Even if they manage to take some time off, many entrepreneurs can have a hard time actually relaxing during the holidays, and they may find themselves checking in or worrying about whether things are running properly in their business.
To truly get some well-deserved rest and relaxation, however, entrepreneurs will need to find ways to unplug from business activities and step away from their day-to-day responsibilities—if only for a little while. To help, nine members of Young Entrepreneur Council offer their best advice for enjoying the holiday season without worrying too much about your business.
Members pictured from left to right.
Photos courtesy of the individual members.
1. Use The Holidays As A Learning Opportunity
Your business should run without you. Use the holiday season to take some time off and see if that’s actually true. Treat your time off as a learning opportunity—by doing nothing. This provides an excellent view into your company to see if your systems work to effectively run your business. If there are widespread issues when you’re off, you can pinpoint those inefficiencies and fix them. – Arian Radmand, IgnitePost
2. Designate A ‘Backup’ Leader
You need backup. As much as entrepreneurs dislike giving up control, if you really want to unwind without worrying about the business, have someone you trust mind the shop while you are out. You may come back and realize your team doesn’t really need you around that much anyway. – David Boehl, TravelSite.io
3. Schedule Time For Self-Care
Being an entrepreneur isn’t for the faint of heart. Self-care and taking time away from the business is necessary for continued good health and growth. Schedule time in your calendar to step away and focus on your self-care. You are the most important person to continue to develop your dream and share it with others. When you are in a good place, it positively affects those around you. – Racquelle Pakutz, Zen Freight Solutions Inc.
4. Establish Clear SOPs
An entrepreneur’s best bet for enjoying the holiday season without worrying about their business is establishing clear and concise standard operating procedures (SOPs). With SOPs in place, the entrepreneur can delegate tasks and have confidence that things will run smoothly even in their absence. Establishing SOPs can be time-consuming, but it will ultimately save time and stress in the long run. – Pratik Chaskar, Spectra
5. Create A Checklist Before You Go
If you want to enjoy your holiday vacation without worrying about work, create a checklist before you leave. Review your list on the last day. Go over the game plan with team leads and make sure staffing is optimized for the time of the year. You’ll feel a lot better walking away for a few weeks if you can see that things are running smoothly and are prepped for the busy shopping season ahead. – Chris Christoff, MonsterInsights
6. Give Yourself A Time Limit For Checking In
Upon waking, you have 30 minutes to go in and handle anything that came up while you were out that needs immediate attention. When that time slot has ended, you put work away and switch to vacation. Check in again around the end of the day to handle anything else that has come up. Limit this to 30 minutes and then stop all work for the day to enjoy your vacation. – Mary Harcourt, CosmoGlo
7. Let Your Customers Know You’ll Be Away
This is a major challenge for entrepreneurs. Taking holiday time off from their business is like leaving a newborn with a new babysitter: You are going to worry, but you can manage it with some planning. Tell your customers, or at least your best customers, that you are taking time off as well as any crucial things like changes in hours or who will be handling your calls or daily business. – Baruch Labunski, Rank Secure
8. Stay Off Social Media
There is always something happening online that will remind entrepreneurs of work. So, when you are on vacation, be on vacation. Focus on family and friends and forget about work for a bit—your brain will need the break. Try to be active, play ball or Monopoly, or cook a feast so you won’t have a lot of time to check your phone for work communications and social media updates. – Bryce Welker, Crush The GRE Test
9. Strive For Balance
My advice for entrepreneurs is to try to find a balance. You can’t completely unplug from your business, but you must take some time off to relax and recharge. One way to do this is by planning ahead of time. Keep your expectations and workload at a reasonably low level during this time. You want to be available to put out fires and delay minor issues, so plan ahead and let a few things go. – Syed Balkhi, WPBeginner
