Business owner? Give yourself a break!

Business owner?
Give yourself a break!

Why you need that vacation

By Chris Amorosino

Freelance writer in Unionville

Vacation tips for business owners

1. Start with a short break. Take one or two days off, stay close, and see what happens. If everything goes well, you can schedule a longer vacation with confidence. If something goes wrong, you’ll know what changes you need to make.

2. Name a lieutenant. Put one trusted employee in charge while you’re away.

3. Plan. Avoid last-minute rushing by listing those things you must accomplish before you leave; then get them done.

4. Give two weeks’ notice. Give all contacts (employees, clients, vendors, etc.) advance notice of your absence.

5. Pay bills. To ensure cash flow while you’re away, pay bills and send out all invoices before you leave.

6. Take off during the slow season. The financial impact and any problems may be lessened if you’re gone during a traditionally slow time of the year.

7. Train employees. Before you leave, provide employees with additional training or written procedures as needed.

As a small-business owner, you will do yourself, your employees and your business a favor by taking some time off.

Although business owners often say they can’t afford to be away from their company, business psychology experts and consultants say everyone needs a break.

“If you’re running an organization of any more than half a dozen or so people and you can’t get away, you have failed to develop the organization’s capabilities. If you get hit by a bus on the way in some morning, your organization could fold in a day,” says Jim Jackson, president and CEO of the Essex Group, a business consulting firm in Centerbrook.

Jeffrey Zimmerman, Ph.D., president of Beacon Behavioral Services in Avon, a behavioral health consulting firm, says everyone needs time away to rejuvenate. It enables business owners to think differently, lessen stress, relax and meet other needs, including balancing their personal and business lives.

Business owners who work long hours and skip vacations tendto raise their stress level. “When you’re stressed out,” Zimmerman says, “you make poor decisions at work, you may alienate people, and you may decrease employee motivation or morale.” Worse still, an owner who is indispensable to the business does not have a very healthy business.

“If you’re the chief asset in your business, you won’t have much fun in retirement because you won’t be able to sell the business to anyone. You may have to work to age 89,” Jackson says. He believes business owners aren’t building a business if that business can’t survive without them.

Groom a second in command

One key to taking a vacation is grooming a second in command who can handle the typical day-to-day issues while the owner is gone, says Tami Hodges, president of EAP Inc., a North Haven–based counseling service that provides employee assistance programs. Train and empower a trustworthy, competent person who can take the reins, and then give that person leeway to do the job without requiring him or her to follow your exact methods.

Hodges thinks it’s OK for owners to stay connected to the business while on vacation, but says they should only make contact during set and very limited time periods. Often it’s best to leave the laptop and PDA at home and use a cell phone only for personal calls.

Start with a few days

Because they provide an outlet for handling stress, vacations can help owners increase their ability to bounce back from major life problems. According to Hodges, people who learn how to better cope with everyday stresses build resilience for handling bigger events. However, simple coping mechanisms such as eating right, getting rest, exercising and taking vacations can be hard for business owners to put into practice. She recommends starting with a minor change — for instance, taking a half day or a day off — then committing to that change and following through.

Zimmerman once took a skiing vacation with a small-business owner who spent an hour on his cell phone talking with the office while he was on the slopes. The right planning and preparation can let you avoid that scenario.