Hustle Seasons: Managing Your Money When It Comes in Waves

By Naomi Muthoni

Then, without warning, the customers disappear and the sales dip 📉.

The good news? You’re not alone. Many small businesses deal with the same sales ups and downs because buyers’ vibes change depending on seasons, trends, and holidays.

Although the cash inconsistencies can be a headache, being ready for the shifts is how you stay ahead in every hustle season.

Here at MESH, we call them The Boom, The Dry, and The Reset seasons.

Let’s explore how understanding these three hustle seasons can help you manage your money when it comes in waves🫱🏾‍🫲🏿.

The Boom Season: Hii ni ile time biashara yako inamake the most money. For example, kama unauza sweaters and jackets, your biz likely makes the most money in June and July, kwasababu ya the cold season.

During the Boom Season, ni important kuprioritize savings over spending in preparation for the other seasons when the cash flow is not great.

So, after paying for your business expenses, save a percentage (10%+) of the profits in your M-Shwari or Sacco account.

Pia, unawezarudisha some of the profits into the business as additional stock and/or invest in marketing to attract more customers.

Most importantly, set aside 20-30% of your profits for your emergency fund.

Hii ni cash inaweza kusaidia kudeal na emergencies na kusurvive zile seasons cashflow iko chini.

Ile kidogo imebaki, fika butchery ushike kanusu upatie mwili pole😁.

Next ni The Dry Season: Hii ni ile time you’re barely making any sales kwasababu demand ya zile vitu unauza iko chini. Of importance ni uspanic! This is a normal part of the hustle season, and all you need is a good strategy to survive.

The Dry Season ikiwa at its peak, unaweza tumia the savings you set aside during the boom season kucover business expenses zako.

Also, jaribu kureduce unnecessary spending and put up sales and promos kuattract customers na kuincrease cashflow.

During hii Dry Season, ni important kutrack where every coin is going to ensure you have your priorities right.

Hapa, itabidii you sit in the discomfort kidogo 🙃.

As you navigate the dry season, you can consider exploring a side hustle ikusaidie kuincrease cash supply yako.

It doesn’t have to be complicated. You see those ruffle hats you crochet for yourself for fun? Ebu try selling them.

Ama, use that nice phone camera you invested in to help other small businesses make content for their pages.

That little cash you make from each gig or sale itafanya dry season ikue a bit easier 🤓.

The last season ya hustle cycle ni The Reset Season: Hii hukuja just before the Boom Season returns. Sales huanza kupick up coz customers wameeanza kurudi.

During the Reset Season, jaribu kureview how the boom and dry seasons went. Jiulize maswali kama, “Were my savings from the Boom Season enough to get me through the Dry Season?”

If the answer is “no,” set a goal to increase your savings during the next Boom Season and/or consider starting a side hustle for the Dry Season ndio uweze kumanage cash supply yako better.

As you go through the Reset Season, analyze what went wrong and what went right in the last hustle cycle na ustrategize venye utafix the “wrongs” ndio the next cycle ikue better!

Additionally, Reset Season ni a good time kuimprove your skills.

That free social media marketing course you have been thinking about taking, hii ndio time yake 💡!

Gain more skills zenye zitakusaidia kuimprove business processes.

Pia, use the Reset Season to organize your records and come up with a marketing plan in preparation for the next Boom Season!

Hustle seasons ni constant! Kujipanga na kuplay smart na doh yako through the Boom, Dry, and reset seasons ndio game changer.

Check out these 👇🏾financial habits that can help your biz grow steadily throughout the hustle seasons.

Kama unataka biz yako ithrive, ni important kuseparate pesa ya biashara na pesa yako.

For instance, if you use a Safaricom line, pesa yako inaweza kua kwa M-Pesa, na pesa ya biashara inaweza kua kwa “Pochi la Biashara.” Separating your money like this will help you manage your business accounts better, making it easier kunavigate hustle seasons.

Kama ushawai skiza financial gurus online, umeskia wakiongelea budgeting income in percentages.

Mimi kama mkulima mdogo with an income yenye ni mingi one month na kidogo the next, sijapata someone who talks about percentage budgeting that can work for me.

So, I came up with my personalized system: 10% goes to my child’s school fees fund, 10% to my money market, 10% toward repaying debts, and 70% toward my needs (rent, food, clothes, outings).

Hii system imenisaidia sana, especially with paying school fees ile time cash supply iko chini (The Dry Season).

You can try it and see how it works for you! Na pia, the percentages are not set in stone. Increase some, and decrease others. Make the system work for you!

Sometimes, setting cash aside inaweza kua ngumu, especially if you’re just starting your savings journey.

To make it easier, automate your savings. You can use specialized savings applications like Chumz to help you meet your savings goals. The Chumz app lets you link your M-Pesa account and set specific instructions for how much to save based on your M-Pesa activity.

For example, you can set the app to save KSh 100 every Friday, or 5% of each received amount. What are you waiting for? Start today! Dry Season isikupate unaware tena🤗.

Have you heard the saying, “Knowledge is power?” Exactly! You won’t know how much your business is making unless you track it.

I prefer to track my income on an Excel sheet ndio nijue how much I’m making and spending. Kama Excel si accessible, track your income manually in a book.

Eka monthly records of how much you sold and your business expenses. At the end of the year, you can review your records to identify your Boom, Dry, and Reset seasons, helping you plan better for the next hustle season.

As a small business owner, jaribu kuaccept the fact that income yako si fixed. One month can be extremely good, and the other can be extremely bad.

Lakini, hizo ni normal cycles za hustle. The best way to get through it is to plan for the irregularities using the 3-season framework and to adapt the financial habits discussed above.

Proper planning will give you the peace of mind you have been craving🫂!

And don’t forget, you having your business up and running is evidence of your good planning and money management skills.

You can apply those same skills to tame the hustle season cycles and stay at the top of the game. You’ve got this💪🏾!

When money flows like waves, learn to surf. Usikubali kusink!

You can do that today by mapping out your business’s Boom, Dry, and Reset seasons ndio uweze kuplan accordingly to make the most out of your income.

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When’s your boom season? How are you getting ready for the dry season? Let’s talk 💬👇🏾