Let’s not beat around the bush—seasonal businesses can really mess with your head. One minute, you’re convinced income has gone AWOL for good, and the next, you’re practically rolling around in money like you landed a golden ticket to Wonka’s factory. During the low months, you’re swamped with these existential questions: “Is this business even worth it? Is this thing going anywhere? Should I just move on?” Then, right when you’re about to throw in the towel, boom—the peak season arrives in all its glory, and you’re staring at revenue that’s easily 10 or 15 times higher than you saw in the quiet months. Talk about a financial mood swing.
Rinse. Repeat. Every year. Without fail. When it’s slow, you’re basically lying awake at night, pondering whether you should quit, get a job at a taco stand, or maybe join the circus. But then come those busy months, and you’re right back on the “Should I rebrand as a business guru?” train. This is especially true in travel, which is pretty much the cash cow of seasonal industries. At the height of the pandemic, it seemed entirely plausible travel might never bounce back. (Cue the despair.) But every year since then, it still manages to wiggle its way to a comfortable—sometimes even impressive—profit margin. Go figure.
Meanwhile, my main obsession is AI. I’m tinkering with new tech day in and day out, chasing all those shiny objects that promise to revolutionize the modern world. I’ve tried to step back from the seasonal side of things. I mean, I handle the finances and keep the lights on, but I’d hoped my involvement would just slowly fade away until I could wave goodbye forever. Somehow, though, the business pulled a Houdini—refusing to die and actually continuing to grow. Now I’m feeling like an unintentional mastermind, questioning if it has a bright future in a world dominated by artificial intelligence.
Think about it: AI takes over, humans suddenly have all this free time—we can’t all just stay inside and watch Netflix, right? (Well, we could, but that’d get boring eventually.) It’s not crazy to assume we’ll all want more enriching experiences, including traveling. Sure, the big mystery is how we’ll pay for it if we’re unemployed robots ourselves, but let’s keep those rose-tinted glasses on for a second and daydream.
Full disclosure: I’m writing this with a celebratory beverage in hand as we enjoy the start of the profitable season. Clearly, I’m doing a terrible job “milking it for all it’s worth,” considering the thing’s still growing at a double-digit clip each year. If that’s failure, sign me up.
The real dilemma is that I yearn for freedom. Total, utter, carefree freedom. Passive income that covers all my expenses with zero effort on my part. I’ve made some strides on that front, funneling money into various stocks, and if this business keeps throwing off healthy returns, well... that’s extra fuel for the old investment engine.
Anyway, apologies if this post took a detour—my thoughts these days are basically a merry-go-round of profit, panic, AI, and world domination... or something like that. But it’s the roller coaster of emotions that truly defines a seasonal enterprise: crippling doubt in the slow months and unadulterated euphoria the rest of the time. The whiplash is real, folks—enjoy the ride.
