Even business owners need a break every now and then, but many struggle to take the leap. Research indicates that a significant portion struggle to take time off, with a particular study finding that a fifth of small business owners forgo annual leave altogether.
The reason for this could be directed solely at anxiety. When you’re a business owner, you’re doing everything you can to keep your business afloat and thriving, but if you take time off, there’s a distinct fear that everything will come crashing down. That sense of responsibility – being the one everyone relies on – can create a kind of anxiety that makes unplugging feel impossible.
But it’s important not to let that feeling of anxiety win. Stepping away from your business for a while doesn’t mean cutting it out altogether. Whether you’re going on vacation or simply travelling, there are many ways to retain control of your business and make sure it stays in good shape. From protection to growth, here are three tips for managing your business while on the road.
Running Your Business
If you want to be more hands-on while travelling, that’s not a bad thing, but it does require a little planning.
For instance, you’ll want to make sure you have the right tools and systems in place before you go, starting by setting up reliable access to your essentials – like cloud-based file storage, project management tools, and communication platforms.
You’ll also want to set clear boundaries for when and how you’ll check in. Maybe it’s thirty minutes in the morning with your coffee, or a quick end-of-day review. The goal is to stay in control without letting work dominate your travelling experience!
Protecting Your Business
The thing about going on vacation or travelling, however, is that you don’t want to constantly be checking your phone, or managing your business from your laptop.
With this in mind, some of the things you can do to look after it can be done before you even step out of the door. It’s called insurance. Specifically, general liability insurance, which helps to cover costs related to third-party claims of bodily injury, property damage, or even advertising injury.
This means that, if something unexpected happens while you’re away, such as a client falling or a property being damaged during your operations, you’re not left scrambling to manage a financial or legal mess remotely.
In another study, it was discovered that one third of US small businesses are still uninsured, with 75% being underinsured. Attaining insurance, however, can be the difference between success and failure, and, in the context of travelling, give you the peace of mind that protective measures have been put in place if something goes wrong.
Protecting your company isn’t about being there 24/7, it’s about being smart enough to prepare for the times when you’re not, so make sure you bear that in mind and ensure your business is safeguarded.
Growing Your Business
When it comes to growing your business, travelling can actually be an excellent time to give yourself a little space and think about where your company can go next.
We’re not just talking about physical distance, of course, we’re talking about mental distance – taking you outside of the daily operations to look at things a little more clearly and see the bigger picture. One way you can do this is by using the time away to brainstorm effectively, journal, or even map out your vision for the next quarter or year.
You could also consume content that inspires you, whether that’s a business book you’ve been meaning to read, or a business podcast you enjoy listening to. All of this input can challenge your assumptions and help you spot opportunities you might otherwise have missed out on while stuck in your routine. With this in mind, travelling doesn’t have to be a pause in progress. On the contrary, it can allow you to fast-forward!
