Are you a small business owner who is looking for a vacation? Well, the idea sounds insane to you as you are working hard to make it grow.
But you are not a machine! Hell, even devices are given rest for specific periods and kept inoperative for their scheduled maintenance. So, don’t you think you need a rest period too?
A small vacation won’t hurt you and your company if you miss a business call, but your family will surely get hurt if you don’t spend quality with them away from your day job.
3 Ways To Plan Your Business Trip
So, take out some time from that busy schedule of yours and have fun with your family. If you’re wondering as to how you can take an off from work, then read along the pointers given below:
#1. Make necessary arrangements
Before you go on a vacation, settle your monetary affairs straight by having a meeting with your accounts manager or by finding the right small business accountant.
To get the most out of your vacation, you will have to prepare your employees and customers for your absence. If you work with clients who contact you personally to get any of their work done, then give them an idea of your vacation schedule and let them know you will be unavailable during this period.
Also, don’t forget to put up an out-of-office message. Finally, don’t let any significant work pass in your absence, such as an ad campaign, a new website etc., as you don’t want any last-minute cancellations before boarding the flight.
Make sure that you have a backup of all your important contacts on your personal laptop or phone before leaving for the vacation.
You can even maintain a small contact diary containing all the connections, which will come in handy if you lose your laptop or phone gets stolen. This way, you will be prepared to handle the emergency, if any arises.
#2. Prepare your employees for your absence
Have you heard about Murphy’s Law? If you have…well, congratulations! And if you haven’t, then it goes like this: “Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.”
Suppose you were expecting some troubles to arrive while away from work, they will come after you’ve left. Perhaps, the internet connection might break down, the ceiling might start to leak, or your website might crash when you are away.
Make sure to handle such situations you’re providing your employees with a ‘To-Do List’ and whom to contact. Give these responsibilities to a person who would not panic in such situations and let other people know that they will be looking after the office matters in your absence.
Inform your employees of the things they should notify you about and save yourself from unnecessary emails. You can also tell them to summarise the day’s events in a mail and send them to you. If any documents require your approval, say to your employees to put them on your desk.
#3. Put yourself under vacation rules
Even with the most advanced planning, you should not allow yourself to get sucked into your business work every day.
No matter how early you’ve planned, it won’t work if you allow yourself to get distracted by minor issues at work while you are away. To stop yourself from worrying about it, set a specific time in the day to check on your business.
For example, respond to your emails if you are free in your hotel room in the morning or after you are done with the day.
Do not forward your business line to your mobile phone. Let your employees handle it, or you can use VOIP service providers like Ring Central or Grasshopper to receive voice mail messages. As you are on vacation, do not send or receive faxes because they need your utmost attention to get reviewed or signed.
We hope the above-given pointers will help you prepare for your vacation and give you peace of mind while you are away.
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