So we want to make sure we have enough team members there, we have enough supplies, we have everything that we're going to need.
• 13:25
  SPEAKER_01: Now, here's a common mistake I want you to avoid.
• 13:27
  SPEAKER_01: Some price holiday events based on what feels fair instead of what the math requires.
• 13:33
  SPEAKER_01: But remember, feelings, they do not cover payroll, my friend.
• 13:36
  SPEAKER_01: Your break-even number does.
• 13:39
  SPEAKER_01: So put your price where it needs to be.
• 13:42
  SPEAKER_01: And if people aren't willing to pay and aren't coming, then you know that maybe it isn't the right event to do next year.
• 13:48
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe find something else, or maybe you didn't market it right, or maybe it needs different activities.
• 13:53
  SPEAKER_01: But if you cannot price it to where parents are willing to pay for it, you shouldn't be doing it.
• 13:58
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 13:59
  SPEAKER_01: So you need to make sure you're covering your profit and your payroll.
• 14:04
  SPEAKER_01: Now, once your calendar has clear numbers attached, you're ready for the second piece.
• 14:09
  SPEAKER_01: And that is choosing which events are actually worth your team's energy this season.
• 14:13
  SPEAKER_01: And that moves us on to strategy number two, the sweet spot holiday offer.
• 14:18
  SPEAKER_01: Now, this might mean offering fewer events, but you're gonna have better margin.
• 14:23
  SPEAKER_01: When you're stuck in manager mode, you say yes to every holiday request that comes across your desk: a party here, a camp there, a special craft night, all because one parent asked.
• 14:33
  SPEAKER_01: But CEOs who've professionalized their services, well, you know that more holiday offers, it doesn't mean more profit.
• 14:39
  SPEAKER_01: Oftentimes it can mean more chaos spread across more events that individually, well, they don't make you money.
• 14:45
  SPEAKER_01: And this is again where Profit Booster number four, our Sweet Spot Offers framework, becomes your holiday filter.
• 14:51
  SPEAKER_01: So instead of offering everything, you choose one signature, can't miss event, and one repeatable revenue event.
• 15:00
  SPEAKER_01: And you build every dollar of margin in those two instead of scattering your team across five underpriced ones.
• 15:07
  SPEAKER_01: Then as those grow, as those start working well, that's when you can add another one.
• 15:13
  SPEAKER_01: Now, this works differently for early childhood businesses than it does for a retail shop running a holiday sale.
• 15:18
  SPEAKER_01: Margin, well, it doesn't come from volume.
• 15:20
  SPEAKER_01: It comes from the value that families place on an experience that they can't get anywhere else.
• 15:25
  SPEAKER_01: Generic sales advice says run more promotions during the holidays.
• 15:29
  SPEAKER_01: But in an early childhood business, running more promotions with a fixed team and fixed ratios and fixed supplies, well, that usually means running your best people into the ground for the same total revenue.
• 15:40
  SPEAKER_01: So two action steps here.
• 15:41
  SPEAKER_01: Number one, I want you to choose your one signature event.
• 15:45
  SPEAKER_01: Pick the single event families are already associating with your business: a holiday showcase, a Polar Express Day, cookies with Santa, and then decide this is the one you're gonna go all in on this season.
• 15:58
  SPEAKER_01: Build this event with a ticket or a tuition price plus one natural upsell.
• 16:03
  SPEAKER_01: Again, at our Santa Party, we do a photo package.
• 16:06
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe you do an extended day option if you're doing another event that families love is drop and shop.
• 16:11
  SPEAKER_01: So we have a three-hour drop and shop uh around Thanksgiving where people can go shopping.
• 16:16
  SPEAKER_01: We offer an upsell where you can add an extra hour or two, or a sibling bundle is another great way to add an upsell.
• 16:23
  SPEAKER_01: Now, for a small play cafe, this might be a$35 holiday event ticket with that$15 add-on.
• 16:29
  SPEAKER_01: For a larger enrichment program, the same signature event might run across multiple time slots with the upsell built into every slot.
• 16:37
  SPEAKER_01: But again, remember your signature event should be the one thing you could do right now and that will allow you to stop doing many other things across the same time and that your families will still show up.
• 16:48
  SPEAKER_01: And if you can't name that event right now, then you probably don't have one yet.
• 16:52
  SPEAKER_01: So again, think about what your families would love.
• 16:56
  SPEAKER_01: Again, it could be a Halloween party, it could be we do a turkey trot, it could be a Santa party, whatever it is, pick one, go all in.
• 17:06
  SPEAKER_01: Now, alongside your signature event, action step number two, build your one repeatable revenue event.
• 17:12
  SPEAKER_01: So alongside your signature event, choose one offer you can repeat maybe once a month, maybe weekly, but at least once a month through the season.
