I recently took a 10 day trip out of the country and had almost no email and internet access. Just because I was gone, however, doesn’t mean business took a break. Here are some tips on running your business while out of town.
Table of Contents
Pre-Plan
Planning ahead is huge. If you have a staff, you can prepare them for anything that needs to be done while you are away. Detail is very important. You don’t want to forget about something important and just miss it while you are away.
If you have a staff, make a detailed list of everything that needs to happen by day. Explain what needs to be done to successfully complete each task and make sure to answer any questions. While you are gone, they are on their own to figure things out.
If you don’t have a staff, you have to set everything up yourself. For my blogging businesses, I pre-posted and scheduled everything that needed to be taken care of. For my flash mob company, I had freelancers start on a project while I was a way.
Inform
Keeping your customers and staff up to date is important. If you have any outstanding emails, messages, projects, or deadlines, make sure everyone is updated and knows what to expect while you are away.
In my experience, the best way to do this is to work ahead and complete any outstanding projects before you leave. If you don’t owe anyone any follow-ups, you won’t miss any deadlines.
You can also set your voice mail and email with way messages so you don’t miss out on anything new.
Automate
Anything that can be automated should be. I pre-set bank transfers, emails, and other needed business activities to take place while I was gone.
Automating your finances is a good idea anyway, but make sure you have the funds in the right places ahead of time so your outstanding automated transactions will not cause any problems.
Enjoy
Remember, you are on vacation to relax, get away, and have fun. Don’t work while away if you can avoid it. Many entrepreneurs suffer from burnout if they don’t take breaks and relax every once in a while. Time away and relaxation are important for long term success and happiness.
After all, why did you start the business? Most likely, you wanted the freedom of being your own boss. Take advantage and go on vacation!
About Carson Derrow
