- Most small business owners think they cannot take vacations but they should plan time off to recharge and avoid burnout. - Planning vacations far in advance allows time to complete tasks and prioritize work so the time off is truly relaxing. - Designating an employee to handle questions and issues while you're gone provides peace of mind during the vacation.

1. Couldyou, wouldyou, shouldyoutake avacation? Most small businessownerswouldanswerthiswith
an emphatic“noway.” The answershouldreally be,“Yes,WAY!”
You couldtake a vacation,all ittakesis properplanning. Be intentional abouttakingtime off,getiton
the calendaras far inadvance as possible.
Anticipationof takingavacationwill helpyouprioritizeyourto-dolist. Forexample,youhave alistof
thingswhichyou’ve beenputtingin that“I’ll getto thatwhenI have time”folder. Take thatlistand
assigntasksto yourself andyouremployeesthenpromptlycomplete the tasks. Youwill findthathaving
these choresfinishedwill make adifference inhow relaxedyou’ll feelonvacation.
In orderto enjoyyourvacationtime, assignone persononyourstaff to be the “designateddialer”while
you’re gone. The designateddialerservestwomajorpurposes. First,all employeesknow that theyhave
to go throughthe designateddialertocontact you. Secondly, “Thatway,if somethingbadhappensorif
somethinggoesinaditch,you’ll have the peace of mindknowingyou’ll getacall.”statesJohnFelkins,
EntreLeadershipCoach.
Takinga vacation wouldbe a great ideaif youcan getpast the culturallyembeddedideathattakingtoo
much vacation (2-3weeks) mightbe frownedupon. Vacationdaysare not a statutoryrequirementin
the UnitedStates. In a reportfrom the CenterforEconomicand PolicyResearchdatedMay2013, the
UnitedStateswasthe onlycountryinthe comparisonof “21 richcountries” whichdid notrequire
employerstoprovide paidvacationtime. Austriahadthe mostdayswith13 paidholidaysand25 paid
vacationdays.
Yes,you should take avacation for your physical healthandsense of well-being.“Mostpeople have
betterlife perspective andare more motivatedtoachieve theirgoalsafteravacation,”statesclinical
psychologistFrancine Lederer.
Tony Schwarts,founderof The EnergyProject,realizedhow vital vacationtime canbe.Wheninthe
establishmentof hisbusiness,Schwartznoticedthat“intensityof demandhadbeguntoweardown[my
employees] anditshowedupinacollective tendencytobe more emotionallyreactive - shorterand
sharper- and more willingtosettle foraneasysolutionratherthando the hard worknecessarytoget
the bestresult.”
As a businessowner, youwould,could,andshouldtake avacation. Dave Ramseygetsrightto the point,
“You can eitherchange the oil inyourcar todayor replace the engine tomorrow. Soyouneedtotake a
vacationnow,or [youwill] burnoutandquityourbusinessin10years. It’sup to you.” See youon the
beach!