• 17:21
  SPEAKER_01: A big popular one that we do during the holiday season is a parents' night out.
• 17:26
  SPEAKER_01: That is a peak uh shopping event.
• 17:28
  SPEAKER_01: We do that on Friday and Saturday nights.
• 17:30
  SPEAKER_01: And then we also do two drop and shop events during the season, usually one in November and one in December.
• 17:36
  SPEAKER_01: And that's on a Saturday morning for parents to do some shopping.
• 17:40
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe you could do an extended winter break day camp.
• 17:43
  SPEAKER_01: So there's different things that you can do during this holiday season that you could do multiple times that maybe you could do during the rest of the year, but right now, knowing what parents are focused on, would do really well a few times during this holiday season.
• 17:57
  SPEAKER_01: And then price them using the break-even math from strategy number one, then promote it maybe as a series that rather than a one-off because families can then maybe book multiple dates at once.
• 18:07
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe they want to do all three parent date nights if you do one Friday a month in October, November, and December.
• 18:12
  SPEAKER_01: If you're a small business, you might run one parent's night out on the first Saturday of December.
• 18:18
  SPEAKER_01: If you're a multiple multi-site operation or you've been around for a long time and you feel comfortable doing this, you could do again one Friday, October, November, and December and run it with a specific promotion.
• 18:32
  SPEAKER_01: Sign up for one parent date night, maybe at$60.
• 18:35
  SPEAKER_01: But if you do all three, you get a discount.
• 18:38
  SPEAKER_01: So however you want to do that.
• 18:39
  SPEAKER_01: Now think of your holiday offers like a bow pulled all the way back, one well-aimed signature event and one repeatable revenue event pulled tight and then released with intention.
• 18:52
  SPEAKER_01: This is gonna outperform if you did five arrows shooting in five different spots.
• 18:57
  SPEAKER_01: Now, once you know your core two offers for October, November, and December, the last piece is making sure your team can actually deliver them without burning out.
• 19:06
  SPEAKER_01: Because a profitable season on paper means nothing if your best team members quit in January.
• 19:12
  SPEAKER_01: And that moves us on to strategy number three.
• 19:14
  SPEAKER_01: You're gonna protect your team while you chase that margin.
• 19:18
  SPEAKER_01: So when, again, you're operating in manager mode during the holidays, you are personally absorbing the gaps.
• 19:25
  SPEAKER_01: You're staying late to decorate, you're covering all the call-outs, you're answering parent questions on your own time because you never built a plan for how your team execute the season.
• 19:34
  SPEAKER_01: CEOs who've professionalized their leadership, well, they know that a profitable holiday season and an exhausted team, well, they can't coexist for long.
• 19:43
  SPEAKER_01: So, again, this is profit booster number four's promise, exceeding customer expectations daily.
• 19:48
  SPEAKER_01: And you're gonna apply it to your highest pressure months of your year.
• 19:53
  SPEAKER_01: And it only works when it partners with clear team rules instead of you carrying the season alone.
• 20:00
  SPEAKER_01: Now, again, unlike a retail business that can hire seasonal temp workers for the holiday rush, you may not be able to do that.
• 20:06
  SPEAKER_01: And you do not want to just add warm bodies.
• 20:09
  SPEAKER_01: We all know what warm body syndrome means.
• 20:11
  SPEAKER_01: And that means your existing team members probably have to execute more with the same people.
• 20:17
  SPEAKER_01: And that only works with a plan.
• 20:20
  SPEAKER_01: So again, I know you will hear hire seasonal help.
• 20:23
  SPEAKER_01: And for some, that might work.
• 20:26
  SPEAKER_01: Actually, having some of those high school kids and college kids around during the holiday season, that can work, but they may not always be able to fulfill every role based on your rules and regulations.
• 20:36
  SPEAKER_01: So early childhood businesses need something else, and that's gonna be a clear holiday rule and pay plan for your team that you already have.
• 20:44
  SPEAKER_01: So, two action steps here.
• 20:46
  SPEAKER_01: Number one, I want you to assign one clear owner per event.
• 20:49
  SPEAKER_01: So for every event on your holiday profit calendar, name one team member responsible for making it happen, not the entire team, one person with a name attached.
• 20:58
  SPEAKER_01: Write it directly on your calendar next to each event, along with what they're responsible for, and any extra time you're gonna give them, or and maybe you won't, but maybe there's some available time, or maybe they can do some things during nap time in the classroom, or maybe during stay and play at a play cafe when there's a lull, but mark down when you expect them to get things done.
• 21:18
  SPEAKER_01: Now, for a small preschool, this might mean your assistant director if you have one.
• 21:22
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe it is a strong lead teacher, again, who could plan some things out during nap time.
