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A Small Business Survival Guide for the Holidays

Published: November 18, 2025

Suppose a customer asks to pay for a $200 order with cryptocurrency. Can you accept it? How would you know you’ve been paid? And would $200 still be $200 by the time the money reaches your business account?

You don’t need to know how to buy Bitcoin to ask those questions.

They’re the same questions you probably asked when you first signed on with Stripe or any of those new payment methods: What does it cost, when do I get paid, and what happens if something goes wrong?

But if you’re scratching your head wondering who’s paying in crypto and how, it’s not as far away as you think.

What in the World Is Cryptocurrency?

Crypto is a broad term for digital assets that can be transferred through a computer network called a blockchain. Think of a blockchain as a shared record of transactions. Instead of a bank maintaining the only record of a payment, the network records it according to its own rules.

A business can use a payment service to handle much of the technical work, just as it uses a processor to accept credit cards.

There’s a distinction worth knowing: Bitcoin and stablecoins serve different purposes. Bitcoin’s price can change substantially. A stablecoin, like the name suggests, is designed to maintain a steadier value, commonly by tracking the U.S. dollar. “Designed to” is the kicker. A stablecoin still depends on the company issuing it and the arrangements behind it. It isn’t the same as having dollars in your bank account. 

That difference helps explain why digital payments have entered the small business and government conversation. At a September 2026 House Small Business subcommittee hearing, lawmakers examined whether these tools could lower payment costs, help businesses get paid sooner, and make transactions with customers or suppliers in other countries easier. The hearing also raised the questions owners need answered about conversion, taxes, and fraud. 

Where Could Crypto Payments Help?

Before you start writing this off as science fiction, there might be some real advantages to at least entertaining the possibilities of alternative payment methods. These include:

Payment costs. If you make hundreds of small sales, processing fees add up. A digital payment option might cost less for certain transactions. Compare the full cost, though, including the provider’s fees, conversion rate, and any charge to move money into your bank account. The lowest advertised fee may not be the lowest final cost.

Payment timing. Some digital asset networks operate around the clock. That could be useful if your business routinely waits for funds, particularly from international buyers. But the network’s speed is only part of the story. A payment provider may have its own processing or withdrawal schedule. Ask when the dollars will be available for payroll, inventory, or bills.

Customer choice. If customers have asked to pay this way, offering the option might remove a barrier to a sale. If no one has asked and your current methods work well, the added setup may bring little benefit.

Cash flow makes the timing question an important one. In the Federal Reserve Banks’ 2025 report on employer firms, 51% of respondents identified uneven cash flow as a financial challenge. Faster access to a particular payment could help some businesses, though it won’t solve the larger causes of uneven revenue or late invoices. 

Just like other payment methods, the decision of whether to accept crypto as payment is up to you. If you’re considering it, you should understand next steps.

What Happens After a Customer Pays?

What happens depends on the service you choose. One provider may convert the digital asset to dollars and send a deposit to your bank account. Another arrangement may leave your business holding the asset until you decide to convert it. Those are different decisions with different risks and recordkeeping needs.

Before signing up, walk through one ordinary sale and one refund.

Ask the provider:

  • What will the customer send and what will my business receive?
  • What’s the total cost on a sale at my typical price?
  • When will funds reach my bank account?
  • How are refunds handled if the asset’s price changes?
  • What records will I receive for bookkeeping and taxes?

Tax implication note: The IRS says businesses must account for the U.S. dollar value of digital assets received as payment. Selling or exchanging assets later can bring further tax reporting requirements, so review the proposed setup with your accountant before using it for regular sales. 

Take security seriously, too. Crypto payments generally don’t offer the familiar reversal process of a credit card payment. The FTC also warns that scammers may impersonate a supplier or other trusted contact and demand payment in cryptocurrency. Verify any unexpected request to send funds using a phone number or contact method you already know. 

Your Experience Belongs in the Policy Conversation

This is an ongoing conversation. Federal rules for digital assets continue to develop, including rules related to payment stablecoins. Small business owners should have a say in whether those rules are understandable and workable for a company without a compliance department.

That’s where your chamber can help. Tell your chamber what you’d need before considering a digital payment option. Is your concern the cost of accepting payments, the time it takes to receive them, fraud protection, or the work of keeping tax records? If you’ve tried one of these services, share what happened in practice.

Your chamber can bring those examples to lawmakers and help members get straightforward answers as the rules take shape. You don’t have to be ready to accept crypto to have a useful voice in the conversation. You already know what a payment system needs to do for your business.

 

Christina Metcalf is a writer and women’s speaker who believes in the power of story. She works with small businesses, chambers of commerce, and business professionals who want to make an impression and grow a loyal customer/member base. She is the author of The Glinda Principle, rediscovering the magic within.

