Does thinking about taking time away from your business give you separation anxiety? You’re not alone. Many small business owners are concerned that they will lose some business – maybe their whole business – if they take time off.
The thing is, taking time away is important for your sanity and creativity. Carol shares some of her best tips in a recent post on MasterCardBiz, “Five Ways to Keep Your Business Going While You Go on Vacation.” She begins:
“With the onset of the holiday season, many small business owners will be planning to take some time off for a much-needed vacation or to visit family and friends.
However, taking time away from your business can be anxiety provoking rather than relaxing if you don’t plan for it properly.
As someone who has only recently learned to relish time away from my business, I recommend that you implement several (if not all) of these tactics to ensure that you can enjoy your time away.
1. Use an autoresponder.
It’s just good manners – and good business – to let people know that you’re going to be away and may not be checking email. You can even have some fun with this if you’re in a service business. I will write a cheeky message telling people that I might be at the spa getting a relaxing massage or biking down a volcano.
I take this one step further and alert people that I will be deleting all emails received during my absence upon my return and that they should plan to re-send anything important after a specific date.
It’s amazing how many people will stop emailing when you set expectations. Plus, the permission to flush your emails means you don’t have a week of catch-up when you get back.
2. Designate a point person for urgent issues.
Occasionally, there will be a client emergency or something that just can’t wait. It’s a good idea to identify a person on your staff, another business owner, or virtual assistant who can step in if need be.”
You can read the rest of the post here.
