Vacation Archives - Susan James Coach

It’s that time of year again. Many solo entrepreneurs are ready to go on vacation. They dream of white beaches, pleasant hikes, and hanging in a hammock on a tropical island. They plan to come back to work refreshed and renewed, but often they return to work more stressed out than before they left. Usually that’s because they didn’t plan how to manage their business while they were away. And the result of no planning was tropical stress—there were no pleasant times spent lying in a hammock—there was work and frustration on a tropical island.

In order to help you avoid the stress of vacating, plan ahead and try these following five tips to insure that your vacation is just as you envisioned it.

Plan to take your vacation during your business slow season; you know when that is for your business. Stress will be reduced if you know that your potential clients aren’t really thinking about services anyway.
Let your clients know beforehand that you will on vacation and how you plan to handle their requests while you are away. You can send an email to your clients letting them know when you will be gone and how to contact you if there is an emergency. If you write a monthly or weekly newsletter devote space in it to announce your vacation plans too. Set your email to auto response with a similar message. And remember to leave a clear voice mail message as well so that clients will be reminded that you are on vacation and the approximate times when you will return their calls.
Set certain times each business day when you do intend to reply to urgent emails and business emergencies. Usually, twice a day for a couple of hours is plenty of time to keep in contact with your clients.
Find out in advance, if where you are going provides sufficient telephone and internet service. If you are really going off the grid and there is no service, then have a trusted colleague set up to handle your business emergencies. And, introduce that colleague to your clients in advance.
Invest in a cell phone battery charger and computer charger so that you are not stopped by a dead battery and no way to charge it up. Bring a travel power strip to eliminate the problem of a hotel room with not enough outlets.

Do these steps make sense to you? Yes, it will take some planning ahead to insure that your vacation is relaxing and rejuvenating. You will enjoy your time off more if you know that your business is running smoothly, and most importantly if you have been in communication with your clients and your potential clients regarding your time off. They will appreciate your thoughtfulness and be impressed with how seriously you think about their well-being while you are taking care of your own.

The end of July is occurring this week. The beginning of August is tantalizingly close and so is your long awaited vacation. Congratulations!

Here are some tips to have this vacation be relaxing and support a continuance of your business while you “vacate”. Some simple actions to take before your vacation can prevent you from having to pick up the pieces of a stalled business and start over. I am not saying don’t be on vacation. I am saying prepare to set up your business so that it continues seamlessly while you are gone.

The easiest way to set up your business so that your clients aren’t left wondering about what happened to you is to communicate your plans to your clients. This simple step seems like a “no brainer” however I have known many business people who just don’t say anything to their clients. The first clue that a client gets about your absence is a sterile email responder stating the news. That type of communication leaves the client high and hanging on the hope that you will see their email asking for service. Instead, let them know who they can contact when you are gone. Also, include that information in your email responder.

If you are the sole service provider in your business, set up abbreviated business hours for yourself so that you are responding to clients. Set the time up so its compatible with whom you are traveling, so that they know that between certain times every day, you will be working.

Be certain that you have the communication tools you use with you and that they will work in your new destination. Often, it does sound good to you to say, I will use Skype or your cell phone only to find out where you are going does not provide internet and or Wi-Fi or that it is too expensive to use. Find out what is available before you go. If you can set up the type of availability you need before you go, do that. Yes, it does take some extra time to set it up but you will be so glad that you did once you are there. Many cell phone providers have special low cost vacation plans that you can add on for the days that you are gone. These plans can save you from paying high roaming fees.

Think through your typical business day, and make a list of what you use every day in the course of doing business. Make sure you have those items on your portable computer. Try out a typical business transaction before you go, and make sure it works without any flaws. Make a paper back up to carry with you just in case you have serious computer glitch.

This list is certainly not exhaustive; it is intended to stimulate your thinking ahead of the vacation, so that business can occur and you can enjoy yourself.

I am very interested to hear what you would add to the list or take off the list.

Have a wonderful vacation!

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