Основатель бренда лимончелло Solbevi объясняет, как сезонное падение спроса и экономическая неопределенность усугубляют кризис малого бизнеса

For Melbourne-based drinks brand Solbevi, the winter months bring more than just cooler temperatures. They also mark the start of the company’s most challenging trading period of the year. While the sales of Solbevi’s limoncello products soar during the warmer months, demand drops in the colder months as Australians swap the citrus-based drinks for darker spirits and red wine. A lot of venues also take it off their cocktail lists. The seasonal slowdown means Solbevi must carefully manage its cash flow, production, fixed overheads and operating costs, and figure out where money can be saved to navigate its quieter months – May, June and July – before sales rebound. The limoncello brand receives plenty of feedback from customers who say the product would be perfect for summer. While useful, founder Stefan Di Benedetto, who launched the brand in 2023, says the feedback also reflects the biggest challenge facing the business. “There’s just this connotation, this assumption, that you only drink limoncello in summer because it’s lemony, and people are used to having it in Italy in summer when it’s hot, and they serve it after a meal,” he says. “White spirits in general usually decline during winter, and they’re obviously overindexed in summer. But for us, it’s probably twice as bad because limoncello has this bad connotation.” The founder says Solbevi tries to lean into the Euro summer vibes to get people thinking about it. “But realistically, regardless of the fact that they like the taste, they won’t drink it in winter. They’ll drink red wine instead. That’s why a lot of venues take it off their cocktail list during winter,” he says. Navigating the challenges of a seasonal slowdown Since launching, Solbevi has sold more than one million cans of Limoncello Spritz and over 60,000 bottles of Limoncello Liqueur. Over the past year, it has rapidly expanded its reach into more than 2,000 venues across Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, and Singapore, including in major Australian outlets like Dan Murphy’s and Liquorland. Di Benedetto says one of the biggest challenges that comes with being a seasonal business is cash flow, and managing that in conjunction with production, excise, and rates of sale. “When you’re in winter … you can’t just fire your staff and tell them to go on holidays for three months without pay. They need to live their life. So you have fixed overheads,” he says. “You’ve got to pay your staff. You’ve got to pay the rent for your warehouse. You’ve got to continue to produce stock. Your insurance never changes, and neither do your subscriptions for various platforms.” Di Benedetto says Solbevi tries to shift its production so it doesn’t fall during winter. However, the brand runs into the negatives over those months because the sales aren’t coming through as quickly. “Your order volume is much lower, so your freight component per unit is much higher as well. It just gets difficult. So you sort of bunker down and reduce the costs that you can control, like your marketing spend,” Di Benedetto says. When asked about the tips he would give to other seasonal businesses, Di Benedetto says it’s vital to know your money, your fixed operational costs, and the big-ticket items where money can be saved as well. Forecasting is equally important. However, it can be extremely hard to forecast in an uncertain trading environment, which he says has been made even more challenging in the wake of the 2026 federal budget. “It’s killed a lot of small businesses. There was a war, there was winter, there was a lot of crime in Victoria, and then the economic conditions just got worse because of the federal budget announcement, so people got really scared,” he says. “It’s investments in general, the CGT proposal, shares, crypto, and furthermore the tax on trusts. So many small businesses are run through trust structures, which means people are worried and looking at restructuring.” Di Benedetto hopes it’s just a short-term scare and people’s immediate reactions are the only factor causing the pullback on expenditure. “But at present, the announcement, with so many other things in the world, has caused a greater dip than usual for most small businesses — so it’s made seasonality issues worse than normal,” he says. How to manage lumpy cash flow Health Business Finances founder and accountant Stacey Price says if a business doesn’t have cash, the wheels stop turning. “It is so stressful if you have stock to pay for, wages to pay for, rent to cover, and not to mention all the other costs of running a business,” she says. “Many then make rash decisions — about short-term loans with high interest rates, cutting the wrong costs, which can have much bigger longer-term impacts, or trying to wave a magic wand to fix the cash flow situation, which can cost even more money. “In small business, there is no magic wand.” Price says instead of business owners crossing their fingers and hoping cash flow problems don’t happen, they need to be prepared well in advance. “Know your numbers, make sure you are on top of them weekly, make sure your reporting is accurate, and if you need guidance, reach out to a professional,” she says. A rolling budget for 12 months in advance is a godsend, says Price, as you can plan for the cash flow lumps well in advance. “So for many service businesses, December and January are lean as they close for Christmas. So usually in October and November sales need to be double the norm, to cover for the lows for the closure,” she says. “To prepare for those highs, we need to plan the workload, the clients, the services in around June and July to ensure those targets are hit. Trying to ‘plug a leak’ when you are in the midst of the low is too late.” When businesses do have the highs, adds Price, they need to understand that some of that “cash” needs to be set aside in a separate bank account to save for the rainy day they know is coming. “By leaving any extra cash in your main account, most people see that as money to spend. By moving it out of sight, it means you are less likely to spend it, and you can build your cash flow buffer,” she says. “There might be those low months where some costs have to be cut, but this needs to be strategically managed.” Stay in the know Never miss a story: sign up to SmartCompany’s free daily newsletter and find our best stories on LinkedIn.