How to Prepare for Vacation as a Small Business Owner

We’re slowly inching toward spring, which means it’s basically vacation season. If you’re from a cold northern state like I am, it feels like everyone and their mother is migrating south for a week or two.

Before I go any further, let me offer you this piece of advice (take it or leave it): yes, as a business owner, taking time off can seem impossible. However, time away from your business and enjoying real rest can hugely benefit you in the long run. No human can operate at full capacity every single day until they retire.

Taking a vacation as a business owner can be challenging, but it is entirely possible with some planning. Here are three things you can do to prepare for a worry-free vacation (and yes, you can leave your laptop at home).

Communicate and Delegate

If you have a team, let them know in advance when you’ll be traveling and what they can expect from you while you’re gone. As much as possible, delegate critical tasks amongst your team that must be completed in your absence. Ask a trusted team member if you can include their contact information in your out-of-office email response if a client or customer needs urgent assistance.

If you’re a one-person show, let your clients or customers know when you’ll be out of the office and when they can expect to hear back from you. Work with your clients to adjust deadlines where needed, complete tasks early, or shift items around. With enough planning, you should feel confident about where you’re leaving things— without worrying during your vacation and ruining the point of taking one.

Set Boundaries

This is a tough one even for me. I know firsthand how tempting it can be to check emails from the beach, but it’s healthy to take a break. Your business will not crumble during your time away. Decide in advance how connected you’ll be during your vacation. Will you be completely disconnected? Will you dedicate an hour each day to check-in and answer urgent emails? Will you take client calls? 

After you decide your availability, communicate with your team and clients. By setting boundaries ahead of time, you’re more likely to stick to your plan and enjoy some relaxation. Say it with me now: it’s okay not to be fully available 24/7 (vacation or not).

Time off is crucial for avoiding burnout!

Relax— You Deserve A Vacay

Running a business is not for the fainthearted, and it truly can feel like the job that never ends. However, time off is crucial for avoiding burnout, rejuvenating yourself mentally and physically, and increasing your productivity in the long run. It’s easy to be consumed by the daily demands of your workload. Time-off allows us to take a step back and focus on something that doesn’t require 100% of ourselves. Study after study shows vacations help reduce depression, anxiety, and stress. A healthy business requires a healthy business owner.

You’ve worked hard to build your business up to this point, and you deserve a break to rest and recharge. With some planning and preparation, you can confidently set your out-of-office reminder and leave your phone on Do Not Disturb (try it, it’s liberating).

P.S. If you need someone to keep an eye on your Marketing efforts while you’re gone, you know where to reach me!