Published on 28/09/2018 by Any Business.Com.Au

It's a Public Holiday but as a small business owner you're working right?

Sitting here on a Public Holiday in Victoria, about to prepare our regular end of month 'This Month in Business' blog, it got us thinking...as a small business owner do you actually ever get a day off?

Most small business owners could seriously use a worry free break, but small business owners in general are notorious for not taking holidays at all.

In fact, according to a recent survey, nearly 50% of small business owners take only major holidays off or none at all.

So what can you do as a small business owner to get the worry free relaxation time you need to keep yourself and your small business thriving?

Take some time out for yourself today and check out our guide below.

Close the shop

One popular option is to close your business down during holidays. For example, a local bakery has a history of being closed for the month of January while its husband and wife owners take a break.

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 holiday works well 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.

If you're closing your business to take some time off you want to be sure that you're doing so during your slowest season and give your clients/customers as much notice as possible.

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 away but stay in touch.

As long as you can work remotely and you're holidaying in places with adequate technological resources (reliable electricity and wireless bases, for example) you can use your smart phone/laptop/tablet to keep your business operating.

Your chances of a worry free break 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 mentioned above are able to take if there's no one on site to bake them.

Taking your business with you can also be 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 holiday should be a period of time you experience something different, not do more of the same.

Find replacement management

For most small businesses, this last option is the best. The business continues to operate and bring in money and from a personal point of view, you get what you need most - a real break.

There are two things you have to do if having someone look after your business while you're gone: pick the right person to manage your small business and train them to do it ahead of time.

Pick the right person

If you have employees, choose the most capable and reliable person and designate him or her your second-in-command. (You should do this even if you're not planning a holiday as you never know when you'll be unable to work in your business for some reason).

If you don't have any employees, one ideal solution is to swap holiday time with another business person in the same or a similar area.

For instance, a financial adviser might cover another financial adviser's business for a week or two in exchange for having her business looked after when she goes on vacation. You might also ask a retired business person to fill in, or one of the members of your advisory board.

Training someone to manage your business

1) First, if you are not a one-person business operator, and you're not already doing it, you need to start practicing delegation. Admittedly, this is more about training you than about training them, but you have to be able to let go before someone else can do it.

2) Make a list of important procedures and information. What does your replacement/second in command need to know to keep your business operating while you're gone?

3) Decide what an emergency is. Under what circumstances do you want your replacement to contact you while you're on holiday? If a certain client calls? Only if there's a fire or an earthquake? Be clear about your expectations.

4) Meet with the person who's going to be running your business while you're away, share the information and see what other concerns she or he has.

5) Have some trial runs. Before you go on holiday for a week, practice turning over the reins and taking a break from your business. Take a real mini-bred or pretend you are and do something different such as taking the weekend off.

Having someone else be in control of things for brief periods, even if it's just a day, will give you both the chance to see how things go and work out the details of your "away" plan - and give you personally a chance to get used to the idea of not working on your business all day, every day.

Running a business while on holiday will take a bit of work in advance on your part, but it's the best way to actually get a worry-free break when you do actually take one. And, once your holiday plan is in place and you have someone prepared to back you up, you'll find getting to actually take a break in the future will be a whole lot easier.

AnyBusiness.com.au

Curtis is a leading expert in the business-for-sale industry, serving as a senior content creator at anybusiness.com.au.

With a career spanning over fifteen years, Curtis has accumulated extensive knowledge in the domain of business sales, acquisitions, and valuations. His deep understanding of market dynamics and his ability to translate complex industry jargon into accessible insights make him a trusted resource for entrepreneurs and business owners looking to buy or sell businesses.

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