by Jack Cashill photography by V. Craig Sands
When Gerard Manley Hopkins asked the simple question, "What is Spring?" in one of his poems and answered just as simply, "Growth in everything," he certainly wasn't thinking about small business. But his answer is clearly applicable to all kinds of businesses, both traditional and not, large and small. Lots of companies have "busy seasons" or annualized low periods, but there are some companies who rely practically entirely on spring and summer for that growth. In the Midwest, much of this seasonality is due strictly to the weather. It's tough to make a full living wage as a lifeguard here, for instance. Golf pros at local clubs succeed due to their patrons' fanaticism and the sprinkling of surprise nice days through the late fall and early winter. Small lake resorts spend winters largely getting ready for summer. But the majority of seasonal companies must figure out how to create a healthy bottom line based on those one or two great seasons each year with much less income the rest of the year. Sometimes, it's a struggle. Exploring companies whose exploding season is right now is challenging - they are busy now, they make their money now, they want to talk but there is just so much to do, now. But we found five different kinds of companies and talked to their owners or managers. What we discovered is that it takes some different skills, perceptions, and commitment to run a more seasonal company - you have to be able to sprint in the midst of the long distance run.
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