Why you need to think about January now
Note from Jennifer: Yes, I know it’s Halloween and the last thing on your mind is January. But after you wake up from your candy coma tomorrow, take a minute to start thinking about January. Every year that I’ve taken my own advice (yes, I don’t always do that), I’ve noticed a difference of several thousand dollars in my January income. Even though this post is from four years ago, the advice is even more true today as many freelancers have reported that they have had a slower fall.
It never seems to fail. I try to shut down my business for the last two weeks of December as much as possible. And I always try to spend a few hours between Christmas and New Year’s planning the next year and taking care of housekeeping chores, such as updating my website and tweaking my social media.
A Blank Calendar Is a Scary Thing
Then I sit down to get to work with my renewed energy and focus only to realize that I have a blank calendar. For several years, I’ve had weeks in January where I had zero work. Then another year I spectacularly lost three anchor clients in the same week through no fault of my own. Last year, I decided to just give up and take a vacation in Hawaii instead of stressing, which is also a strategy I highly recommend.
At first, I thought it was me. And that all my clients had a holiday epiphany that they hated me and never wanted to work with me again. Then I heard from other freelancers that they often found that January was their slowest month of the year.
In an effort to figure out why, I talked to agencies and business owners about the beginning of the year from their perspectives. Businesses are often regrouping internally after many employees are out and kicking off projects from their side, so they aren’t ready for writers. And agencies are often waiting for their clients (businesses) to get their act together, so agencies are often dry.
Be the Ant, Not the Grasshopper
So in an attempt to starting off the year behind my income goal , I am starting to think about January now, just like the Ant in the Aesop Fable story. It pains me since I cringe every time I see Christmas decorations in stores, but it’s better than spending the beginning of the year researching a new career because I have convinced myself that all of my past success has been a complete fluke and I’m never going to work as a writer again. And since I hope to help you avoid the same fate, here are the three things I am doing now to avoid (or at least lessen) the January slump.
- Look for a few new clients now – Clients that are looking for content marketing now will likely still have a need in early 2023. Even if you think your client list is full, keep your eye out for marketing opportunities and potential new clients. It is very possible that an anchor or regular client may reduce their workload in January. Since it can often take months to land a new client, now is a great time to start sending LOIs, following up on LOIs sent earlier in the year and touching base with clients you worked with in the past. Trust me, every year I lose a client over the holidays that I thought was secure.
- Talk to current clients about January when the time is right – If a current client hires you for work through the end of the year, proactively ask to toss January in so that your client doesn’t have to worry about it over the holidays. Or if you create an editorial calendar for a client, go ahead and fill it out through the end of January. And as the holidays get closer (don’t worry, I will remind you), try to have a specific conversation with a client about January work so you can hit the ground running.
- Keep a list of personal projects to do in January – It’s important to do projects for our own brand like writing an e-book or starting a blog. But it’s hard to turn down work in order to do these projects during the year. So throughout the next few months, start preparing to have more time in January to work on these projects and get ready to crank down if (or when) you have the time. Last year when I was slow would have been an ideal time to actually write the e-book I cannot seem to finish. But I worked myself into such a tizzy over the lack of work that I wasn’t able to get my act together enough to actually do it. This year, though, I am going to plan to do it during January and am slowly getting my files and ideas ready.
Have you had a January slowdown in the past? Do you have any ideas for preparing now for January?
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You are so right on! January and August are always my two slowest months. Always have been in my 20+ years in business. Every January and August I panic, and then I bounce back the next month. Glad to know I’m not alone. I will definitely follow your advice about stepping up my marketing NOW to ensure 2017 starts off well.
Very good point about August. I find the same thing, but I thought it was just because I slow down in June and July myself because the kids are home and vacations. Interestingly, September is almost always my biggest month. And this year was no exception. I need to look at my books, but I think I usually have a great March as well.
Very true about August! I hadn’t noticed it yet about January but I’m sure it’s true (and makes sense from a business perspective). This year, I’m having a baby in early December, so January is out for me anyway—this post makes me feel better about that timing! 😉 I expect to have an income slump in the first quarter or half of next year but that’s okay. My current clients have been very supportive when I told them I am expecting and I will (I hope) be able to pick up with them again later. This post is a great reminder to keep in mind for future, more routine work years!
Congratulations! You are totally taking the slowest time of the year off, December can be slow as well. Try not to worry about work as much as possible and take as much time as you can. Even if you lose a client or two, there will always be other clients out there. Your baby will only be tiny for such a short time.
Thanks for this great reminder! And I have to say, for the benefit of any new readers who may have missed it, that the marketing challenge you put out last January was top-notch. I’ve referred to it all year long as my ongoing marketing to-do list! Here’s the link: https://www.jennifergregorywriter.com/2016/01/18/992/
Thank you! I’m so glad you found that post helpful! I’m planning on doing another one this year because I got such great feedback on it. Yeah, the marketing challenge was me trying to turn my panic into something productive :>)
I actually relish a slow January—but by accident. My anchor client is a local country club that I create a monthly newsletter for. But because of two combined issues, I don’t create newsletters in November and January. I use that extra time for vacation and working on my business. I held my own retreat this month (October) to refocus and plan ahead for 2017, and I will use January to reach out to new clients and reconnect with former/potential/haven’t heard from in awhile clients, based on my new business goals I created this month. I can wait till January because I’m trying to build up the work for the spring, and I have the luxury of easing into the new year. I keep a year-round Excel tracking sheet of client conversations and what my follow-up should be and then put those follow-ups into my Google calendar. I did that this past summer and got a couple of new gigs out of it just by following up on past email conversations. I’m also taking a short vacation with my husband somewhere warm in January!
That’s awesome that you know the cycle of your particular business and have figured out how to make it work for you. I think my problem is that my kids have been on a year round school schedule and have all of December off so I take most of December off. So when they go back in January, I’ve been away from my desk for a month and really raring to go. But this year they are back on traditional so I will try to relish January more. I’m planning on finishing my book on how to be a content marketing writer. I’ve got about 60 pages written.
I think that happens to a lot of people. The entire month of December can feel like a holiday. I’ve always had to work a lot that month because of publication production schedules (and I don’t have kids), but I definitely still get the same feeling in January that I did as an employee: Time to start new projects and dive head first into things.
I find the last two weeks of December and the first two weeks of January are slow. I used to panic about January, but now I purposely plan to take that time off. This year, I’m in the lucky position of having work lined up through March! (The market has DEFINITELY picked up this year versus the last three or so years.) Even if all of the jobs don’t pan out, I know I am in good shape so I don’t have to get anxious in January.
I do, however, continue to solicit new clients and do queries through early December. And in January, I always send a New Year’s email to clients I’ve worked with in the past wishing them well and telling them I am available for assignments.
PS: One of my new clients is Cleveland Clinic–thanks indirectly to going to Content World. Thanks, Jennifer!
I LOVE your idea of a new year email. Do you find it helps convert work? If so would you be willing to write a short guest blog post on it for me? That’s a GREAT idea.
That’s awesome about Cleveland Clinic! Did you meet them at the conference or while you were in Cleveland? I would love to hear how you got the gig!
Thanks for this. I’m sending cold pitches and introduction letters now. Hoping to be fully booked in January!
I”m so glad you were inspired to get started now!
Hi Jennifer,
January is even worse in Australia because everything is closed for the summer holidays! Now I know just to enjoy the holidays and not stress about work, which is hard.
Oh that’s interesting. I hadn’t thought about that! Good strategy to try to enjoy. I found that taking the vacation in January really helped as well.