Let’s talk about seasonal businesses for a moment. If you take a drive south on Route 35 from Point Pleasant Beach through Seaside Heights, you’ll see in high definition the impact of a season.  In a matter of one month, the Jersey Shore will turn from an eerie ghost town into a bustling, crowded resort.  Blinking lights turn to stoplights, and you actually have to pay the parking meter – that is, if you can find a spot.  Lifeguards are on duty, you have to pay to walk on the beach, you can only surf in a roped-off, one block area and fishing is restricted to off hours – ay yi yi!

Seasons can be almost anything: there is football season, car buying season, rainy season, hockey season, dry season, holiday season, boating season, fluke season, hunting season, tax season, hurricane season, Lent is a season…we could go on and on and on.  What further complicates this idea is geography.  Different seasons begin and end on different dates all over the world.  How do you keep track, let alone run a business within a season?

The most successful entrepreneurs are able to support two alternating seasons, but can you?  For example, a man runs a successful parasailing business on the Jersey Shore from May-August, but Puerto Rico’s tourism season runs from October-March, so the parasailing operator sets up shop down in the Caribbean – while old man winter has the northeast in a deep freeze.  Similarly, the landscaper from March-October equips his trucks with snow removal gear for November-February, it’s a win-win.  The key is finding balance to turn the off season into a busy season.

These ideal, perfectly balanced business models are very difficult to find, especially for a new entrepreneur.  If you are a new business starting out, or even an existing seasonal business searching for balance, First Financial is here to help!  Our Business Accounts do not have a minimum balance or monthly fees, so when you are carrying thinner balances during the slower months, you won’t have to pay for it.  You can spend less time worrying about bank fees and more time searching for that winter gig to compliment your seasonal summer business! Let us help you expand and get your off-season business plan in tact – contact us by emailing business@firstffcu.com today.