Is it easy being away from your business? In the beginning, no! It can be challenging to spend time away from a business that relies on you being the CEO, manager, customer service rep, and marketer. Still, it’s also essential for your health to take regular breaks.
Not sure how to take a vacation without feeling guilty? Follow these steps:
1. Plan.
Anything more than 4 days can result in hundreds if not thousands of income loss. So plan and start saving the income several months in advance to make up for this. For example, I am returning from a 9-day vacation that I started planning 10 months ago. This provided me with ample time to plan excursions and tours and save enough money so that the income I “lost” was already set aside.
How to plan a trip without guilt:
- As stated above, try to plan far in advance to get all of your ducks in a row.
- Depending on your business, hire temporary help if you need someone to step in while traveling. This could be a perfect time to hire a virtual assistant. You could hire one about 6-8 weeks before traveling to ensure they are trained before your trip.
- Put systems in place. Before going on vacation, anything that could be automated should be your top priority. This includes clients’ invoices, out of office reply, newsletters, social media posts, etc. These are things that could be scheduled before your vacation or tasks a VA could take over while away.
2. Be flexible.
If you aren’t in a position to save and plan several months and take on extra work leading up to your trip.
Things you can do to make extra money without taking on new long-term clients:
- Offer a few VIP Days
- Take on short term projects (less than 6 weeks)
- Offer a sale on your courses and other products
Things you can do to make extra money that may not be related to your business but is worth considering:
- Drive for a rideshare company.
- Pick and deliver groceries.
- Sell off your old but great condition clothes and accessories. I make $1,500 – $3,000 per year selling my old stuff on Mercari (<– affiliate link, but only sharing because it’s something I use often )and eBay.
- Join a paid focus group.
- Teach/Tutor non-speaking English kids.
3. Start small.
Start with 3-day weekends by just taking a Friday or Monday off and see how you feel! Doing this allows you the chance for quick rejuvenation and a taste of vacation while only taking off one business day if you follow a M-F work week.
While this is completely up to you, I wouldn’t go too far for a 3-day weekend. I’d limit it to no more than 4 hours away whether driving or flying. In my opinion, anything more is not worth it, but you be the judge.
If you can’t recall the last time you took a break, you need a vacation, whether you know it or not! When you return to work, you’ll likely be more productive and earn even more in your business because you’ll be even more motivated.
I hope you found these tips useful! If you need assistance with temporary VA coverage, don’t hesitate to contact me. Have any more travel tips to share? Comment below!