Just like the weather, business has seasons. In our journey through ‘The Changing Seasons of Business and How to Staff for Them,’ we explore the cyclical ebb and flow of staffing within the business world. There is Event Season (late nights, cold conference rooms, warm (maybe re-warmed) coffee), Pitch Season (long weekends, building – and re-building – pitch decks), and Production Season (pre-pro meetings, craft services, and stressful deadlines).
Seasons like these get more stressful when staffing comes into play, and just like being prepared for any weather, it’s always good to have an umbrella….or a freelancer.
At Unco we use the seasonality of businesses and the information we learn from our clients to help you proactively plan for your staffing needs. The majority of businesses use freelance and contingent staffing as reactive measures, but we’ve found if you can get ahead of the need, then the ebb and flow of seasons aren’t as stressful, and your work can continue to flow no matter who you need to tag into the team. Let’s delve in to explore how the knowledge of these changing seasons can make the staffing process less stressful, maintaining a seamless workflow throughout the year.
Here are a few ways you can prepare for the busy (stormy) seasons.
1. Consult your calendar.
You can probably think through typical events, campaigns, and PTO you see during each quarter of business. Even if it’s a guess, make a plan; you can always adjust. The more seasons your business sees, the closer you will be able to predict (and plan!) for the needs.
2. ID the current staff.
Know what your current resources look like. What PTO is left to be used? Who is likely going to be available and have bandwidth to step up versus who might need additional support? If you know what you have, then it will help you know where the gaps to fill might be.
3. Plan for future/unknown or growth areas.
This might be a bit of a guessing game. Maybe you want to get into a new social channel (TikTok) in Q3, so you want to plan on needing a strategist and content creator who specialize in the channel.
4. Find the resource.
After ID’ing your current team and future needs, it’s time to find a solid resource or person to fill each need. This can be a staffing company like Uncompany, or building your own resource pool to tap into. Prioritize finding the talent before the need arises. That way you aren’t sourcing when the need is already on your doorstep.
5. Budget and plan.
While you are planning ahead, get an idea of the typical cost. Pitch a spec project or hourly contract to the talent to get an idea of how much budget you should set aside for this flex team and resource.
It’s never good to be caught outside on a chilly morning without a sweater or find yourself in a monsoon without a raincoat. The same can be said when you are one week from a deadline on a major site and your developer decides to cash in all their PTO. Planning for all these contingencies with a resource like freelancers or a freelance pool can give you the confidence in all the seasons of your business.
Email Unco or book a call to learn more about how Uncompany can help weather-proof (ha) your business against all the seasons.
