Small business owners struggle to get away. The phone never stops ringing and the emails never stop pouring in. No matter how many great managers you have in place, the business still needs your guidance and direction to survive. Vacations from home business may seem virtually impossible. Despite all of these factors, it is indeed possible to work a business vacation into your schedule. Follow these easy steps to set your small business up for success while you are away.
Schedule well in advance
The timing of your vacations from home business or small business vacation is critical. Evaluate your yearly performance and choose a time of year that business is historically slow or stagnate. This reduces the risk of missing building a new customer relationship or handling a hectic situation yourself. Vacations from home business and small business will be much smoother if you schedule your trip well in advance and start training staff for your absence.
Commit to the vacation
You’ve determined the best time of year for a business vacation, and now it’s time to commit. Go ahead and purchase those plane tickets and book that hotel. Once you have committed to the business vacation, there is no turning back, and you can dedicate your energy into the planning and execution phase.
Plan for your absence
After the trip has been booked, you need to start delegating responsibilities to employees and allow them to attempt to make decisions, perform critical functions and solve problems. It will be difficult at first to let employees attempt these responsibilities while you are still on the premises, however, practice makes perfect, and it will be a learning experience for all members involved. Select trusted individuals to take on specific responsibilities and start letting them practice long before your small business vacation.
Take a trial run
A month or two prior to the big business vacation, spend a few days or a weekend away from the business. Employees will truly be able to experience the degree of responsibility required and the problems they might face with you away from the business. Because it’s a “trial run,” they can also contact you for help in managing matters. This is the equivalent of a dress rehearsal that will allow employees to prepare fully for the rigors of a small business vacation.
Once you’ve prepared your staff for your small business vacation and let them practice running the place on their own, you should be positioned for success. As a small business owner, it’s important to spend time away from the company in order to relieve stress. Your employees will find that a refreshed and happy boss returns from a business vacation. They might even encourage you to take more vacations from home business or small business after proving their competence at managing things while you are away. The personal and professional benefits of a small business vacation will be far greater than the energy and planning it takes to prepare.
