Arguably the best part about owning a small business is the ability to create an agreeable schedule with days off when needed. However, this is often outweighed by a struggle to determine the best time to take time off. To have a successful vacation as a small business owner, you need to put some thought into having a plan in place, which will allow your company to continue while you’re away – we tell you how below.
Plan Around Slow Trade Periods
Every business has peaks and troughs when it comes to trade levels. Naturally, you’re not going to step away for a vacation when your business is busy. Therefore, you need to work out when your slow levels of trade are. For example, if you’re a small cafe or restaurant owner, you’re more likely to find the time when the school summer holidays are over (September or October).
Delegation is Key
While you’re on vacation, you need to make sure that some of your responsibilities are delegated to trusted members of your team. In some cases, you may have just one individual or a team you split the load between. Whichever way suits you, it’s important to put a written plan in place, which can be facilitated by a project planning tool like Asana or Trello.
You may find that there’s nobody in your team that’s qualified or experienced enough to take care of some of your tasks. For example, if one of your responsibilities is ensuring your IT infrastructure is fully functional, you may need to look elsewhere. Luckily, it’s easy to outsource IT Services to a third-party company, which will take care of as much or as little as you need.
Set Strict Boundaries for Vacation Days
After choosing the perfect time to go on vacation, it’s essential to make sure you take the time off to recharge the batteries. To do this, you need to be very strict and set a series of boundaries. For example, this may mean turning off work emails, notifications, and phone calls.
If you don’t have the luxury of capable staff to make key decisions, you’ll need to plug in just a little bit. However, you need to remember that it’s your vacation, so allocate time around your schedule. As well as this, you should only put in the minimum amount of time you can get away with.
Communicate With Critical Clients
If you have regular high-profile clients or networked contacts within your business, it’s essential to keep in touch with them by letting them know you’ll be away. Touching base like this allows you to deal with any issues they may have before you leave, which means they’re more likely to survive until you return. As well as letting them know you’ll be away, tell them who they can contact in the meantime.
Vacations are essential for washing away the stresses of life, and the same is true for small business owners. Instead of letting the weight of responsibility hold you back, put a plan into action and take the break you well deserve.
