Once you open your own business, you might think that you might as well say goodbye to holidays and time off. After all, there will be so much to do in your company’s first few years to ensure that future success is guaranteed. Not only that, though, but you will also need to ensure that your employees have a suitable leader in place. In some cases, the only suitable leader for them could be yourself. But does that mean that you are never going to have a holiday again? No, thankfully it doesn’t! In fact, there are a few ways you can make that holiday possible so you can get away and recharge your batteries.

Here’s how all small business owners can take a holiday away from their company.

Let Your Clients Know

Firstly, it’s crucial that you let all your clients know when your planned holiday dates are. Ideally, you should give them a couple of months’ advance warning, and then remind them again a week before you leave. They are busy people, so don’t worry if they have forgotten - that’s why you are reminding them! They will then know not to try and contact you during your time away, or that they should contact someone else instead.

Chose A Slow Time

Generally speaking, it’s always best to go traveling during a quiet period when your company won’t be so busy with work. It’s a bad idea to go during a busy time as your employees might all think that you are deserting them! After your first year or two of operations, you should be able to identify when your business is at its most quietest. For most companies, this is over Christmas and through the summer.

Put Your Out-Of-Office Reply On

Don’t forget to turn on your email’s out-of-office auto-reply before you leave. This will remind anyone who tries to contact you that you actually aren’t in the office and won’t be able to reply until you return. It will remind any clients who have forgotten that you’re away. Anyone who emails and didn’t know you were going away won’t think you are ignoring them! Make sure you mention the date of your return in this automatic reply so that everyone has an idea of when they will hear from you.

Be Over-Prepared

You can never be too prepared for any periods of time when you will be away from your company’s office, so it’s always a good idea to over-prepare. Make sure you carry out as much holiday planning as possible. One way to prepare well is to hire a virtual assistant from www.virtualoffice.melbourne who can take over your diary and check your emails while you are away. They can continue to schedule important meetings for your return so that you don’t fall too behind while away. They will also be on hand to answer any urgent emails that you are unable to deal with. It’s also a good idea to over-prepare your regular staff as well. Make sure they are well aware of who they need to report to while you are out of the office. It might also be necessary to provide everyone with a to-do list so that no tasks get forgotten about.

Switch Off Your Devices

Remember that this is a time for you to completely forget about work so that you are able to relax and unwind. And that means you should turn off all of your devices. In fact, it’s probably best to leave them at home or in the office when you head off on your travels. If you can’t bear to leave your phone behind, follow the tips on www.telstra.com.au that can help you stop checking your phone all the time. This is one of the rare chances you will have to ignore work emails, so make sure you do!

Debrief With Your Team Upon Your Return

Once you get back to the office, it’s really worth having a debrief with your whole team to see how they found working without you. It’s a chance to check in with them and see where you should pick up your work from. You can also take this opportunity to review how your team coped on their own. If there were any processes that you put in place which didn’t work too well, then this is a chance to discuss them and figure out how they can be improved for the next time you go away.

Hopefully, you can enjoy your time away from the office!