5 tips for running your business while on holiday

business

According to a Funding Circle survey, only 49% of small business owners have less than three days off yearly, while 70% work on holidays.

Still, even big bosses and workaholics need rest to freshen up their minds and thoughts every now and then. And with another holiday season coming up, it’s going to get harder to stay on track with your business goals.

So how can you prevent your business from losing pace? How can one keep up with urgent requests and project deadlines? And how should a manager properly assign responsibilities to employees so that your getaway stays stress-free?

Carefully read the tips below to effectively manage your business and enjoy your time off to the fullest.

 

Plan your vacation in advance

For starters, double-check your calendar and choose a time when no major activities are planned.

Planning your vacation early makes it easier for both you and your colleagues to keep existing workflows uninterrupted.

It’s recommended to start planning your holidays 3 to 6 months in advance. Planning beforehand allows your team to prepare for your absence and gives you numerous advantages such as cheaper air tickets, more booking options, “early bird” holiday discounts and specials—unless you’re planning on spending vacation at home.

 

Prepare to manage your team remotely

Notify the team about your vacation dates.

If you can’t entirely avoid doing business while on holiday, try arranging virtual meetings and make sure you can verify important documents remotely on any device you have at the moment.

There’s a whole bunch of tools and services out there that enable seamless remote document management and business collaboration. Choose the communication method that suits your team best and keep track of your team’s work progress as if you were still in the office.

 

Delegate responsibility

Are you afraid that a poor business decision might be made while you’re absent? Then it’s the right time to start looking for a great assistant who solves problems and can handles things independently in your absence.

According to Forbes, only 30 percent of entrepreneurs venture to delegate responsibility to their subordinates while on vacation, and you surely don’t want to fall into this category.

After all, being a successful entrepreneur doesn’t have to mean you should do everything on your own. If you know how to delegate right, a task is likely to be done even better than doing it yourself!

 

Audit Trail to the rescue!

Whether in or out of your office, you can’t control everything.

There are certain situations when an important document has been sent to a wrong recipient, signed (or not signed) by mistake, or lost.

Luckily, there’s an easy way to find out who accessed your documents and when they were edited. The Audit Trail feature helps companies maintain better control over internal business processes and protect their reputation.

 

Be prepared for emergencies

Make sure you always come prepared in case anything goes wrong.

Natural disasters, power shortages, software failures, connectivity loss—all these things aren’t that scary if you know how to cope with them.

All you need is to make sure that the team roles are properly assigned and everybody knows how to fix the problem in the fastest way possible. Also, don’t forget to keep important documents in the cloud and learn what are the most effective ways to prevent data loss.

Vacation is a must for your physical and mental well-being. Consider it an opportunity for your colleagues. Let your team prove they’re able to put on a great performance while you’re away.