Out of Office

Out of Office

The NCP Guide to Taking a Vacation (And Actually Enjoying It!)

Aya Lanzoni | Editor

All photos credit Alison Rochford and Aya Lanzoni

One of the upsides of owning your own business or being a freelancer is that you are your own boss. You can do whatever you want, whenever you want.

Freedom! ...Right?

But being “The Big Cheese” of your own business also means being everything from the CEO to the janitor, especially when you are a one-person show. This can make it tough to find a good work-life balance for taking a vacation, or even a staycation. But yes! It is possible to take a vacation as a small business owner. Not only is it possible, it is incredibly important for your mental and physical well-being and the ability to maintain and grow your business.

As the leader - of yourself, your clients, your projects…however you want to describe it - your team looks to you and sees how important it is to rest and recharge the working batteries. If they see that you are always hustling, they may also receive the message that it is not okay for them to recharge their batteries and allow for some rest. You know the saying from The Shining: “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.”

The work will always be there, you can take a break. (I promise.) Here are a few tips and tricks to be able to take a break as a small business owner.

Plan Your Vacation in Advance

According to David Finkel of Inc.com, “as a business owner, you should take at minimum four weeks vacation time. With at least a week each quarter to recoup and regroup.” Being able to take a week of may seem impossible, but utilizing this time to rest and restore would allow for you to recharge your mind, rest your body, and explore something new.

If possible, it is best to plan vacations around slow periods of your business. Depending on the type of business, you may experience slow periods of time where there just is not much work to do (do not worry - that is a good thing.) See this as an opportunity to take advantage of planning or taking your vacation.

If you have children, the slow periods might not coincide with their school vacation schedule, so if you have a team, you may need to delegate your work and establish a second-in-command.

Prepare to Delegate

Picture this: you are lounging on the beach sipping a piña colada, without a care in the world. Suddenly, your phone rings. It’s work, calling with a crisis sure to ruin your day. Do you: A) brush off the sand and open your laptop? B) delegate and return to sunbathing?

Is there someone that can handle all of your responsibilities while you are away? Or do you split up your tasks and give them to a handful of your team? Or if you are a solopreneur, do you completely shut down the business?

If you do have a team you work with, as a business owner, prepare a list of contacts and instructions for them to reference while they are running your business and you are enjoying yourself.

Being able to delegate your tasks and responsibilities not only shows that you trust your team to help keep the business running while you are gone, but also allows you to rest assured knowing that clients are getting what they need.

Give Others the Same Respect

These tips can go a long way in helping you enjoy your well-deserved time off, but it’s important to remember them when other people go on vacation as well. Is this email to your co-worker away with their family really urgent, or does it just require a little more problem solving on your end? If you know that a work associate is taking some time off, respect that as much as possible. This is one way we can all contribute to a healthier culture of work/life balance.

What Are Your Vacation Boundaries?

Are you one of those people who completely turns off the work brain while on a vacation? Or do you intermittently check emails or work phone calls while on the beach?

If you do need to check in on the business, set a limit as to when you do so. First thing in the morning? Before dinner plans? Whatever your limit is, do not allow yourself to get sucked into work, especially if there is an issue. If you have a second-in-command running the show, trust that they can handle it until you can address it when you are back in the office.

If it is just you and you are the entire team, you can still check in on the business, but it is unlikely that anything will be on fire, especially if you gave your clients advance notice. If there are new emails in your inbox, or voicemails on your business phone, make a note for yourself to address it when you are back at home and in work mode.

Let Clients Know You Will Be Away

Each business is different, and does things differently, but while planning your vacation, it is vital to let clients know that you will be away. This could affect their project that they have with you, especially if on an urgent deadline.

Speaking of, do not plan deadlines or launches near your vacation. You and your team should not have to worry about any bugs, fixes, or urgent issues that may arise, especially when you are about to get out of town or enjoy a staycation. It is up to you how much you want to let clients know about your vacation, but one pro tip may be to put your vacation reminder in the signature of your email at least a few weeks prior to your time off. Additionally, if you have meetings, you can add it to the meeting agenda and remind them a few times before you leave.

Finally, set up an automatic reply for when you are actually on your vacation. This can also keep clients informed for when you are coming back into the office or back to work. If you use Calendly or other tools where clients can book time with you directly, be sure to block off the time you will be away.

Last but Not Least, Enjoy your Vacation!

You deserve it, Big Cheese!