• 21:27
  SPEAKER_01: If you're a larger program, maybe each classroom lead might want to do their own holiday touch point.
• 21:33
  SPEAKER_01: So it's up to you how you want to do this.
• 21:36
  SPEAKER_01: Just remember the moment your team can see their name next to an event and what they're getting for it, that resentment, it all goes away and it turns to ownership.
• 21:47
  SPEAKER_01: Just the vague, we're all pitching in.
• 21:49
  SPEAKER_01: That language is where the burnout starts.
• 21:52
  SPEAKER_01: So you want to be purposeful and you want to be intentional.
• 21:55
  SPEAKER_01: Action step number two give your team members a done for you resource.
• 21:59
  SPEAKER_01: Now just Blank page.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_01: So instead of asking team members to invent holiday activities, crafts, and classroom decor from scratch, on top of everything else they have to do, give them some ready-made plans that they can execute without that extra prep time.
• 22:11
  SPEAKER_01: Now, this is exactly why we built our Chaos Coordinator Collective.
• 22:16
  SPEAKER_01: It's a monthly resource membership specifically for early childhood educators and team members that actually lead their classrooms and their events with done for you holiday activities, family communication templates, and classroom plans ready to use.
• 22:31
  SPEAKER_01: So for a small team, this might mean your two lead teachers split a chaos coordinator collective activity between the classrooms.
• 22:40
  SPEAKER_01: But for a larger team, maybe they do one in each classroom.
• 22:43
  SPEAKER_01: So take a look at the membership and see if it is right for you.
• 22:47
  SPEAKER_01: Now, most CEOs, well, they try to hand their team creative freedom during this holiday season.
• 22:53
  SPEAKER_01: And that can be good.
• 22:54
  SPEAKER_01: For some, it works.
• 22:56
  SPEAKER_01: But remember, sometimes creative freedom feels like a burden when nobody has time to be creative.
• 23:02
  SPEAKER_01: Because remember, this is their holiday season too.
• 23:06
  SPEAKER_01: So we're giving them the job of making these magical moments, creating these meaningful memories, all these amazing fit things for the 10 to 20 kiddos in their care, but they may have their own family that they want to create meaningful memories for.
• 23:19
  SPEAKER_01: So just remember that.
• 23:20
  SPEAKER_01: It is great to be creative, it is great to get things done.
• 23:22
  SPEAKER_01: But sometimes having a plan, not a blank page, actually makes things easier.
• 23:28
  SPEAKER_01: So you know your team, you know what works best, but so you have some options.
• 23:32
  SPEAKER_01: All right, my friend, let's bring this together.
• 23:34
  SPEAKER_01: You mapped your holiday profit calendar with real numbers, you narrowed down your one signature event and your one repeatable revenue event, and then you gave your team a clear role and maybe some done for you resources instead of one more thing for them to figure out during this busy, busy season.
• 23:50
  SPEAKER_01: Now, this is what it means to lead your holiday season as a CEO, a confident early childhood operator, instead of surviving it as an exhausted manager or director.
• 24:00
  SPEAKER_01: And it's exactly how November and December, my friend, those are gonna be months that are gonna fund your own family's holiday instead of stealing from it.
• 24:09
  SPEAKER_01: Today, we moved from throwing your holiday season together under pressure to planning it with the same intention that you would bring to any other profit center in your business.
• 24:18
  SPEAKER_01: And when you build your holiday profit calendar, choose your sweet spot offers, and protect your team with a clear plan, you're not just running a smoother season, you're fundamentally shifting from surviving in November and December to leading them as a confident early childhood operator.
• 24:33
  SPEAKER_01: Just imagine, my friend, imagine the end of December, your holiday showcase, your photo package already covered, your team's holiday bonuses were paid for because of that.
• 24:43
  SPEAKER_01: Your parents' night out series, you did three of them.
• 24:46
  SPEAKER_01: It's fully booked through the new year, and you're sitting on your own couch, wrapping presents instead of scrambling for last-minute craft supplies.
• 24:53
  SPEAKER_01: Your holiday season is systematized.
• 24:55
  SPEAKER_01: Your team knows exactly what they're doing and what they're going to get for that.
• 25:00
  SPEAKER_01: And you are finally leading the business you envisioned instead of surviving the season it demands.
• 25:05
  SPEAKER_01: That, my friend, is your manifestation minute.
• 25:07
  SPEAKER_01: This is what's possible when you plan your holidays with the CEO Leadership and Profit Engine instead of just your goodwill.
• 25:15
  SPEAKER_01: So here are three action steps you can take this week to start this transformation.
• 25:20
  SPEAKER_01: Number one, block 30 minutes this week.
• 25:22
  SPEAKER_01: Friday morning works well.
• 25:24
  SPEAKER_01: Sketch your holiday profit calendar using our free annual family special events calendar.
