Getting Away When You're Self Employed

It's the dog days of summer and it seems everyone is off on vacation, but when you own a small business is it ever possible to "get away from it all?"

The reality is, you HAVE TO!

After all, isn't having more freedom & independence one of the reasons you went into business for yourself in the first place?

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TIMING IS EVERYTHING
It seems that August is the month when most vacations happen. Everyone is "away!" Here in Minnesota there also seems to be a mass exodus around the second and third weeks in January. So why not schedule your vacation when you know that many of your customers will also be gone?

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PLAN AHEAD
Or perhaps I should say "WORK AHEAD." About a month before your vacation, start planning projects. Take on only what you can finish before you leave, and wrap things up on existing projects.

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LET EVERYONE KNOW
In the sales business, everything happens at the last minute before deadline. Letting clients know that you'll be gone - even a full month in advance - can help take some of that last minute pressure off. If you can, give yourself and extra day or two before you leave AND after you return so that you have time to take care of urgent issues before your phone starts ringing off the hook!

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HIRE SOME HELP
Is there someone who can step in for you and help out while you're on vacation? Sometimes just an admin person who can come in and check for urgent messages is enough to take some of the pressure off of you!

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MIX BUSINESS WITH PLEASURE
If you have the ability to combine a business trip with vacation, why not do it?! You'll save money, you'll probably work a bit even if you don't plan to, AND you'll still be able to get plenty of R&R.

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If you absolutely can't schedule an extended vacation, try to schedule more long weekends. Leaving Thursday and coming back on Tuesday can feel like a long time away, but you're actually only missing two business days. Getting away for frequent, short vacations can help take some of the pressure off too!