Running your small business can be rewarding in so many ways, but how often do you reward yourself with a well-deserved holiday or time off? Running a small business consumes a lot of your time and energy, not to mention the stress of keeping the business going. Many people running small businesses can feel burnt out by the end of the year. Everyone needs a break from work to relax and spend time with friends and family. With Christmas only around the corner it is the perfect excuse to take some time off from work and refresh yourself for the new year ahead. Here are some tips that can help you feel relaxed before taking time off work.
Plan:
Running a business you get familiar with the busy and slow periods of the year (Christmas being the busiest for some). Using this information you can plan around taking a holiday in the slower periods or just making it work around the busy times, but it is manageable.Have an action plan for your December/busy time of year; what are your set working hours, what are the biggest time consuming projects you need to get done, what can keep running while you are not at work? It is also a good idea to plan if you simply cannot interact with your business and your clients to set scheduled times so you only need to work a small bit to keep your business ticking.
Spread the word!
Let your clients and customers know with plenty of time to spare that you will be going away or taking time off work, so they are able to plan around your time off. For instance, if you work as a hairdresser or in the beauty service, ask your clients to book just before you go away or when you get back. Another example would be if you ship products out to customers, let them know there might be a delay in shipping and that there will be shipping available between and after our chosen holiday dates.
Ask for help:
Cannot keep up with demand? Reach out to a friend or family member to come and help during a busy period before you take your break. You could train them to help customers or pack orders, clean your workspace after clients, follow up with clients and customers or just there for moral support.
(How to take a holiday from your business | Small Business. (2020, December 1). Small Business Development Corporation. https://www.smallbusiness.wa.gov.au/blog/how-take-holiday-your-business)