• 25:29
  SPEAKER_01: Get every event and a rough date on paper.
• 25:32
  SPEAKER_01: Go to KellyPeak.com where you find information about this podcast, episode 201.
• 25:37
  SPEAKER_01: Second, pick your one signature event and say no, at least for this season, to anything doesn't build toward it, or your one repeatable event.
• 25:48
  SPEAKER_01: So again, your signature event and your repeatable event, and you're gonna go all in.
• 25:53
  SPEAKER_01: It's gonna be scary.
• 25:54
  SPEAKER_01: You may be charging$10,$15,$20 more than you normally would, but you're gonna make it amazing because you're gonna be able to go all in.
• 26:00
  SPEAKER_01: Instead of having a few little small activities and events, you're gonna go all in on this big one and you're gonna make it profitable and you're gonna make it successful.
• 26:08
  SPEAKER_01: Third, I want you to name the one team member who's gonna own each event on your calendar.
• 26:12
  SPEAKER_01: Then decide this week if you can pay them a little more, if you can give them a little more time, if you can't, where you can stretch in your current schedule to give them time, like maybe nap time or add on a longer lunch, et cetera.
• 26:25
  SPEAKER_01: Again, when you take a little time to think this through, you will be surprised at how creative you really are and what you can come up with.
• 26:35
  SPEAKER_01: And don't forget to grab your free annual family special events calendar that goes with today's episode.
• 26:39
  SPEAKER_01: Again, it's gonna walk you through mapping every holiday touch point with those real dates, capacity, all of that.
• 26:45
  SPEAKER_01: So go get it, kellypeak.com episode 201.
• 26:48
  SPEAKER_01: And then if today's episode has you thinking about your team members specifically, the people who are going to be decorating classrooms, running your holiday showcase, keeping your winter camp full of joy, helping your families find their magical moments and their meaningful memories.
• 27:06
  SPEAKER_01: This is exactly why we built this brand new program called the Chaos Coordinator Collective.
• 27:10
  SPEAKER_01: It's a monthly membership packed with done for you activities, classroom resources, and family communication templates made specifically for the team members leading your programs.
• 27:21
  SPEAKER_01: It's not for you, the owner.
• 27:22
  SPEAKER_01: That's right.
• 27:23
  SPEAKER_01: It is for your team.
• 27:25
  SPEAKER_01: And right now, when you join the Chaos Coordinator Collective, you get three months for the price of one, which means you can hand your lead team members a full season of holiday ready resources without adding a single hour to their prep time or a big new line item on your budget.
• 27:39
  SPEAKER_01: So head over to Chaos Coordinator Collective.com and join us today.
• 27:43
  SPEAKER_01: And if you're thinking or looking for your own next step as a CEO leading the whole season, don't forget about our Shine membership.
• 27:50
  SPEAKER_01: It's going to give you the monthly trainings and templates, including tools like today's holiday profit calendar to keep building a profitable business at your own pace.
• 27:57
  SPEAKER_01: And go find more about that at KellyPeak.com.
• 28:00
  SPEAKER_01: If today's episode gave you a clearer plan for your November and December, I'd love for you to subscribe so you don't miss what's coming next.
• 28:08
  SPEAKER_01: And if you know another early childhood business CEO who's about to wing it through the holidays again this year, please send this episode her way.
• 28:14
  SPEAKER_01: We are building a community of confident early childhood operators who plan their profit instead of hoping for it.
• 28:21
  SPEAKER_01: And you started, my friend, you started your early childhood business, or maybe you're leading an early childhood business because you wanted to create magic for children and families, not because you wanted to spend December exhausted and underpaid for your own effort.
• 28:34
  SPEAKER_01: And here's what I want you to remember a well-planned, well-priced holiday season is absolutely not in conflict with that magic.
• 28:44
  SPEAKER_01: Let me repeat myself a well-planned, well-priced holiday season, it is not in conflict with that magic.
• 28:51
  SPEAKER_01: It is actually what's going to protect it.
• 28:53
  SPEAKER_01: And that's what confident early childhood operators do every single day of this season.
• 28:58
  SPEAKER_01: You've got this, my friend.
• 28:59
  SPEAKER_01: You are the CEO that you know you can be.
• 29:02
  SPEAKER_01: And I can't wait to see you next week.
• 29:08
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks for tuning into our podcast.
• 29:10
  SPEAKER_00: Are you ready to take your early childhood business to the next level?
• 29:13
  SPEAKER_00: Then head over to KellyPeak.com to join a community of other early childhood professionals who are ditching the chaos and the overwhelm and creating a business they love.
• 29:22
  SPEAKER_00: I can't wait to see you there.
• 29:24
  SPEAKER_00: Bye for now.