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Medium: @christinametcalf

Facebook: @tellyourstorygetemtalking

Instagram: @christinametcalfauthor

LinkedIn: @christinagsmith

We’re fast approaching the time of year where it can like you’re running a marathon on a tightrope. Customers need attention. Promotions are queued up to be launched (or designed). Your inventory is giving you nightmares and you have huge goals for the end of the year.

And you’re supposed to stay cheerful, strategic, and somehow well-rested through it all.

But the problem isn’t your big aspirations for 2026, nor does the problem lie in trying to solve the things you can’t control.

It’s your habits.

James Clear’s Atomic Habits reminds us that meaningful results come from the small, repeatable choices we make every day. During the holidays, those tiny decisions are the difference between burnout and breakthrough. When you build systems that work even when you’re tired, distracted, or knee-deep in ribbon, the season gets lighter and your business gets stronger.

Here’s how to apply some of Clear’s most practical ideas to help you not just survive the holiday season, but launch into January with invincible momentum.

Start with a 1% Mindset

One percent doesn’t sound like much until you stack it day after day. You don’t have to reinvent your business. You don’t need a perfect storefront, flawless offers, or an Instagram grid that looks like a lifestyle magazine.

Instead, choose one area to improve just slightly. Take that one small step toward your goal.

  • Maybe it’s tightening up your email promo schedule.
  • Maybe it’s creating a smoother checkout flow.
  • Maybe it’s something as simple as promising yourself (and following through on) a good night’s rest for the next month.

Small refinements reduce stress and increase sales. They also remind you that progress is happening, even in chaos.

Re-design Your Environment

Clear says our surroundings often shape our behavior more than our motivation does. This is especially true during the holidays when the pace is high and attention is scattered.

Look around your space with strategic eyes.

If your workspace feels cluttered, simplify it. If your best seasonal products aren’t visible at first glance, elevate them. If your team keeps losing pens, square readers, bags, or bows, create a “holiday command center” with everything in one place.

Tiny environmental shifts create smoother systems. And smoother systems prevent those frantic moments when you’re internally screaming, “Where did we put the gift bags?!”

Build Habits That Support Your Busiest Days

The season is unpredictable, so anchor your day with predictable habits.

A few anchors to consider:

  • A 5-minute morning reset, before opening or seeing clients
    • A quick end-of-day review: what sold, what slowed down, what needs restocking, what got clicks, what impact on our customers did we see?
    • A customer-touch habit: one message, one email, or one thank-you note daily
    • A “two-minute tidy” before leaving (your future self will adore you)

Consistency creates stability. When everything else feels like holiday improv, these anchors act like rhythm lines on the page.

Use Systems, not Willpower

If you remember nothing else from this article…pay attention…

Willpower gets weaker when you get tired. Systems don’t.

If you want to post consistently on social media, schedule a week’s worth of content on one calmer afternoon.

If you want to upsell a holiday special, script one clear line for every team member.

If you want to stay on top of inventory, set an alarm that reminds you to check key items before the weekend rush.

During the holidays, systems carry you when energy can’t.

Make Good Habits Easy and Bad Habits Harder

Clear’s “make it obvious, make it attractive, make it easy, make it satisfying” formula is your season’s secret weapon.

Want your team to use the upsell script? Keep it taped near the register or near each desk.

Want customers to sign up for your loyalty program? Put the QR code where people naturally pause and that can be more than one spot.

Want to stop scrolling between transactions? Keep your phone in a drawer.

Design beats discipline every time.

Don’t Forget Identity: Who Are You Becoming This Season?

In Atomic Habits, Clear says outcomes come from identity. While you’re navigating the busiest weeks of the year, take a breath and remember who you are as a leader.

  • Are you the business that handles crowds with warmth?
  • The business that makes people feel good?
  • The business that takes care of its team so they can take care of customers?

When you anchor yourself in identity, your choices shift. You show up differently. You communicate more intentionally. You prioritize what matters instead of chasing every glitter-coated opportunity.

And your customers feel it.

Give Yourself Permission to Rest

This sounds counterintuitive in a season that thrives on hustle, but rest is productivity’s partner.
Clear reminds us that habits compound. That includes bad ones like exhaustion, resentment, and skipping meals.

Take care of yourself the way you take care of your customers. Breaks aren’t indulgent; they’re fuel.

Let the Season Shape You—Without Steamrolling You

You don’t need massive change. You need micro-moves that create calm, clarity, and steady revenue.

If you build the right habits now, January stops being a “recovery month” and becomes a runway. Your systems will be tighter. Your team will be stronger. And you’ll have proof that even small businesses can thrive in big seasons.

 

Christina Metcalf is a ghostwriter and speaker who believes in the power of story. She works with small businesses, chambers of commerce, and business professionals who want to make an impression and remain top of mind. She is the author of six books including her recent non-fiction book The Glinda Principle, rediscovering the magic within.

_______________________________________

Facebook: @tellyourstorygetemtalking

Instagram: @christinametcalfauthor

LinkedIn: @christinagsmith

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