The importance of time out…
Having just taken a relaxing two-week break in Hawaii, the importance of holidays is top of mind. As an SME business owner, is taking time out from the business a rare luxury for you?
If you don’t have the spare cash to fund the holiday then you are either not earning sufficient profit or you are not managing cashflow. Or perhaps you mismanage your personal finances? If you are experiencing financial issues then you / your business needs a financial “makeover” and cashflow improvement coaching.
If you don’t trust your people to run the business while you are away that indicates you have a job rather than a business. A business reliant on you has little or no market value. Perhaps you need to improve your delegation skills, formalise roles and responsibilities through an organisational restructure, recruit / train better, or develop your leadership ability? Understanding the underlying issues for your lack of trust will help identify appropriate solutions.
Are you in a rut and simply surviving, without any adventures or holidays planned? If so, then it is time for some personal goal setting. Life is too short to simply survive!
Or do you “love what you do” so much that you don’t want to take a break from the business? If so, I wonder if you are being honest with yourself and/or short-sighted?
I acknowledge that taking an extended break does take planning. You may also need to clear outstanding work in advance of your break.
But you owe it to yourself and your business to take leave from time to time. Otherwise, you run the risk of becoming stale and losing your enthusiasm and ultimately your ability to lead a successful business.
Ideally, after a good holiday you will return refreshed, with new ideas and energy. If your business ran smoothly in your absence then congratulate yourself on building a business not reliant on you. If there were problems while you were away, identify the causes and implement solutions so that next time you take a break your business runs smoothly.
If you need some help Q2 Ltd can assist with a financial makeover, an organisational restructure, goal setting, cashflow improvement coaching, as well as business planning.
Building a business that runs without you should be the goal of all business owners. Taking an extended break is a test for how well you have achieved that goal.
Someone once said to me “you have the business you deserve”.