Thank the people who helped you this year

Well, the working year is nearly over.

Another year of toil in a land girt by sea. Of putting up with the humanoids that inhabit this otherwise mostly tolerable rock.

It’s been another year of meetings. And bureaucrats. And forms. And paper work. And flatlanders. And nasty IT surprises. And unexpected bills. And taxes. And meetings with flatlander bureaucrats following unexpected tax bills caused by nasty IT surprises.

Bah humbug and good riddance!

That said, hopefully you’ve made at least a little progress in growing your business over the past year. For this, there are almost certainly people you should thank.

The strange thing about the humanoids is that, at heart, they’re silly pack animals that like to feel appreciated. They complain about feeling warm and fuzzy inside after being complimented. It’s also a common motivator.

However, fiscal responsibility remains a virtue, even in a season that in which financial recklessness is celebrated. Unless you own a Canadian airline, you don’t want to buy all your staff diamonds and wide screen ultra-high definition TVs.

Well, Old Taskmaster says this: This weekend, or whenever you get a chance, pop down to the store and get a bulk pack of blank Christmas cards. You should be able to pick up a pack of 20 or so at a reasonable price.

With cards in hand, visit your local discount confectionary store – just about every shopping centre has one – and pick up one of those bulk boxes of candy canes. Again, you can usually get these in boxes of 20 or more at a reasonable price.

Then fill out a personalised card wishing them a Merry Christmas and thanking them for one good thing they’ve done to help you out this year. Drop a candy cane in each. Employees, co-workers, key suppliers, business partners and others you’re likely to bump into should each get a card.

Now here come the excuses. You’re hyper-busy and there’s a big Christmas rush! You have windows to clean! And shopping to do!

If you’re pressed for time, don’t sweat it too much. This is a perfect job to pawn off to an intern or a work experience kid, if you have one handy.

Everyone appreciates a personalised message – and a reasonable price makes it all the more merry!

Get it done – this festive season!