3 vacation tips for small business owners

In the increasingly rapidly moving era we live in now, it is extremely difficult to disconnect. It is estimated that 21% of people worldwide spent from 5 to 7 hours on a smartphone every day in 2017. What about the average small business owner?   Chances are, if you are a small business owner, you have not had a proper disconnecting vacation in a while. Running a business is no joke, we know! Constantly keeping up with the market changes, finding new and innovative ways to compete and dealing with your clients’ every demand. These things consume every minute of a small business owner’s day, making vacations and days offs feel next to impossible to attain. Only 57% of small business owners are planning on taking a vacation this year and only 15% will disconnect entirely. Do you want to be one of those 15%?  

Here are our tips for having a business-free vacation:

 

1. Prep, prep, prep!

If you are considering taking some time off, preparing your employees and clients for your departure is key. First, set a detailed timeline for your employees to follow with specific instructions on daily tasks. This timeline will help guide your employees in your absence with mini-tasks they can manage. Furthermore, following a definite plan will keep your employees focused and oriented. This plan should include their daily tasks, how to measure their success and their short-term as well as long-term goals. Ask your employees to send you a report Email with their daily progress that you can check briefly on your vacation days. Giving your employees feedback while you are away is crucial so that they don’t feel lost or abandoned. Prepping your clients is also critical as most small business owners have quite dependable and demanding clients. Make sure that your clients are in touch with or have contacts to other relevant employees in your company. Begin by introducing your substitute in a meeting where they can lead while you attend. This will set some confidence and security in your substitute as well as in your client. Once you have updated your employee and referred them to your client, you are all set to go.  

“A good vacation is over when you begin to yearn for your work.” -Morris Fishbein

 

2. Worst Case scenario

Hope for the best, prepare for the worst. Sometimes things go so smoothly you can’t believe your luck and sometimes they go horribly wrong when you least expect them. Well, it is pivotal that you can expect them. From the AC malfunction to the fuses blowing up to your clients backing up last minute. Your employees should have all the numbers and all the plan Bs. Assign a numbers guy who has got numbers to the AC guy, the internet guy, the electricity guy, the cleaning guy and so forth. This designated employee should be able to fix these crises and figure out ways to solve any new ones that come up. It also helps to set scenarios that are to be discussed with your employees and even practiced. These scenarios could include things like “what to do if a client rejects your proposal?” or “what to do if the power goes down in the office?”. Work-shopping these scenarios with your team helps them prepare for the worst and confidently power through it. In addition, this will open up your team’s creativity and problem-solving skills and enable them to come up with their own solutions to surprising problems. As for you, knowing your team can handle anything thrown at them will keep your mind at ease on vacation.  

3. Small business outsourcing

By now, you have delegated your tasks to your number two guy as well as set up your employees and clients for your absence. Now business will flow as usual and will probably keep a steady pace. But business owners are ambitious, we understand that. Taking a breath these days might set you back a year. New things come up daily and you need to have every tool at your disposal. That’s why we recommend delegating an entire goal to a specialized company. For instance, if your company’s marketing needs a boost, reach out to trusted marketing specialists that manage your process from A to Z. That way you will only have to follow up on that aspect of your business briefly and accurately. Make sure that your company of choice does managed services that handle all your needs without having to micro-manage them.