Does owning a business you have to kiss holidays goodbye? As a business owner of 11 years, I make sure that if I’m going to be going away on holiday, my staff are completely ready for the event. Being a business owner does not have to mean you can’t take a break every once in a while, but going on holiday requires diligence and careful planning if you want to keep your business running smoothly even while you’re away. Here’s what I do to make sure everyone is prepared.
List Down All Tasks
The first thing that I do in preparation is I write down any task that I do myself, and I do that for the preceding three months. I think of all tasks that need to be done in the following three months or however long I’m going away on holidays. Then, I document each step of the process.
Document Everything
I write up documented procedures so that the employees have something to follow.
Documenting business processes helps you see what needs to be done and who needs to do it. By having a single source of truth, everyone on your team can use the same information and get on the same page. That means no more wasted time trying to recreate the wheel or find the right version of the document. By documenting processes, everyone can also quickly adapt and stay on top of changes so the business keeps running smoothly.
Get a team of dorks to help out whether you’re going on holiday or you need more hands on deck for a project.
Have a Run-Through
A month before I go away on holiday, I pretend that I’m already on holiday by giving them the documentation to run through. During this time is when it gets critiqued and improved. The beautiful thing about doing this is that it doesn’t only set you up for the holiday now, it sets you up for the holiday next year and makes your business a significantly more valuable asset.
The Final Word
Think about what you do in the business and make sure to document that down. If there are things that you don’t feel comfortable with other people doing, see if you can do that and set aside some time during your holiday and try to be able to achieve those items. Don’t forget to have a run-through with your team a few weeks before your holiday.
This is something that I’ve been doing for the past couple of years and I was fortunate enough to go over to America for three months and not have to think about the business whatsoever. It just ran like a well-oiled machine.
Have fun and enjoy your holiday!
