Small Business Owner’s Guide to a Worry-Free Vacation

Are you an entrepreneur who’s running a small business and dreaming of a vacation? Are you hesitant to step away from the biz for a few days or worried that you won’t be able to enjoy a worry-free getaway? You’re not alone. Studies show that only 57% of small business owners plan to take a vacation this year. Sounds sad right? Well, the good news is that vacation can be a reality – even for small business owners. The secret is to prepare your clients and any staff and to set limits for yourself. Here are a few tips on how to get your business and yourself ready for some much-needed R&R.

Give Your Clients Advanced Notice. Any client that works exclusively with you should be notified in advance of your vacation schedule. This especially goes for the customers that tend to procrastinate. Contact them a few days before you are set to leave so you can accommodate any of their last- minute requests.

Have a Troubleshooting Plan. If you have business partners or staff, make sure they have the information they need to fix the issue or to contact the right person who can. This could be anything from technical issues with computers, your website, etc. It’s also a good idea to have one person in charge of any unforeseen issues, but to also provide the entire staff the information they need should that person be away. What we find cool at our coworking space is soloprenuers can leverage other members to help out if needed while they’re away.

Set Clear Expectations for Any Team Members. Be clear with your team (and clients for that matter) on how you want to be notified while you’re away so you do not receive a ton of emails or texts throughout the day. Ask clients to not reach out unless there is an absolute urgent matter. And for any coworkers, ask them to send one email at the end of the day that briefly sums up anything you MUST know. Otherwise, you win your business everyday so you can handle the follow up when you get back.

Set Vacation Rules for Yourself. Let’s be honest, you’re going to check in on things while you’re away. We do it too… While on vacation, set a time of day and a limit for checking in on business. For example, every morning give yourself a half hour to check emails and maybe another half hour before or after dinner. Set the do not disturb on your cell phone and while you’re away make sure to change your voicemail in case clients or prospective clients call you!

Avoid All Contracts. If possible, avoid sending or receiving contracts while you’re away. These need to be reviewed in detail, and if you’re having the fun vacation you wanted, you will not give the contracts the attention they require. Bringing that new client on can wait while until you get back from vacation.

Avoid Social Media. Don’t get sucked into the social media warp while you’re on vacation! If you typically post daily for your business, create and queue posts in advance using a tool such as Hootsuite or SocialPilot so it’s all one less thing to worry about while on vacation. You may even want to post that you’re going on vacation so your community doesn’t expect to hear much from you.

Simply put, life is short, and vacations are important especially when you own a small business! It gives you the time you need to recharge, relax, and come back to work with a clear mind. You work hard, so you deserve a little time to play hard too.

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Hustling hard running a small business in Tampa? CoCreativ can help boost sales and company performance (even if you’re on vacation!) thanks to truly Google-friendly addresses so your company ranks higher online. If you would like more information or would like to schedule a free tour of our South Tampa or Downtown, contact us today.