Small business owners are notorious for not taking vacations. In fact, according to a survey on vacation time commissioned by Sam's Club, nearly 50% of small business owners take only major holidays off or nothing at all. In my own poll that asks how much vacation time you take, almost a quarter of respondents (24%) say that they take only a day off here and there.
And even those small business owners who do take time off tend to find that a worry-free vacation is out of the question. According to a vacation survey by American Express OPEN Small Business Monitor, two out of three entrepreneurs worry while on vacation, about everything from missed business opportunities through employees slacking off. Throw in worries about the economy and ever-rising fuel and energy costs, and it's no wonder that so many small business people are reluctant to take some downtime.
But as Alice Bredin, American Express OPEN small business advisor, says, "For all of us and especially entrepreneurs, a vacation even if downscaled, is a necessity not a luxury; especially when times are stressful."
So what can we do to get the worry-free vacation time we need to keep ourselves and our small businesses thriving? Basically, there are three vacation options.
1) Close the Shop
One popular option for small business owners is to close down during vacations. For instance, a local bakery has a history of being closed for the month of January while its husband and wife owners take a vacation in warmer climes. Closing down a service business for a brief period of time is also possible with some advance planning; it's basically a matter of not scheduling appointments/commitments during a particular period of time and letting clients know that you're going to be away in advance.
Closing your business temporarily to take a vacation works well as a worry-free vacation plan for some because it eliminates so many of the things we small business owners can't stop worrying about while we're gone. Employees can’t slack off, for instance, if they're not there.
However, I don't generally recommend closing your business as a vacation solution for two reasons; closed businesses don't bring in any money and being closed forces your customers and/or clients who can’t wait to take their business elsewhere.
2) Take Your Business with You
Many small business owners are able to take advantage of current technology and take their small businesses with them when they travel - a great way to get a worry-free vacation. As long as you can work remotely and are vacationing in places with adequate technological resources (reliable electricity and wireless bases, for example) you can use your cell phone/laptop/blackberry to keep your small business operating.
Your chances of a worry-free vacation are much improved because you're still able to keep tabs on things and deal with problems as they crop up.
Obviously, though, taking your business with you when you travel will not work for some businesses which require face-to-face interactions and/or hands on production. It doesn't matter how many muffin orders the bakers I mentioned above are able to take if there's no one on site to bake them.
And I think it's a poor choice in terms of a business person's personal health. To do what it's supposed to do, rejuvenate and refresh you, a vacation should be a period of time you experience differentness, not do more of the same.
3) Find Replacement Management
For most small businesses, this last worry-free vacation option is the best. The business continues to operate and bring in money and from a personal point of view, the small business owner gets what he or she most needs - a real break.
There are two things you have to do if having someone look after your business while you're gone is truly going to be a worry-free vacation experience for you; pick the right person to manage your small business while you're on vacation and train them to do it ahead of time.
The next page of this article provides tips for doing both of these.
