Taking time away from the office is crucial, not only for reducing stress, but also to gain new perspectives about your business. But a trip to the mountains or the beach won’t help reduce stress if you spend the entire time worrying about not having the same stable company when you get back. And at this time of year, business owners across the country are worrying about leaving their business for a little well-deserved R&R. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Today, we have 4 tips that will help you keep your business running smoothly while you take some time out.
Build A Solid Core Team
A business is only as strong as the people behind it. Many business owners often struggle to take holidays every year because the founders are too central to the everyday running of the business. Maybe clients are used to speaking directly to the owner for price quotes, or employees seek answers from the boss instead of being empowered to solve problems themselves. But in order for the business to work without them, founders need to take themselves out of the equation. That means building a strong core team of people who can support the business and take the baton from you when you need to step away. It doesn’t need to be a huge team – even 1 or 2 people who can be your ‘alternatives’ will help support your business growth. If you’re a smaller business, you don’t just have to rely on employees. Outsourced services can help maintain and support your business while you’re away too, so make sure you have some people you trust lined up.
Take Advantage Of Technology
One of the great things about the digital age is that you don’t have to be sitting in front of a computer to keep your social media and marketing efforts going. In fact, no one even needs to know that you’re not working! The technology exists that allows you to pre-plan your marketing activities, and schedule them to happen in the future.
Before you go away, carve out some time to pre-write your marketing messages for all the platforms you use. You can then use a tool like Hootsuite, Buffer or Sprout Social to schedule and post social updates automatically during your time away.
Automating key tasks like this gives you the confidence to step away from your desk without work piling up while you’re away. Your social media presence will still run like clockwork, your marketing messages will still be delivered, and you can enjoy cocktails on the beach without worrying!
Test The Foundations
The time to discover that something doesn’t work without you is not when you’re halfway around the world and in a different time zone! Instead, make sure you take the time to test the foundation of your business and your processes beforehand. In a non-critical time, take a day off, or step away from the company for a little while and see how things run. This will bring out any niggling issues or opportunities for improvement, and you can work on addressing those before you take time away for a longer period.
Make sure you look at your people, your processes and see how things operate without you, and make any changes you need to improve things. This becomes a period of reconciliation, and means that when you do go away for a real holiday, you can be confident that the world won’t collapse without you!
Keep A Library Of Documentation
Are your workflows in your head, or the heads of your employees, instead of being written down? You’re not alone. It’s easy to grow your business so quickly that you never think of documenting things, but if you’re going to take some time out then you need to get it all on paper. Whether that’s a spreadsheet, a Google Doc or a CRM system, make sure you keep a detailed library that documents how things get done. This not only ensures that your processes are all in place, but that everyone will know what they’re doing in all areas of the business.
No matter what business you run, it’s important to step away once in a while. The summer is the perfect time to take a break from your daily grind and recharge. It’s also a good way to test the stability of your business, and find potential issues with your processes, people and technology so that you can improve and support future growth. But of course, it’s not always easy to see the areas for improvement from the inside. That’s why Scaleup Solutions works closely with business owners to create a solid foundation for growth, and help you take more holidays throughout the year.
To find out more, just get in touch with the team today and book your free consultation.