With an array of foreign visitors and a festive atmosphere, it's crucial for small business owners to adapt and innovate, making the most of this festive season.

My focus is on providing practical advice tailored to these enterprises, ensuring they not only thrive but also maximise their potential during the Carnival season.

So here are three things all small businesses should do immediately after reading this.

Setting up digital payments

Embracing digital payments is essential, especially during the Carnival season, when there's a significant influx of foreign visitors. These visitors often prefer using their own currencies, posing a challenge for small businesses reliant on traditional cash transactions.

The necessity for modern, digital solutions is clear, and that's where the Colour app comes into play. As a mobile point-of-sale system, the Colour app offers a seamless way for businesses to accept payments, catering to the preferences of international clientele.

The process is straightforward and secure, allowing transactions to be made directly through the app, mitigating the risks associated with handling large amounts of cash.

Moreover, the Colour app provides flexible options for accessing funds. Business owners can choose to transfer their earnings to a local bank account within a timeframe of two-five business days or opt for immediate access through a virtual credit card.

This level of convenience and security is transforming how small businesses operate, making digital payments an indispensable part of the Carnival season's commerce.

If you decided to use Endcash, Pesh or Paywise, these are good options if your clients are TT citizens and they are already using any of these digital payment solutions: you can promote the services and push for more digital transactions during the Carnival festivities.

However, these services require your customers to download the apps and set them up before they can do business with you.

The Colour app only requires the business owner to have the app. Your customers can simply take out their bank cards or credit cards and tap them on your phone for the payment to happen, as they are accustomed to doing with regular point-of-sales systems, and do not have to download or even know about Colour to pay you.

My mom and cousin flew in from Toronto, and we had to drive around to five ATMs to try to get some cash, because most of the food vendors didn’t accept cards. They also didn’t want to take out cash, because they could not convert TT currency back to their own currency, as most countries don’t accept TT dollars, and the currency converter in the airport is way too expensive.

Record-keeping

Efficient record-keeping is crucial, especially during Carnival. Shifting from manual to digital methods boosts efficiency and accuracy.

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Zoho Invoicing is an excellent tool for this, offering easy management of sales, expenses and customer data. It is accessible on multiple devic