You have the clients. You love what you do. But how can you get some REAL time off?
You might be thinking: Time off from my business is simply an unattainable goal.
Maybe it's summer time and your kids are home from school, you want to travel, or perhaps the holidays are approaching.
You've probably tried to disconnect in the past, only to be pulled back in by unexpected work-related issues. Your lack of availability may even be causing frustration for both you and your loved ones. However, you can take steps to ensure a stress-free vacation, long weekend, or holiday season. In this article, I will outline the planning and preparations that will allow you to truly unplug without sacrificing revenue or being tethered to your phone.
TL;DR? Click here to get my Business Owner's Guide to Taking Real Time Off
First things first: Is your foundation set?
When you have the following things in place, you are much more likely to be able to enjoy your time off. All successful, growing businesses have at least these 3 things in place. These are some of the first things I help clients implement when they’re overwhelmed or ready to scale.
Company Values - these guide your decisions. More importantly, when clearly articulated, they allow your team to make decisions WITHOUT you that still align with your vision and goals - so you can actually unplug when you get away. If you don't have a team yet, your values will help you put a plan together that is authentic to you and won't feel jarring for your clients. Get my Values Grid worksheet here!
Administrative or Virtual Assistant - your VA can manage communication while you’re away. They can respond to clients who need an immediate response while keeping a clean list of what you’ll need to address when you return. If you're not ready to hire someone long-term, you can hire a subcontractor temporarily. I suggest asking someone in your network whom you know and trust - ideally someone in your industry. This way, you won't have to spend a lot of time training someone for a temporary role.
Automated Lead Generation System - Usually this is a Contact Form or Scheduling System. These are my FAVORITE ways to allow potential clients to take action while they’re excited, without you having to be there - new business on auto-pilot! The best of these will automate an email response, or even make the sale for you while you're away. These are easy to set up on most websites, or through services like Google Calendar or Calendly. BONUS TIPS FOR NURTURING LEADS WHILE YOU'RE AWAY:
Turn on your OOO (Out of Office) auto-response so your leads understand why you're not responding immediately.
Create a nurture email sequence that sends automatically. This may include Client Testimonials, a Services Guide, or Pricing Menu.
Adjust your Scheduler to block off your vacation time.
Don’t have these in place yet, and don't have time before your next vacation? Don't worry: the rest of these tips will still get you in a better place than before!! Then come back to this list before your next vacation so you're ready next time!
Communication Pathways
Step 1: Ensure the following communications are written and set up BEFORE you leave.
BONUS: Once you write these, you can reuse the same template every time you're away.
Want some templates so you don't have to start from scratch? Grab them here:
Step 2: Schedule these to turn "on" the first day you're gone, or ask your Administrative Assistant or VA to do it for you.
EXTERNAL:
Out of Office message - create & schedule email auto-responses
Email or phone call to current clients
Update voice message (if you own a business line)
Schedule social posts for the week you're out if you want to remain consistent
Update Hours on Google Business Profile / Yelp
Optional: Post on Social week before announcing time off
Optional: Add a temporary banner on your website
Optional: Add a sentence to contact forms setting expectations (only necessary if you get a high volume of inquiries)
INTERNAL:
Reschedule anything that might have been scheduled before you planned your vacation
Identify top-priority tasks and complete them before you leave - or delegate them to a team member to complete while you’re gone
Delegate regular tasks to a team member and provide training or an SOP. For example:
Are there bills that need to be paid? Can you pay them early or train someone how to do it?
Answering phones or emails: give access to a shared inbox, create a system for tracking phone calls
Managing team: Can someone else run your team meeting, or do you give them a week off?
Make your “SOS” list: a list of things that your team should contact you about if they come up. This should be very limited. There are not many true emergencies in business unless you are working in medical, tech, safety, etc. Communicate this clearly to your team verbally AND in writing, so they can refer back to it while you’re gone.
Scheduled Check-In: If you must, schedule 1-2 times you will check in with your team while you are out. Ask them to save their questions for this time - no emailing or calling outside of those hours unless it’s on the SOS list.
Choose a deputy: Designate ONE point of contact for your entire team. This person should be the one you trust to handle things as close to the way you would as possible. They probably have been with you for a while, understand your goals and values, and know how you operate. The rest of your team can go to this person in your absence. They can help make minor decisions and guide the team while you’re gone, and they’re also the one person who contacts you about the SOS list. This way you’re not getting pinged by 5 different team members.
Want to get my entire checklist including timeline?
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